Bait review: The best use of James Bond in years

There were understandable concerns that the James Bond brand would be diluted once the franchise fell into the dastardly hands of Jeff Bezos, the multi-billionaire whose ruthlessness, baldness and apparent desire to take over the world has essentially positioned him as a real-life Blofeld. And Amazon Prime’s first use of the 007 IP didn’t exactly inspire confidence either.  

Bait might be the best use of Bond since Skyfall

Indeed, despite Brian Cox’s best efforts, global challenge 007: Road to a Million – a convoluted blend of Race Across the World and generic pub quiz tenuously linked to cinema’s most famous secret agent – put the No in Dr. No. Luckily, the streaming giant’s second 007-adjacent project is much worthier of shaking his beloved Martinis. In fact, Bait might be the best use of Bond since Skyfall. 

The eight-part dramedy centres on Shah Latif (Riz Ahmed), a British-Pakistani actor who, despite a waning career, somehow manages to land an audition for the film world’s most coveted role.

Although he can certainly pull off a tuxedo, his memory sadly isn’t as sharp as his dress sense. And after forgetting his lines in an excruciating screen test and accidentally broadcasting his subsequent self-flagellation to the entire crew (“You just s*** on your last chance of being somebody”), the aspiring Bond sinks into his own quantum of solace.

Fortunately, in a stroke of luck which sparks four days of unadulterated chaos, his exit from the audition room is captured by a paparazzo whose snaps subsequently position Shah as Bond frontrunner.

Pretty soon, social media is abuzz at the possibility of a Bond that doesn’t fit the white man mould of Sean Connery, Roger Moore and every other thespian who’s stepped into the spy’s black moccasin shoes. The producers, who’d previously dismissed him as a no-hoper, now realise they may have to think again.  

It’s a brilliantly meta set-up which plays upon the ridiculous amount of hype and speculation surrounding Bond’s casting, of which Ahmed – who also wrote the show – has first-hand experience: following his Oscar-nominated performance in The Sound of Metal, he found himself touted as a genuine contender to replace the outgoing Daniel Craig (Callum Turner, however, has since emerged as the favourite).  

It’s a brilliantly meta set-up which plays upon the ridiculous amount of hype and speculation surrounding Bond’s casting

Ahmed is truly magnetic as a man who suddenly finds himself thrust in the national conversation, and, perhaps even more notably, the culture wars discourse that’s now a depressing side effect of every news story.

Although the TikTok generation are largely Team Shah, the anti-woke brigade don’t take too kindly to the prospect of him upsetting to the status quo: cue several cutting online remarks (“He looks like a baffled meerkat,” “Is that the guy from my kebab shop?”) and, more disturbingly, a pig’s head being thrown through his parents’ living room window.  

At times, Shah’s attempts to navigate these minefields possess the same kind of intensity that powered Adam Sandler’s similar white-knuckle ride in Uncut Gems. While the subject matter may seem trivial on the surface, Bait isn’t for the faint-hearted (watch out for a massacre dream sequence that’s more Tarantino than Bond).

Nor is it afraid to address challenging issues, from toxic masculinity, to cultural and political identity, to racism – both explicit (see the haunting childhood flashbacks to being violently bullied) and casual (in a running joke, Shah is repeatedly mistaken for Dev Patel by white people).   

Ahmed avoids the temptation, however, to paint his character as a hero. Shah’s self-assuredness can often veer into pure vanity (in one of several clever narrative devices, he constantly imagines himself guesting on a podcast). And his inherent need for validation, usually from total strangers over his nearest and dearest, can manifest in some distinctly ugly ways too. But it’s these complexities that make his journey such an intriguing watch.  

If all this sounds a little heavy, Bait still boasts plenty of laughs, mostly from the warmly-written family whose part-English, part-Urdu dialogue only adds to the sense of authenticity. Man Like Mobeen’s Guz Khan brings his fair share in a scene-stealing turn as Zulfi, the enterprising cousin with few qualms about riding on Shah’s coattails.  

Parents Tahira (Sheeba Chaddha) and Parvez (Sajid Hasan) also amuse in their contrasting responses to their son’s big news. After hearing the jaw-dropping figure Craig earned for his final Bond outing, the former declares her son will go one million pounds better.

The latter, meanwhile, is more interested in other perks (“Call me if you need a body double for sex scenes”). Also watch out for a truly bonkers guest appearance from Sir Patrick Stewart in a role which may change the way you see (or hear) Captain Picard forever.  

Should you watch Bait?

Bait, of course, might be the last Bond-themed project we see for a while. Although Amazon has hired a director (Denis Villeneuve), producers (David Heyman, Amy Pascal) and screenwriter (Steven Knight) for the long-awaited follow-up to No Time to Die, they’ve still yet to find its leading man, with rumours suggesting it will be at least 2028 before the film hits our screens.

Luckily, this labour of love is more than just a stopgap, succeeding as both a razor-sharp showbiz satire like Apple TV+’s The Studio and a thought-provoking meditation on what it means to be a man of colour in 2026. Any fans of Bond, Ahmed or just well-written dramedies in general should undoubtedly take the bait.

All eight episodes of Bait are available to stream on Prime Video from 25 March 2026.