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Baftas 2022: Dame Shirley Bassey to perform James Bond tribute

LONDON, UK - JUNE 20: Dame Shirley Bassey performs on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on June  20, 2011 in London, UK. (Photo by Christie Goodwin/Redferns)
Dame Shirley Bassey performs on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on June 20, 2011 (Christie Goodwin/Redferns)

Dame Shirley Bassey has been confirmed to perform at the 2022 Baftas to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the James Bond franchise.

The three-time Bond theme singer will perform one of her iconic movies hits — 'Goldfinger', 'Diamonds Are Forever', or 'Moonraker' — as the first 007 film Dr No celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Which song it will be, is being kept under wraps until the awards ceremony on Sunday, 13 March.

Read more: 16 actors who could be the next James Bond

Bassey, 85, is the only artist to ever record multiple theme songs for the Bond franchise, with her first — 'Goldfinger' — being attached to the 1964 film of the same name.

Sean Connery sitting next to Shirley Eaton as she lies on her stomach with her whole body covered with gold spray in a scene from the film 'Goldfinger', 1964. (Photo by United Artist/Getty Images)
Sean Connery sitting next to Shirley Eaton as she lies on her stomach with her whole body covered with gold spray in a scene from the film 'Goldfinger', 1964. (Photo by United Artist/Getty Images)

That song gave Bassey her only Billboard Top 100 hit, and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008, setting the template for all future Bond theme songs.

Bassey, who was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1999, credits Goldfinger with putting her on the map.

"Goldfinger just changed everything," she once said. "I became internationally known."

Dame Shirley Bassey poses on arrival for the world premiere of the new James Bond film 'Spectre' at the Royal Albert Hall in London on October 26, 2015. The film is directed by Sam Mendes and sees Daniel Craig play suave MI6 spy 007 for a fourth time.
 AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL (Photo by LEON NEAL / AFP) (Photo by LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty Images)
Dame Shirley Bassey poses on arrival for the world premiere of Spectre in 2015 (LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

John Barry, who composed Goldfinger with lyricists Lesley Bricusse and Anthony Newley, was a huge Bassey fan and had been a conductor for the Welsh singer's band when she toured in 1963.

"I think Shirley should sing them all," Barry once said, "because a Bond song should be provocative, it should be seductive, all those things, and who better to deliver that than Shirley Bassey."

Read more: The best James Bond films according to its biggest fans

Bassey returned to sing the themes for 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and 1979's Moonraker.

Emilia Jones, nominated for her performance in CODA, will also perform live during the ceremony. The daughter of BBC presenter Aled Jones will perform a rendition of Joni Mitchell’s powerful ballad ‘Both Sides Now’, a song taken from her performance in the critically-acclaimed film.

Emilia Jones and Eugenio Derbez in “CODA,” now streaming on Apple TV+.
Emilia Jones and Eugenio Derbez in “CODA,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

CODA has three BAFTA nominations.

The ceremony will be returning to London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, 13 March, and broadcast at 7pm on BBC One, BBC One HD and BBC iPlayer.

Watch: Shirley Bassey unveils hand prints in 'square of fame'