00-heaven and hell for Children In Need James Bond marathon

In truth, though, it's hard to sum up the rollercoaster marathon at Oakengates Picture House in just a few words.

At the time, when plans for our charity fundraising challenge were first being hatched, it was a no-brainer. What James Bond fan wouldn't fancy sitting in a cinema to watch every moment of Ian Fleming's secret agent released on DVD, up on the big screen?

And to raise cash for the BBC's Children In Need appeal at the same time?

At 3am yesterday, three quarters of the way through the marathon quest, desperately trying not to capitulate and give into sleep, it wasn't feeling like such a good idea. But you know what they say; no pain, no gain. We did it, with the support of friends, family, black coffee and energy drinks.

And we felt proud.

The man to blame for this craziness was Paul Elliott, a 007 fan from Ludlow who currently has an exhibition of his huge Bond memorabilia collection running at the town's museum.

He asked me if I fancied marking the 50th anniversary of the official Bond series by doing something memorably mad, watching all the films leading up to the new one, Skyfall, back-to-back.

Why not? We tried to rope in other volunteers for the full 53 hours, but apart from Church Stretton fan James Birch, who cried off late on Thursday with a severe outbreak of man-flu, it was just the two of us, plus a handful of part-timers.

Ironbridge Brewery boss Dave Goldingay, who runs Oakengates Picture House above the Old Fighting Cocks pub, kindly offered us free run of his fabulous little 32-seat cinema, and it was all systems go.

The plan was to watch every moment of Bond on screen, in chronological order. We arrived shortly after 8am on Friday – armed with provisions such as a kettle, toaster, energy drinks and a few changes of clothes – to get cracking with the quirky footnote of the 007 series, the made-for-TV black and white adaptation of Casino Royale, starring American Barry Nelson.

Then it was onto the iconic series, starting with the Sean Connery era, and Doctor No. We started in our 007-style tuxedos for the visit from the BBC's Children In Need camera crews, before slipping into something a little more comfortable for the long-haul.

Pierce Brosnan's cousin, Anne O'Callaghan, who lives in Telford, kindly dropped by to show her support on Friday morning, with her son Martin.

She was delighted to see Connery on screen, admitting that despite her cousin's starring role in the series, the Scotsman is her favourite Bond.

Supporters came and went. Bond films came and went. By midnight on Friday we'd seen all of Connery's entries in the official series, and the magnificent On Her Majesty's Secret Service, with George Lazenby. How would we fare through the night, though, when the part-time companions had left? Early hours of Saturday brought in the Roger Moore era, and we fared pretty well. A couple of five-minute cat-naps were the most either of us gave in to.

Of course, you're never really alone these days if you've got a phone or laptop. We updated folk on progress by posting pictures on Twitter at the start of each movie (looking back at them, the physical and mental degeneration isn't quite as severe as I'd feared), and firing out some of our favourite 007 one-liners as they happened.

It brought in support from some unexpected quarters. Actor John Partridge, who plays Christian in EastEnders, revealed he was keeping abreast of our efforts, describing them as 'amazing'. Other followers tweeted from as far afield as Australia, the USA and Thailand. A reminder of Bond's global appeal.

Saturday's daytime programme saw the end of the Moore era, the comedy spoof version of Casino Royale from 1967, and Connery's return in the unofficial remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again.

Then, as friends and family left us to the night shift again, it was Timothy Dalton time, and finally, Brosnan's quartet of adventures which began shortly before midnight. Deprived of sleep from day one, the second night shift was much, much tougher. The hardest eight hours, by a country mile. We knew we were in the home straight, though, when Daniel Craig arrived, in Casino Royale, at 8am on Sunday.

I can't praise the team at The Old Fighting Cocks enough for their hospitality. They gave us the run of their place for the 53 hours, and their cinema – surely one of Telford's best-kept secrets – is fantastic.

The real quantum of solace for Paul and myself, though, is the cash we have raised. Donations have come in from myriad directions, and we're on target to add well over £500 to the Children In Need coffers.

Watching all the Bond films together gives you an interestingly different perspective. Goldfinger shines like a beacon as the most watchable of the Connery movies, The Spy Who Loved Me is clearly the best of the Moore years, and Goldeneye is a reminder of how miraculously Pierce Brosnan resurrected 007 for the post Cold War era.

And Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig, is a just a mighty fine movie. Not iconic Bond, perhaps, but probably the best drama in the entire series.

People are already asking if we'd consider repeating it next year. At the moment, I'm thinking once is certainly enough. But, in the best 007 tradition, I'll never say never again . . .