The SPECTREA criminal organisation with which Bond has often tangled. The initials stand for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. agent steps onto a rooftop above PyongyangThe capital of North Korea. In the early 20th Century it was a centre of Christianity known as the "Jerusalem of the East".. Posing as a North Korean general, he has arranged to meet Britain's top secret agent to discuss defecting. But instead of the figure he is expecting, the person who emerges from the shadows is a young woman. "Where's Bond?" he demands. The woman smiles and raises her gun: "I'm Bond," she says.

When the first James Bond film was released, such a scene would have been unthinkable. Now it is a possibility. Speculation about Daniel Craig's successor in the role is rampant, and as many actresses are being discussed as actors.

For cinemas emptied by the pandemic, the releaseNo Time To Die was originally due to be released in the autumn of 2019. of No Time To Die is seen as a life-saver, guaranteed to bring back crowds. And the reviews suggest they will be satisfied.

"It's better than good. It's magnificent." The Times declared: "Craig is a towering charismatic presence from opening frame to closing shot, and he bows out in terrific, soulful, style." The Guardian called it "an epic barnstormerThrilling event. The term originally referred to theatrical tours which often included performances in barns.".

The premiere at the Royal Albert Hall was a glamorous affair. The Prince of Wales chatted to Lashana Lynch, who plays Bond's fellow agent, Nomi; the Duchess of Cambridge shook hands with Billie Eilish, who performs the title song. Emma Radacanu, Harry Kane and the scriptwriter Phoebe Waller-BridgeEnglish actor, writer, and producer, best known as creator and star of comedy series Fleabag. She has insisted that she did not become part of the James Bond writing team to change how female characters are portrayed. were also there.

But 15 years of playing the spy have been enough for Craig. There is pressure for Bond, long an archetypalA perfect example of something. male, to be represented by a woman.

One former Bond, Pierce Brosnan, told an interviewer that the idea was "exhilarating", while Lashana Lynch declared: "With Bond, it could be a man or woman. They could be white, black, Asian, mixed race. They could be young or old." The fact that her character is given his 007 number in the new film looks like a step in that direction.

It would not be the first time an originally male character has flipped to a female: Bond's boss M is a case in point. Glenda JacksonOne of the finest actresses of her generation, she also served as a Labour MP for 23 years. gave a memorable stage performance as King Lear.

This is an important advance. The traditional dominance of strong male roles in drama has helped to repress women.

But No Time To Die's producer, Barbara BroccoliHer father Cubby Broccoli produced the first Bond films. She and her half-brother Michael G Wilson have produced the ones from Goldeneye onwards., is reluctant to tamper with a formula which has produced 27 money-making films: "James Bond is a male character. I hope that there will be many, many films made with women, for women, by women, about women. I don't think we have to take a male character and have a woman portray him."

Writing in Unherd, Tanya Gold agrees: "Is James Bond sexist? Of course, he is sexist, and has been in every incarnation... Bond can't change his nature, and he shouldn't, because then no one would want to buy him."

Yes. Bond is a two-dimensional character who is basically there to shoot people. We live in a world where women are beginning to get the respect they deserve, and having a female Bond would send a message of support. There were complaints when Judi Dench was cast as M, but most agree it was a good decision.

No. Changing Bond's sex would be disrespectful to his creator who conceived him as the essence of masculinity. The films' producers have already taken liberties by putting Bond in scenarios which have no basis in Fleming's books. To cast an actress in the role would simply be a step too far.