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 high 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 tall, muscular figure he is expecting, the person who emerges from the shadows is a diminutive 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, Dr No, was released in 1962, such a scene would have been unthinkable. Now it is a real 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 the crowds. And the reviews suggest they will be more than 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 world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday was an extraordinarily 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 on the red carpet.

But 15 years of playing the famous spy have been enough for Craig. There is mounting pressure for Bond, long seen as 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 that an originally male character has flipped into a female: Bond's boss M - played first by Bernard Lee and later by Judi Dench - 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.

For feminists, this is an important advance. They argue that 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 understandably reluctant to tamper with a formula which has produced 27 money-making films with a total profit of over $7bn: "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."

Some say, yes. Bond is a two-dimensional character who is basically there to shoot people, so it does not matter who takes the role. We live in a world where women are finally beginning to get the respect they deserve, and having a female Bond would send out a powerful message of support. There were complaints when Judi Dench was cast as M, but most people agree it was a brilliant decision.

Others believe that changing Bond's sex would be outrageously disrespectful to his creator, Ian Fleming, who conceived him as the essence of masculinity. The films' producers have already taken enormous liberties by putting Bond in scenarios which have no basis in Fleming's books: they are arguably guilty of plagiarism. To cast an actress in the role would simply be a step too far.