60 years ago, when the movie Bond began, England’s most popular actor was Dirk Bogarde, a closeted gay man. Dirk was even approached to play Bond. But big Bogarde fan Callum McKelvie is glad the matinee idol never donned 007’s tux (although he would have looked great in it).

Bond isn’t the marrying kind, but is his devotion to the mission the only reason for his lack of long-term attachment? In her latest warm and witty piece, Fenna Geelhoed (our agent in Amsterdam) relates how Bond’s disinterest in romance helped her be okay with not feeling ‘normal’.

There are so many pitfalls when it comes to creating a gay character who is realistic, sympathetic and unstereotypical that it’s probably not surprising that most writers don’t even bother trying. With Joseph Dryden, the first gay Double-0, Kim Sherwood shows everyone how it should be done.

Callum McKelvie joins me for a special Spectre-al episode taking a light-hearted look at the horror elements in the Bond films and novels. We uncover the spookiest skeletons in Bond's closet and get very personal when exploring why queers like us are drawn to the macabre.

I am joined by Ian Fleming Publications’ Managing Director Corinne Turner and Publishing Manager Simon Ward, following their announcement that they will be bringing the publication of all Ian Fleming titles ‘in house’ for the 70th anniversary of Bond. We discuss what this means for existing fans, their plans for attracting new audiences, the diversity of Fleming aficionados, new cover concepts and lots more. But first of all, I ask them to name their favourite Fleming books…

Dr Brendan J. Dunlop, a Principal Clinical Psychologist in the NHS, clinical lecturer and author of The Queer Mental Health Workbook, helps me analyse James Bond’s mental health experiences and suggests ways he could find some more solace.

Of the five senses, smell is not something we talk enough about in relation to Bond. This is somewhat ironic considering that this is the very first sense Fleming triggers, setting in motion decades of olfactory curiosity, especially when it comes to 007 and gender.

In this episode of the superb Cinematologists podcast, creator Dario Linares interviews me about Bond as an object of queer fascination, the expansion of a welcoming online community, reading texts oppositionally, possibilities of Bond's queer coding, gay assassins, Jim Fanning, and the potential next phase of Bond lore.

I was honoured to be one of the slick trigger fingers brought together for this glowing tribute to Her Majesty. As the evening continued it turned into a real Bonding experience for all of us. Plenty of heartfelt moments and laughs, just as she would have wanted.

I talk with director Matt Carter, whose new film, In From The Side, is a romance between gay rugby players. In this conversation we tackle (sorry!) 'gay film' cliches, masculinities, alternatives to monogamy, drinking culture and how to shoot sex scenes intimately but tastefully.

Bisexual Bond expert Ben Williams and I have been speaking for years behind the scenes, emboldening each other to be more openly queer. After they came out as non-binary, we thought it was about time we tackled The Big Stuff more publicly: gender binaries, putting who we’re attracted to into boxes and, perhaps most profoundly of all, what needs to be going down in our personal lives to make sense of Quantum of Solace.