Featured Posts
Licence To Queer covers queer aspects of Bond books, video games and more. Search here for your favourite titles and characters or find content related to particular queer identities (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, etc).
Secrets of the Spy Bar
If I was to tell you that there is a Bond-themed speakeasy bar hidden beneath Whitehall in rooms frequented by intelligence officers during the Second World War, possibly Ian Fleming too, would you accuse me of joking? How about if I added that the bar has an Aston Martin DB5 actually installed into the wall? Well, I never joke about my favourite bars, 007 fans.
The most thrilling Bond novel of all?
When David was invited by John Bleasdale onto his James Bond Book Club podcast, he chose to talk about Live and Let Die, for his money the most thrilling of all Fleming’s novels.
Recognising strength – The Woman with the Golden Bullet
Andrea Anders drives the plot of The Man With The Golden Gun. So why is the character often overlooked when people talk about Bond Girls? On the film’s 50th anniversary, Sam Rogers explores how The Man With The Golden Gun was produced on the cusp of massive social change - and how this is reflected in the character of Andrea.
The Search for Bond by Robert Sellers - exclusive advance review
The Search for Bond couldn't be arriving at a better time - or a worse one, if you're hoping it won't be long until we find out who the next Bond will be.
"A gay teen love letter to James Bond movies"
A Different Kind of Brave is a ludicrously exciting and romantic action adventure story with all of the Bond ingredients - but with two gay protagonists, one of who filters his whole life through his beloved Bond movies, which is definitely something many of us can relate to.
‘Time To Donate’ - Licence to Queer’s 2024 charity fundraiser
Over the last two years, the Licence to Queer community raised almost £4,000 for charity. This year we’re raising money to support the vital work of a charity whose mission is close to our hearts: PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide.
No Time To Diet: the menu for the Daniel Craig Bond movie marathon
Bond food expert Edward Biddulph has created the mouthwatering menu for this year’s fundraising marathon. There’s a dish representing every one of the Daniel Craig Bond films. Here are the five recipes…
A Spy Like Me - the official launch event
Kim Sherwood's A Spy Like Me had its official launch on Saturday 27th April at Dukes Hotel in London. It was my pleasure to be not only an organiser but also the emcee for the evening. The centrepiece of the event was a conversation between Kim and me with a follow-up Q&A. You can listen to a recording of that here!
Classified Chats with Kim Sherwood
In conversation with David Lowbridge-Ellis, Kim Sherwood uncovers everything you need to know about the writing of the addictively enjoyable Bond thriller, A Spy Like Me.
Book Review: A Spy Like Me
A Spy Like Me is that rare achievement, being both an addictively readable thriller and a work of great Literature (with a capital L). To the list of literary thriller writers begun by Fleming, which included Poe, Hammett, Chandler, Ambler and Greene, we can now add another: Sherwood.
Everything SHE touches turns to excitement!
On their most recent trip to Tokyo, David and Antony really didn’t expect to find themselves in a lesbian bar themed around James Bond. Nor could they quite believe it when the owner herself was up for being interviewed about her Bond fandom and how ‘women only’ carries a different meaning in Japanese culture.
2026 is an important year for Licence to Queer: we turn 006 years old! In this time, we’ve published more than half a million words about queerness in Bond, put out dozens of podcasts, raised more than £9000 for charity and created a real community. 2006 also marks the 20th anniversary of Casino Royale - without this film, Licence to Queer probably wouldn’t be here. And 2026 is going to be the year when we learn a lot more about Bond 26. We’re poised to bring our unique perspective to all of these developments. To get us warmed up, we’ve curated 26 pieces from the last 006 years.