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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).
The best Bond score of all
Hear my love letter to the music of Casino Royale on the latest episode of The Scores Are Not Enough.
Jim Fanning Friday 2025: Tomorrow Never (Bow) Ties
Friday 21st February 2025 marked the fifth annual #JimFanningFriday, where Bond fans across the world came together to don some natty neckwear in celebration of a niche - but beloved - character from the franchise and raise money for charity.
“What’s keeping you awake?” James Bond’s battles with sleep
What if we reframed the whole of the Bond franchise as the story of a man just trying to get a good night’s rest? Lifelong insomniac David Lowbridge-Ellis gets under the covers with 007 to explore when he sleeps, if he’s really the early riser he claims to be and why we should be concerned about his dreams.
Debate over? On Her Majesty’s Secret Service IS a Christmas film
It’s fun to debate the extent to which action movies like Die Hard and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service are ‘Christmas films’. But, in my mind, there is no debate. They are unequivocally Christmas films because they embody the ambivalence of the season: darkness mixed with light; sadness with joy; looking death in the face and, ultimately, choosing to live.
Keeping 007 alive
Mark Edlitz’s stunning new book contains interviews with every living author who has penned a Bond novel, from Raymond Benson to Kim Sherwood. It also contains special interviews with the son of John Gardner and Ian Fleming Publication Limited's Managing Director Corinne Turner. The cover art is by Sean Longmore, the illustrations are by Pat Carbajal, the foreword is by three time Bond scribe Bruce Feirstein and the afterword is by me.
“An alternative action hero”
David was featured on German’s biggest TV channel, ZDF, talking about how James Bond provided him with an alternative role model when he was growing up, especially compared with the supposedly hypermasculine action heroes of 70s and 80s cinema.
Uncovering the Bond art of Michael Gillette
Michael Gillette’s art is nothing short of beloved by Bond fans. His gorgeous new hardback covers are the culmination of six years of work. He tells the full story here for the first time in this in-depth interview…
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.
Brosnan’s opening mission ends with the death of his best buddy. But unbeknowst to him, the object of his bromantic affections isn’t really deceased: he’s just watching from the shadows. Will Bond manage to stay Onatopp of things? Will he leave it up to a Russian computer programmer to save the day while he runs off to have a messy break up with his best mate? And will we ever get to the bottom of why 007 spends so much time hanging around in men’s bathrooms?