The Proustian origins of Madeleine Swann.

This might not sound like the most original insight, but there’s something not quite right with Lyutsifer Safin. And why is Obruchev giving us Nazi vibes?

007’s recent adventures have placed him at the centre of an ever-expanding ‘found family’. That is, ‘Individuals who are not biologically or legally related who deliberately choose to support and nurture each other like family.’ (Definition from The Queens’ English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Expressions).

James Bond is dead! But only in a literal sense. With classical parallels aplenty, No Time To Die secures Bond’s place in the pantheon of queer heroes, making a myth out of 007 by turning him into a being we recognise as human - whoever we might be.

This is the podcast version of an article published on www.licencetoqueer.com

This is my pure, unadulterated 'off the cuff' take on No Time To Die, 24 hours after seeing it for the first time.

The first segment (14 minutes) is completely spoiler free: although I usually keep my opinions to myself, this time I give them free reign.

And then I get stuck into no-holds-barred spoiler territory (don't worry - it's very clearly signposted so you will know when to stop listening). This is my unfiltered 'queer re-view', before I've had chance to do my usual extensive research and restrain my free-wheeling thoughts, taming them into something more civilised and refined.

Enjoy!

The line didn’t exist in the earlier drafts of Casino Royale. Is it just a throwaway quip or something more revealing of Felix’s character?

After exploring the changes to the script of Casino Royale and the queer connotations of fruits and vegetables (it all makes sense, I promise!) we dig into a short history of gin and how it has fallen out of favour and back in again.

Two days before the world premiere of No Time To Die, big UK broadcaster ITV chose Diamonds Are Forever as their Sunday afternoon film, one of my favourites of the series. Could I resist watching it on TV even though I had several copies on Blu Ray and DVD? Of course I couldn't! And despite me giving no warning about it, neither could many of you, including the following lovely folks on Twitter: @andytowne @shaggythetyke @jordan_welshy @tomsmason91 @seaniebird @lioneltwigg @notperfectedyet

Rather than talk over the film, I recorded my thoughts during the ad breaks. It was a huge nostalgia trip, taking me back to watching the Bonds on TV as a child.

Watching a double bill of Casino Royale and A View To A Kill with married couple Han (who never seen a Bond film) and Maz (who loved Bond as a child but was bullied into not liking it at school) was like seeing both films for the first time all over again. Listen in as two same sex couples banter about Bond with themed drinks along the way.

For more on the drinks we had, check out https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/lgbt-lesbians-and-gays-bond-together 

I’ve yet to find anyone who thinks having Noël Coward playing Dr. No would have been even a vaguely good idea, and that included the man himself. So what did Ian Fleming see in Coward - friend, neighbour, best man, godfather to his son - which the rest of us have missed?

Was the humour intentional or not? Does it matter?

After a discussion of the Camp aspects of Dr. No, I have a go at coming up with a score (out of 007) to rank it - purely in terms of queerness - in relation to the other Bond films.

Finally, some post re-view reflections on why people get worked up about the gender binary, an excerpt from a brilliant book by Meg-John Barker and Alex Iantaffi (link below) which has shaped my thinking and the acknowledgements.

https://www.rewriting-the-rules.com/self/new-book-life-isnt-binary-out-today/ 

Full references on www.licencetoqueer.com/dr-no