Shows
Licence To QueerOn Our Minds Only? Episode 0010 BOND THE OUTSIDER with Craig Gent, Author of 'Cyberboss'“The films were my therapeutic outlet. Even now, if I’m having a bad day, or gearing up for a bad day, I’ll wear that Bond t-shirt under my shirt, or Bond socks. A little bit of something that reminds me of who I am or who I want to be. Bond connects you to something.”We often think of Bond as someone who can move through the world effortlessly, fitting in wherever he goes. But the more we look, the more we find he’s someone who - like many of us - feels a disconnect...2025-04-061h 14
Licence To Queer"What's keeping you awake?" James Bond's battles with sleepWhat if we reframed the whole of the Bond franchise as the story of a man just trying to get a good night’s rest? For some reason, no one has ever looked in any detail at Bond and sleep. So let's get 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.Read the original article here: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/whats-keeping-you-awake-james-bonds-battles-with-sleep2025-02-2140 min
Licence To QueerA Spy Like Me - the official launch podcastKim Sherwood's A Spy Like Me had its official launch on Saturday 27th April at Dukes Hotel in London.
The event was a collaboration between 007GB - The British James Bond Fan Club, Ian Fleming Publications Limited and Harper Collins. 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. This is a recording of that. I hope you enjoy it.
More about the book
A Spy Like Me i...2024-04-2835 min
Licence To QueerEverything 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.
This interview was originally included in a podcast covering our whole trip to Japan, which you can find here:
https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/welcome-to-japan 2024-04-0420 min
Licence To QueerShadow of SpectreAntony and David take on the treasure-hunt experience across London with their friend Natasha Stone (aka The Red Vesper). What did they make of it? Join them before, during and after the adventure. (No spoilers)2024-02-1618 min
Licence To QueerWhere to begin with the Bond continuation books - with Mark EdlitzWith a drought on the Bond film front, why is everyone not quenching their thirst with the Bond books? Perhaps it's because, with more than 50 continuation stories published in the sixty years since Fleming's death, it can be hard knowing where to start. Setting each other the mission of proving the case that there's a Bond book for every mood and every taste, Licence to Queer's David Lowbridge-Ellis and Mark Edlitz, author of James Bond After Fleming, have each curated a list of seven 007 continuation novels.
Here they share their picks and why they...2024-02-1152 min
Licence To QueerThe (Stephen) Bourne IdentityStephen Bourne saw Goldfinger in the cinema in 1964 as an ‘impressionable little gay boy’. Author of one of the first (if not the first) books to see Bond films queerly, Stephen reveals how his thinking about the ‘offensive’ characters in Bond has become more nuanced since he wrote the book - and urges everyone to keep a more open mind.
Stephen is the author of Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema, published in 1996. To my knowledge, this is one of very first (if not the first) books to treat Bond films as ‘queer’ fil...2024-01-2133 minLicence To Queer‘Time To Donate’ - Licence to Queer’s 2024 charity fundraiserIn 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.
Very few people will not have been affected by suicide. One of my motivations for starting Licence to Queer was to do whatever I could to shatter the stigma surrounding suicide. Not only have I experienced suicidal thoughts for prolonged periods of my own life but I have known several people who have taken their own lives.
...2024-01-1439 min
Licence To QueerOur Year in Bond - Review of 2023Antony and David review a fully stocked 2023. Rather than retread things they've already talked about in detail on episodes of Our Month in Bond they instead choose one highlight from each month to elaborate on, sharing hitherto unheard stories. Their selections include book launches, film screenings, events, trips to Bond locations at home and abroad, charity fundraisers, awards and - most thrillingly of all - making new Bond friends.
The episode ends by bringing the Our Month in Bond series up to date with their Christmas trip to Venice and their exclusive first reading of the new...2023-12-311h 11
Licence To QueerChristmas comes again! (And again!): The various versions of The World Is Not EnoughIn the latest instalment of their popular series uncovering how Bond films developed through the scripting process, Tom Mason and David Lowbridge-Ellis set their gunbarrel sights on The World Is Not Enough. Early versions of the script reveal significantly different locations, different action sequences, different characters and different versions of the infamous gag which brings the film to its memorable climax!
Previous episodes (available on YouTube and wherever you find podcasts) have tackled early drafts of Diamonds Are Forever and The Spy Who Loved Me.
Which film do you think Tom and David should do next?2023-12-172h 26
Licence To QueerOur Month In Bond - Countdown to ChristmasYour hosts recount their trip to Buckingham Palace to pick up David's MBE, the climactic 007GB event of 2023 and their experience of David Arnold's intimate live gig. After making a Doctor Who-themed Martini, they run through Christmas gift ideas for Bond fans, the release of Mark Edlitz's new book and finish with a discussion of Bond-tangential media they have enjoyed, including the film Saltburn and a 'shaken not stirred' Super Mario video game.
Your hosts will return before the end of the year, live from Venice, where they will be spending Christmas day itself.2023-12-0941 min
Licence To QueerThe Road Ahead for 007: Road to a Million?While Antony and David really enjoyed 007: Road to a Million and are looking forward to the next series, they both choose three things which they think could make the show even better for all audiences, including the hardcore James Bond fans.
Contains spoilers for the whole series.2023-11-1832 min
Licence To Queer007: Road to a MillionWhat did David and Antony think of the new game show on Amazon Prime?
*Contains spoilers for the first two episodes*
#007RoadtoaMillion2023-11-1231 min
Licence To QueerOur Month In Bond - October 2023Antony and David reflect on another busy month which included David introducing a special screening of Casino Royale and interviewing six Bond authors at Pinewood Studios for Bondstars. They also discuss the Doctor Who connections with Bond (Doctor Who is celebrating its 60th anniversary), Halloween-related articles on the LTQ website, the Roger Moore auction and David receiving a very special item that once belonged to Roger Moore.2023-11-0244 min
Licence To QueerOur Month(s) In Bond: August/September 2023A bumper double episode, bringing you two months in one. We've both been so busy being 'problem eliminators' with our day jobs we didn't have chance to record at the end of August, so we saved it for now. We look back at the brilliant 007GB Club Belfry event in Birmingham, new editions of Bond novels for Global James Bond day, the excellent new Bond video game Cypher 007, our holiday plans to a classic Bond location and what's hot on the Licence to Queer website including new cocktail - the 'Kara Milovy'.
Our review of Cypher 007 in...2023-11-0252 min
Licence To QueerSharing passions with Raymond BensonBenson’s Bond books updated 007's world for their period and were even ahead of their time in key ways. On the eve of the re-release of Zero Minus Ten, Raymond and I chat in detail about not just Bond but also other mutual passions, including Hitchcock, Hong Kong cinema and listening to The Beatles without earmuffs.
As well as being a novelist, Raymond has been a theatre director, music composer, computer game creator and film historian. Although he’s now written over 40 books, 1997’s Zero Minus Ten was his first novel to be published.
Zero Minus Ten is being re-rel...2023-09-051h 09
Licence To QueerThunderball queer re-view Part 5: Camp - and queer verdict out of 007!What's up with Largo ordering champagne as his plot crashes and burns?!
What's 'camp' about camp collars?
A Dr Who reference?!
Red rubber, really James?
And are those mermaids in love???2023-08-2713 min
Licence To QueerThunderball queer re-view Part 4: GirlsWith more girls than ever before, none of whom are in the mood for 'settling down' with anyone, Thunderball takes aim at heteronormativity.2023-08-2711 min
Licence To QueerThunderball queer re-view Part 3: VillainsBeginning with a full-on fight with a man in drag, Thunderball has some curiously queer villains, including asexual Vargas, piratical Largo and the fabulous femme fatale Fiona Volpe.2023-08-2730 min
Licence To QueerThunderball queer re-view Part 2: AlliesThunderball features an early example of the ‘found family’ or ‘chosen family’ we typically associate with some of the Pierce Brosnan films and definitely the latter half of the Daniel Craig era. Those in the field include regulars Felix Leiter and Q, plus local contacts Paula and Pinder.2023-08-2705 min
Licence To QueerThunderball queer re-view Part 1: BondDon't frighten the fish!
Of all the fantastical things that happen in Thunderball (and there are a lot of them), the one that strains credulity the most is Bond and Domino having sex under water.
Is James Bond - at least metaphorically - a fish? And what might make his feel like a fish OUT of water?2023-08-2742 min
Licence To QueerKeeping the camp end up! A chat with Paul BakerPaul Baker is the author of the bestselling 'CAMP! The Story of the Attitude that Conquered the World'. Not only is the book fabulously funny but it also successfully captures what camp is all about (not a mean feat!) using a plethora of brilliant examples. There's only one problem: there's no way Paul could include everyone's favourite examples and only bits of one of the most camp things of all time - James Bond - made it into the book. David and Paul meet to put Bond in the camp spotlight.2023-08-2355 minLicence To Queer'Somewhat fishy': the deeply strange scripts for The Spy Who Loved MeThe Spy Who Loved Me is one of the most balanced Bond films, with a finely calibrated blend of all we love about Bond. But the film we ended up with went through dozens of iterations, many containing thoroughly unhinged ideas. Tom Mason and David Lowbridge-Ellis have read every screen treatment and script they can get their hands on - two years' worth! - and are now ready to share what they've found. Batten down the hatches for seal sex, crash zooms, a villain called Kronk, Anya's brother-lover, testicular torture and a very temperamental Lotus Esprit...
Contains some strong...2023-08-051h 18Licence To QueerOur Month in Bond: July 2023A gala fundraiser aboard HMS Belfast; an online event with Kim Sherwood exploring Bond and travel; the new Double-O novel gets its title and a sneak preview; Bond girls and singers sparkle in the V&A's stunning Divas exhibition; a memorable portrayal of Ian Fleming In the wonderful musical Operation Mincemeat and Antony gives his verdict on Fleming's Diamonds Are Forever after his first read.
NB: Contains a discussion of a racial slur.2023-07-3043 min
Licence To QueerTravelling with James BondKim Sherwood and David Lowbridge-Ellis talk with a live audience about all things travel and 007. How much is travel is responsible for the success of the books and films? Why do we have the urge to make pilgrimages to Bond locations? What can we learn from Bond about how to travel (and how not to)?
This is a recording of an event held on Zoom on 22nd July 2023.2023-07-231h 07
Licence To QueerMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part OneOn the drive back from seeing the latest Mission: Impossible in the cinema (not handcuffed together), Antony and David try to not fall out with each other while discussing whether it's helpful (or not) to make comparisons with James Bond. They also talk about the queer elements, the Hitchcock influences and the really really cool bit where *spoilers*.2023-07-1622 minLicence To QueerOur Month in Bond: June 2023Coming in slightly late - a few days into July - because we've had such a busy month...
June was Pride Month so we talk about all of the Prides we've been to, including Pride in London where we represented the queer Bond fan community. David talks about the On The Tracks Nene Valley Railway event where he spent lots of time with John Glen, Kristina Wayborn and other Octopussy alumni. Watching 50th anniversary film Live and Let Die inspired Antony to make a new cocktail. David visited Ian Fleming Publications. Antony found Bond references in 1960s...2023-07-0337 minLicence To QueerA Wild & True ConversationKim Sherwood's 'A Wild & True Relation' is an amazingly queer book. For Pride Month 2023, David Lowbridge-Ellis gets truthful with the Bond author about her 18th Century-set swashbuckler, examining how and why she created such a moving and rollicking tale of self-determination, freedom of sexual orientation, chosen family and defied gender expectations.2023-06-1154 minLicence To QueerOur Month in Bond - May 2023What a busy month in Bond! As well as May Day (honouring Grace Jones of course) there were two other bank holidays, one of which was for the King's coronation, which inspired the plot of the newest Bond book, On His Majesty's Secret Service. David chatted with Charlie Higson himself about it, both at the official London launch and on the LTQ podcast. David also co-hosted with Kim Sherwood a celebration of 70 years of the literary Bond, which was so successful that they are teaming up again soon (22nd July). David and Antony raised more than £1000 for UNICEF with D...2023-05-3152 min
Licence To QueerOn His Majesty's Secret Service: Declassified (A chat with Charlie Higson)In this spoiler-filled chat, David Lowbridge-Ellis delves deeply into all aspects of On His Majesty’s Secret Service with its author, Charlie Higson. No topic is off limits. David and Charlie get stuck into the core of the thrilling story, exploring the real life inspirations for the villain and his dastardly plot. They also tackle the really important questions, such as: should we trust someone if they have a six pack which is “ridged like a Toblerone”? What was the inspiration for giving Bond a ‘friend with benefits’? What kind of underpants does 007 wear? And, perhaps most pressingly of all, why d...2023-05-291h 10Licence To QueerFast XThe Fast and Furious films scratch many of the same itches as the Bond series. Is that why they're so successful? Antony and David give their thoughts about the latest installment in this superbly camp franchise, including its queer representation. Mild spoilers.2023-05-2122 min
Licence To Queer"Happy Birthday James!" Kim Sherwood and David Lowbridge-Ellis celebrate 70 Years of 007Kim Sherwood and David Lowbridge-Ellis celebrate 70 Years of Bond by getting together with an audience to talk all things Fleming. They start off by sharing their funny first encounters with the Bond books (both involved naked men as it happens!) before discussing the best order in which to read them. Kim and David get stuck into the subtle - and less subtle! - differences between the films and books, including the parts which readers unfamiliar with Fleming find surprising. David and Kim also read aloud some short excerpts from the novels, including their favourite character introductions (both choose their...2023-05-201h 12Licence To QueerOur Month In Bond: April 2023Half of April was taken up with our trip to Japan and we won't repeat anything about that here (see our three previous episodes for that). But even in the latter two weeks of the month, there has been a lot of Bond action, including our preparations for joining His Majesty's Secret Service (the Coronation and the new novel by Charlie Higson) and our big fundraiser for the year: Donate Another Day. We talk through the event, including what to expect, what to drink and (courtesy of Bond food expert and author Edward Biddulph) what to eat. We also...2023-04-3032 minLicence To QueerMountains, sunsets, naked baths, Super Mario and Bonding on a budget (Japan Part 2)The Japanese assignment continues with a mission report from the world’s busiest train station. Antony and David relate their remaining Tokyo adventures, including cherry blossom viewings and visiting a location from The Wolverine (2013).
Their next report comes from aboard a ‘Romance Express’ (like the one referred to by Tanaka in the novel of You Only Live Twice) travelling from Kyoto to Osaka. Before getting there, they share what it was like to stay in a traditional Japanese inn (as Ian Fleming did when researching Thrilling Cities). They also talk about how they found Kyoto, including its gorgeou...2023-04-171h 03Licence To Queer'A Japanese musical of Casino Royale!' - A conversation with @inspiredbybond in JapanRecorded live in the reception area of my hotel in Osaka, Japan this is a conversation with Eisuke Ochiai (@inspiredbybond on Instagram). We talk about Bond's place in Japanese culture before launching into our experiences with 'Casino Royale - My Name is Bond', a unique theatrical experience: not only is it the first stage musical of a James Bond story but it is performed by an all female cast, Takarazuka Revue, entirely in Japanese. How well did I (not a Japanese speaker) understand the story? What were our favourite elements? What were the completely bizarre parts which we never...2023-04-1147 minLicence To Queer"Welcome to Japan, Mr and Mr Lowbridge-Ellis" (Japan Part 1)Recorded in Heathrow airport and two very different bars in Tokyo. Starting off their trip to Japan (for both their wedding anniversary and Antony's birthday), Antony and David sip Negronis in the departure lounge while giving their perspective on Bond travel, including how to do it on a budget. After arriving in Tokyo, they have more cocktails in a key location from You Only Live Twice and finish their first night at a women-centric bar called Gold Finger, where they interview the owner about her love of James Bond and what it's like to be LGBTQ+ in Japan.2023-04-0340 minLicence To QueerOur Month In Bond: March 2023David and Antony discuss Michelle Yeoh's Oscar win, the 70th anniversary Fleming controversy, the first 007GB Club meet up, 40th anniversaries of Octopussy and Never Say Never Again, bumping into Aaron Taylor-Johnson (and THAT Calvin Klein photoshoot!), seeing Bond alumni in Jumpin' Jack Flash. This month's cocktail (which they make live) is a new one: the Wai Lin, which is one of the cocktails featured in the 2023 LTQ UNICEF fundraiser, Donate Another Day.2023-03-2548 minLicence To QueerFrom the sleeper train, with loveIt has never made logical sense for Bond to choose a train over a plane, but that hasn’t stopped the 007 series making sleeper trains synonymous with romance and excitement. Why fly when you can travel by rail?
David relates his and his husband's recent experience on a sleeper train (The Caledonian Sleeper) and compare it with Bond's experiences in the films and books.2023-03-1915 minLicence To QueerOur Month In Bond: February 2023In this informal chat (while they make Sunday lunch and cocktails), Licence to Queer creator David and his husband Antony reflect on the previous month and all the Bond-related things they have experienced. It's been a busy month! Discussion includes developments in 007GB Club (David is the Editor, Antony a member), the re-release of GoldenEye 007 on Nintendo Switch and Xbox, booking tickets to a Japanese staging of Casino Royale, a(nother) visit to Dukes in London, a sleeper train visit to Edinburgh supporting the release of Bond author Kim Sherwood's new book and the third international Jim Fanning Friday...2023-02-2642 minLicence To QueerRough Diamonds: the early drafts of Diamonds Are ForeverDiamonds Are Forever may be one of the more bizarre Bond films but the early drafts by Richard Maibaum make the finished film look quite sane by comparison! Granted access to the Eon archives, film scholar Tom Mason shared with me what he had uncovered: possible versions of Diamonds Are Forever which are, by turns, ahead of their time AND positively deranged. You're not going to believe what Diamonds might have been!2023-01-101h 16Licence To QueerFrom Cuba, with love (Recorded live in Havana)We always wanted to have Christmas in Cuba! On the final full day of our holiday, we look back on the experiences we've had in Havana over the Christmas period, make several Bond connections and share some of the funny things that have happened along the way.
There's no intro or fancy editing for this episode as it was a nightmare just getting the computer to work in any way with the state wi-fi. So it's just the audio, recorded from the balcony of our hotel overlooking the sea.2022-12-2829 minLicence To QueerSkyfall Queer Re-view Part 5: Camp, Verdict and Thank YousNo shade, but is M's death supposed to be... funny?!2022-12-1115 minLicence To QueerSkyfall Queer Re-view Part 4: Girls (You go gurrrrrls!)Severine has attracted a great deal of attention from academics writing about James Bond, with many finding the character to be a regressive step for the series’ portrayal of female characters. But she is one of the most appealing elements of the film for many queer viewers. Although she is undoubtedly a tragic character, subject to the whims of a succession of men, she is not entirely disempowered.2022-12-1105 minLicence To QueerSkyfall Queer Re-view Part 3: Villains (Shady characters)Like Bond, Silva was once a blunt instrument: something to be wielded by the British Establishment but without ever being admitted to the Establishment himself. Also like Bond, Silva is haunted by his past. However, the similarities run out of road here… In the absence of a chosen family like the one Bond has, something has steadily eaten away at Silva - and I’m not just talking about cyanide.2022-12-1123 minLicence To QueerSkyfall Queer Re-view Part 2: Allies (Friends of 00-Dorothy)We all face societal pressure to prioritise relationships with blood relations over relationships with people to who we aren’t genetically connected. But, for some of us, this is not desirable or, as in Bond’s case, possible.
Even so, Bond is never truly alone.2022-12-1126 minLicence To QueerSkyfall Queer Re-view Part 1: Bond (The names's Bond, Flaming Bond)If Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz is to be believed, there's no place like home. But what if that home is Skyfall? In his 50th anniversary queer odyssey, 00-Dorothy doesn’t just kick back against traditional notions of home and family; along the way he creates a unconventional family to replace the one he lost and blows up his childhood abode with dynamite. Talk about cathartic!2022-12-111h 14Licence To QueerNo Time To Dirk: Bond and Bogarde60 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).
Check out Callum's article at www.licencetoqueer.com2022-11-2753 minLicence To Queer004 reasons why Joseph Dryden is the gay hero we’ve been waiting forThere 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.
You can also check out further Double or Nothing coverage at www.licencetoqueer.com, including my review, conversation with Kim, conversation with novelist Roland Hulme AND an original cocktail recipe!2022-10-2726 minLicence To QueerHighly camp and horrifying: the Licence to Queer Hallowe'en SpecialCallum 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.
You can read Callum's original article about horror in Bond here: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/spectre-al-visions-queers-horror-and-bond2022-10-191h 11Licence To QueerBringing Bond home - a conversation with Ian Fleming Publications' Corinne Turner and Simon WardI 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...2022-10-1330 minLicence To QueerAnalyse this: supporting James Bond psychologicallyDr 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 solace.
I regularly write about Bond's psychology and mental health more generally but I thought it was about time I spoke with an expert on the topics. Dr Dunlop is doubly qualified: as well as being a Clinical Psychologist he's also a Bond fan. We talk about the potential causes of Bond's mental health difficulties and things he could do to...2022-10-101h 00Licence To QueerPour homme, pour femme and for everyone in between: making scents of more than 60 years of Bond fragranceOf 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 years of olfactory curiosity, especially when it comes to gender.
This is a podcast recording of an article which you can read here: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/pour-homme-pour-femme-and-for-everyone-in-between-the-scents-of-more-than-60-years2022-10-0930 minLicence To QueerIn From The Side: in conversation with director Matt CarterMatt Carter's new film, In From The Side, is about a romance between two gay rugby players. In this conversation we tackle (sorry!) avoiding 'gay film' cliches, different masculinities, alternatives to monogamy, drinking culture and how to shoot sex scenes intimately but tastefully.
Check out my earlier conversation with Matt, about his 'gay James Bond' film here: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/matt-carter 2022-09-2652 minLicence To QueerBreaking binaries with Ben Williams: “Sexuality, gender and James Bond are all very complex subjects…”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.
Please note that while I always aim to make Licence To Queer family-friendly, this podcast contains a few swear words from Ben. Ev...2022-09-201h 16Licence To QueerThe Queen, queers and country: a tribute to Her MajestyFor 70 years, Her Majesty was the only consistent recurring 'character' across the different versions of Bond, serving as an inspiration for many, including women and those men who had to keep their sexuality secret.2022-09-1511 minLicence To QueerConversation with Kim SherwoodWith the first book in her new trilogy, Kim Sherwood has blown the world of Bond wide open - and then some! In this far-ranging conversation we discuss diversifying MI6, seeing 007 from different angles, setting up threads for the next instalment and much more.2022-09-011h 03Licence To QueerThe World Is Not Enough comes again!Two of my dearest friends Han (until last autumn a Bond first timer) and Maz (ardent Brosnan-era admirer) join me for The World Is Not Enough at our local cinema. Hear our thoughts from before and after the film.
Licence To Queer regulars will already know Han and Maz. We introduced Han to the world of Bond for the first time in September 2021 and talked about what it was like for Maz growing up as a queer female Bond fan in Ireland. You can hear this on an earlier podcast. Scroll down or go to https://www...2022-08-2412 minLicence To QueerGettingEmotional watching GoldenEye in the cinemaGoldenEye was the first Bond film I saw in the cinema, aged 13. Seeing it at the cinema 27 years later, aged 40, would it be an emotional experience? (Yes. The short answer is Yes.)
I also had the good fortune to meet Thomas (@TEG79 on Instagram) who you can hear on this episode and Doug Astley (@TheDougHQ on twitter) who was sat next to me the whole time (although we didn't realise this immediately!)2022-08-1017 minLicence To QueerExemplars of British fortitudeDespite me being British, sport has always bored me to tears. So imagine my surprise when I found myself bawling my eyes out with pride in our sportspeople twice in one day! Perhaps their Bond-like approach to overcoming adversity had something to do with it?2022-08-0122 minLicence To QueerHe runs while others walkRunning probably saved my life. It’s saved Bond’s more than a few times as well. Here, I look back at his running career - which was not exactly impressive until Daniel Craig brought more metrosexual physicality to the character - and compare it with my own, which started soon after my first viewing of Casino Royale.2022-07-2825 minLicence To QueerLook what the cat dragged in: is the world ready for a more feline James Bond?More than shifting his gender or sexual orientation, surely the boldest way to reinvent Bond would be to make him care for something other than himself. A cat, perhaps? After looking back over 70 years of books and films, I’m convinced the idea has legs (four of them).2022-07-1040 min
Licence To Queer“Diana Rigg help me realise I wasn’t straight.”An award-nominated voice actor and filmmaker, Kathryn Vinclaire is also a massive Bond fan who identifies as bisexual. Like many of us - even gay-identifying men like me - she has a “massive crush” on Diana Rigg in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. We discuss her Tracy Bond awakening moment and why the world of Bond is such an open space for queer people like us.2022-06-1136 minLicence To QueerTop Gun MaverickDavid and Antony rev up their engines, listen to her howlin' roar and play with the boys, lavishing praise on the Top Gun sequel they didn't know they wanted. They discuss their relationships with the 1986 original, homoerotic subtexts, their opinions on Tom Cruise and the rest of the cast, the music (Gaga!) and try to work out why it just works so well from start to finish. Also, they share what it was like to experience it in 4DX; right into the Danger Zone indeed!2022-05-3129 minLicence To QueerThe Spy Who Loved Me queer re-view Part 5 (Camp)Moore's Bond is the most 'Camp' but what does that really mean?2022-05-1411 minLicence To QueerThe Spy Who Loved Me queer re-view Part 4 (Girls)Anya's not the only woman on the scene. She's got tough competition from none other than the Queen!2022-05-1411 minLicence To QueerThe Spy Who Loved Me queer re-view Part 3 (Villains)A hairy Russian 007, a fishy megalomaniac and and a queerly horrifying man mountain with metal teeth.2022-05-1412 minLicence To QueerThe Spy Who Loved Me queer re-view Part 2 (Allies)The book's General Gogol equivalent is a far less lovely character than the film's. And there goes Moneypenny being over-efficient as usual.2022-05-1402 minLicence To QueerThe Spy Who Loved Me Queer re-view Part 1 (Bond himself)For me, The Spy Who Loved Me marks the point where Bond edges closest to the ‘harder’, even hypermasculine end of the spectrum, potentially making it harder for some queer viewers to identify with him. It can sometimes feel like overkill, especially when it comes to his sexual conquests, as if Bond is trying too hard to prove something, perhaps even putting on an brave show of it. This performative aspect though provides a way in for those of us who spent portions of our lives trying hard to conceal parts of ourselves. Furthermore, several stylistic choices - as we s...2022-05-1431 minLicence To QueerHeartstopperIn a bit of a departure from Bond, Sam and David discuss why the joyful Netflix smash hit Heartstopper is a milestone in queer culture and why EVERYONE needs to watch it.
Although Bond comes up a few times in the discussion, it mostly draws on many of the ideas Sam and David have explored in relation to Bond, especially in terms of representation. They discuss why it resonated with them so much, why they wish it had been around when they were growing up, the criticism it has (unfairly) received from a minority of older gay...2022-05-011h 00Licence To QueerA licence to wear PINK!Daniel Craig turned heads when he turned up to the No Time To Die premiere wearing a shocking-pink jacket. A statement piece in more ways than one, it was widely hailed as a break with Bond tradition. But the more we look, the more we find that this is hardly Bond’s first time wearing the most ‘feminine’ of shades.2022-04-0933 minLicence To QueerAsexual coding in the Bond universe - Fenna Geelhoed“It might sound strange for an asexual person to be a Bond fan, given that sexual attraction is such a big part of the character’s world…” Fenna Geelhoed sets asexual representation in her sights and targets the best and worst examples from the Bond series. This is a video accompanying an article on www.licencetoqueer.com
Direct link here: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/what-do-you-do-asexual-coding-in-the-james-bond-universe.2022-04-0232 minLicence To QueerBatman and Bond: the queer heroes we deserveIn the dark days of my early twenties, I fell out of love with Bond and poor Batman had to shoulder the responsibility of being my queer role model. Now that I’m nearly 40, staring down like a brooding gargoyle at my impending birthday, I’m wondering where the Batman and Bond influences end and the real me begins?
This is the podcast version of my article published on 19th March 2022: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/batman-and-bond-the-queer-heroes-we-deserve
If you enjoyed my ramblings about Batman, you may be interested in my piece for Gayly Dreadful about my lo...2022-03-1920 minLicence To QueerWint meets Kidd - a conversation with Chris EelesChris's original story imagines the first meeting of Diamonds Are Forever's lovable assassins. He talks to me about why he wrote it. Read the story here: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/wint-meets-kidd2022-02-1951 minLicence To QueerQueer re-view: Die Another Day Part 5 (Camp)According to Die Another Day costume artist and gay Bond fan Patrick Whitaker, this is “the Campest Bond movie that will ever be made” and I’m not inclined to disagree.2022-02-0517 minLicence To QueerDie Another Day queer re-view Part 4 (Girls)Although Giancita ‘Jinx’ Johnson is not the first of the series’ ‘female Bond’ characters, she’s the one who mostly closely mirrors his non-binary combination of masculine and feminine qualities, as well as his traits of a stereotypical gay man.2022-02-0509 minLicence To QueerDie Another Day queer re-view Part 2 (Allies)Verity keeps her tip up, Q gives Bond his ring and Moneypenny enjoys some me time.2022-02-0516 minLicence To QueerDie Another Day queer re-view Part 3: VillainsColonel Moon/Gustav Graves is the epitome of someone who is not who they claim to be. And what makes ice queen Miranda Frost such a cool queer heroine?2022-02-0517 minLicence To QueerDie Another Day queer re-view Part 1 (Bond)Like the recipient of a deeply-suspect DNA transplant, Die Another Day is an attempted blend of new and emerging trends in culture and filmmaking with the feel of a classic Bond film. Not only that, it’s also narratively-speaking, both a Rebirth and Overcoming the Monster tale, two distinct archetypal story styles. The resulting experience is an identity crisis unfurling, sometimes jarringly, in front of our eyes. And the film’s identity crisis is mirrored, to an extent, in the character of Bond.2022-02-0540 minLicence To QueerMoore of RogersWith six articles (and counting) to Sam Rogers' name, exploring a range of subjects (from Bond Girls to Bond video games) I was keen to discuss with Sam if he'd had more thoughts about these subjects in a post-No Time To Die world. We talk about this and much much more, including finding your queer Bond fan tribe and which Sugababes track would make the best Bond song.2022-01-291h 31Licence To QueerHe shoots, he scores: Talking Bond, Bend and (rugby) balls with director Matt CarterMatt Carter’s first film as a 22 year old director was a gay James Bond film. His soon-to-be-released second feature is a love story between two rugby players, based on his personal experiences. I spoke with him about what draws him to stories set in stereotypically hypermasculine, straight male contexts and how gay cinema needs to move beyond coming out stories.
After seeing Jayson Bend for the first time nearly a decade after its first release, I was full of questions about the film. Fortunately, the director Matt Carter was able to make some time for us to...2022-01-081h 03Licence To Queer"The name's Leflour, Jill Leflour."Growing up in rural France, Jill created a James Bond persona to try to process his gender dysphoria. Now out as a trans gay man, living and working in London, Jill attended the premiere of No Time To Die and has been processing his feelings about the film ever since. We talked about why James Bond means so much to us as queer people, why we see things others overlook and how our partners accommodate our Bond obsessions.2021-12-2253 minLicence To QueerNo Time To Die queer re-view Part 5 (Camp)Susan Sontag would have loved this film.2021-12-1208 minLicence To QueerNo Time To Die queer re-view Part 4 (Girls)The Proustian origins of Madeleine Swann.2021-12-1217 minLicence To QueerNo Time To Die queer re-view Part 3 (Villains)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?2021-12-1211 minLicence To QueerNo Time To Die queer re-view Part 2 (Allies)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).2021-12-1221 minLicence To QueerNo Time To Die queer re-view Part 1 (Bond himself)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.com2021-12-1244 minLicence To QueerNo Time To Die 'off the cuff'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...2021-10-041h 00Licence To Queer“Keep the fruit”: mixing up Felix Leiter’s masculinityThe 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.2021-10-0222 minLicence To QueerLive on TV! Diamonds Are ForeverTwo 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...2021-09-2630 minLicence To QueerLGBT: Lesbians and Gays Bond TogetherWatching 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 2021-09-191h 43Licence To QueerWhat if Noël had said Yes to Dr. No?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?2021-09-0425 minLicence To QueerDr. No queer re-view Part 5 (Camp and Queer Verdict out of 007)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/
F...2021-08-2115 minLicence To QueerDr. No queer re-view Part 4 (Girls)If Bond is midway between the extremes of masculine and feminine, where does that locate the girls?2021-08-2112 minLicence To QueerDr. No queer re-view Part 3 (Villains)What's queer about 'three blind mice'? How bent is Dent? Is there something trans about Taro? And what do Dr. No's hands REALLY represent?
Find out in this episode.
Warning: Contains an academic discussion of the word 'f*ggot' in relation to 18th Century art.2021-08-2127 minLicence To QueerDr. No queer re-view Part 2 (Allies)In part 2, I look at the first portrayals of regulars Moneypenny, M and Felix Leiter. I also explore the colonial underpinnings of Bond's relationship with Quarrel and how much Fleming's own preference for male friendship influenced his writing and the subsequent films.2021-08-2112 minLicence To QueerDr. No queer re-view Part 1 (Bond himself)The first part of the Dr. No queer re-view explores the character of Bond, as first presented to us by Sean Connery in his first appearance. What gives him a 'gay sensibility'? Expect a far-ranging and provocative discussion including different points of view on the usual things (girls, guns, clothes) we associate with the character.
This is an audio version of an article on licencetoqueer.com, where you will also find in-depth and idiosyncratic quasi-academic analyses of all aspects of queerness in Bond from a range of voices across the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
Join in the...2021-08-2138 minLicence To QueerPreview: What to expect from the queer re-view of Dr. NoWhat makes the queer re-view of Dr. No worth listening to?
This is kind of the trailer, with me outlining the main ideas which get discussed in relation to the girls, the villains, the allies and Bond himself - and I also throw in some behind the scenes insights.
Queer re-view launches Saturday 21st August
- David2021-08-1909 minLicence To QueerThe meaning of 'queer' (in under 2 minutes)From the Glossary on www.licencetoqueer.com
The word queer, when used correctly, can be an empowering term which helps open up discussion and therefore foster greater understanding between people of different characteristics.
Unfortunately, queer was commonly used to attack the LGBTQ+ community until only very recently, and it still is at times. I remember being labelled ‘queer’ in the school playground and those negative associations are still with me. That’s part of the reason I want to reclaim the term and get people using it in the right way.
I’m not alon...2021-08-1901 minLicence To QueerIf this is your first time listening to a queer re-view......I recommend listening to this first.
Or read this: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/what-makes-you-think-its-my-first-time2021-08-1805 minLicence To QueerA brief 'Hello' from Licence To Queer's creatorA brief overview of what Licence to Queer is all about and how you can get involved.2021-08-1804 min