James Bond is not always the best role model for staying mentally healthy. When faced with battles in his own brain, he’s far likelier to slip into avoidance behaviours (martinis, girls, guns) than deal with them head on. Even so, within the pages of the original Fleming’s books, we find that Bond’s creator was ahead of his time: he was not only interested in the treatment of mental difficulties, but also armed 007 with a coping technique recommended by professionals today.

‘James Bond is what every man would like to be and what every woman would like between her sheets’. Over six decades, this assertion has become received wisdom. But it turns out we’ve been lied to the whole time…

Gavin has seen all the James Bond movies, and Chels hasn't seen any of them. Together, they’re working through the Bond series on their podcast: Q Division. David joins them to decode Diamonds Are Forever.

Film students from East Sussex have recreated the iconic opening titles to Goldfinger, subverting the presumed-to-be straight male gaze by substituting the buxom female form with a muscled male model.

In just three years, Licence to Queer readers have raised more than £9000 for charities, including UNICEF, Papyrus - Prevention of Young Suicide and - for 2025 - Prostate Cancer UK.

The fan reaction to the announcement of the new Felix Leiter novel by Raymond Benson has been nothing short of phenomenal. As soon as I heard the news I knew I simply HAD to speak to Raymond himself about it. Check out all you need to know (minus spoilers) about The Hook and the Rye in this FIRST INTERVIEW.

Mental health is not discussed enough, despite it being an important element of the 007 stories. In this series, David talks very openly about mental health with members of the Bond community. He has a theory: these are the sorts of things on many of our minds but we often struggle to put them into words. Maybe our mutual passion for James Bond can help us can change that?

Hear my love letter to the music of Casino Royale on the latest episode of The Scores Are Not Enough.

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 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.

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.