James Bond legend Sir Roger Moore has courted controversy by insisting that 007 could never be portrayed as a gay man – or be played by a woman.

Sir Roger, who has previously come under fire for questioning whether the spy could be played by a black actor such as Idris Elba, risks a further backlash over his latest comments.

He said: ‘I have heard people talk about how there should be a lady Bond or a gay Bond. But they wouldn’t be Bond for the simple reason that wasn’t what Ian Fleming wrote.’

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James Bond legend Sir Roger Moore, pictured in Live and Let Die, has courted controversy by insisting that 007 could never be portrayed as a gay man – or be played by a woman

The 88-year-old star said ‘political correctness’ should not be pandered to, insisting: ‘It is not about being homophobic or, for that matter, racist – it is simply about being true to the character.’

His views are at odds with those of Daniel Craig, whose 007 movie Spectre opens tomorrow.

When asked last week if Bond could be black, a woman or gay, he replied: ‘Anything’s possible. You can do anything as long as it’s credible and it works.’

And fellow Bond star Pierce Brosnan said ‘Sure, why not?’ when asked if the character could be gay, though he doubted producers would allow it.

In a blow to current Bond Daniel Craig, Sir Roger claims the best 007 actor was Timothy Dalton, pictured (above) in Licence To Kill

Sir Roger, whose one-man theatre tour continues tomorrow in Liverpool following publication of his book Bond On Bond, said political correctness also meant villains were now always from undefined nations.

‘There is a danger always of causing offence,’ he said. ‘I suppose you could just about get away with a villain from Burkina Faso, but that’s about it.’

In another blow to Craig, Sir Roger claims the best Bond was Shakespearean actor Timothy Dalton, saying: ‘The films didn’t deserve him. He’d distinguished himself on the stage and did some interesting things with the part.’



