Spy chiefs hope the next James Bond will be either black or a woman because it would boost diversity in MI6, an expert has claimed. 

Ian Fleming's suave creation 007 has been played by the likes of Roger Moore, Sean Connery, and more recently Daniel Craig since the Dr No movie hit the silver screen back in 1962. 

Bond's lifestyle of high-stakes espionage, drinking and womanising has boosted recruitment among white men for MI6, and has been 'nothing but good' for the UK's secret intelligence service, John Taylor says.

Mr Taylor, who previously worked for the British Government during the Cold War before branching out to train intelligence and security services across the world, has said the only thing spy chiefs would want to now change is for Bond to be black or a woman.

Idris Elba had long been touted as the frontrunner to replace Craig, but he has repeatedly ruled himself out most recently claiming racist abuse put him off the role, while Emily in Paris actor Lucien Laviscount is also reportedly being eyed up by executives. 

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Mr Taylor - a King's College London fellow - said: 'The only thing chiefs, I think, would want to change, going back to an earlier conversation, and it may happen yet, is that James Bond should be a black man, or a woman, or a black woman, and you know [it] would make those sort of people also, for diversity, want to join'.

'James Bond has been nothing but good.'

Lashana Lynch made history when she became the first black female to play a double-O agent in the latest Bond film, No Time To Die. 

She talked about the groundbreaking role, the inspiration behind her character Nomi and how her family inspired her in the October/November 2021 issue of Rolling Stone.

She said how it is 'imperative that we introduce the conversation of the Strong Black Woman into everything'.

While Tom Hanks earlier this year backed Elba to take over as the Martini-loving agent of the iconic franchise.  

'James Bond has a license to kill. I would issue that license to Idris Elba just based on the work that I've seen him do,' he told BBC News.

The Luther star, 51, though has 'no interest' in taking up the mantle telling the Radio Times in March: 'My Bond audition? Oh my God, no! I've been saying for years, no!'

While two months later The Guardian reported that racist backlash the racist backlash made the thought of him being cast ass Bond 'disgusting and off-putting'. 

Star Wars star John Boyega has also waded into the debate saying he doesn't believe Bond will ever be played by a black actor.

When asked if her would ever consider playing Bond, he told the Happy Confused Sad podcast in September last year: 'I'm sorry but I'm black – I don't know how. When you're black, I don't know how that goes.

'You as a white man grew up in a society as a white man and that's normal. That's normal to you. Even the mention of a black Bond is like 'Oh, okay'.'