New book 'Bond, Queer Bond' revisits 007 through a queer lens

At first glance, O'Connell acknowledged, the connection is not obvious. 'Auf den ersten Blick scheint die Sache klar: Zwischen 007 und queerer Geschichte gibt es doch eigentlich keine Verbindung', he said. But he argued that looking only at the official history misses crucial figures and readings. 'Diese Perspektive ergänzt die bekannte Chronik von 007 nicht nur – sie verändert und bereichert unser Verständnis von James Bond grundlegend.'

O'Connell drew on letters, production histories, archival material, and personal connections to the Bond world. Among those personal links: his grandfather worked for decades for the Broccoli family and their production company EON, giving the author a unique vantage point on the franchise's inner workings.

The book highlights several figures long overlooked in mainstream Bond histories. Ian Fleming's long-time publisher's editor, the openly gay writer and poet William Plomer, is described by O'Connell as one of the most important patrons of the 007 novels. Fleming dedicated the novel 'Goldfinger' to Plomer, a dedication that takes on new weight in O'Connell's reading.

Hidden figures: Plomer, Adam, and Hunt

Production designer Ken Adam, O'Connell notes, developed central stylistic devices on the 1960 drama 'The Trials of Oscar Wilde' that later shaped the aesthetic of the Bond films. Certain room designs and perspectives from the Wilde film reappeared in Bond classics such as 'Dr. No' and 'Thunderball'. Film producer Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli produced 'The Trials of Oscar Wilde' in 1960, and refused to cut a scene referencing homosexuality despite pressure from American moralists — a decision O'Connell says damaged the film commercially but protected an important piece of cinema.

O'Connell also revisits Peter Hunt, the gay editor and director who shaped how heterosexual masculinity was portrayed and perceived in 1960s Bond films with Sean Connery and George Lazenby. O'Connell states that Peter Hunt was legally forbidden from loving and living with the person he had chosen: 'Aber gleichzeitig war es ihm gesetzlich verboten, den Menschen zu lieben und mit ihm zusammenzuleben, den er selbst gewählt hatte.'

Queer characters on screen

The book also documents queer characters and references scattered across the franchise. The novel 'Goldfinger' features a lesbian gang around the character Pussy Galore. The Bond film 'Diamantenfieber' (Diamonds Are Forever) introduced the eccentric, gay killers Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd, whom O'Connell described as 'zwei der ersten queeren Männer, die ich überhaupt irgendwo gesehen habe' — two of the first queer men he had ever seen anywhere. Javier Bardem played the ambiguously coded villain Silva in 'Skyfall'.

More recently, openly gay actor Ben Whishaw plays the character Q in several Bond films, with Q's homosexuality first hinted at in a scene in 'No Time to Die' (Keine Zeit zu sterben). For O'Connell, these moments are not isolated curiosities but part of a continuous thread. 'Doch wenn in der Geschichte einer kulturellen Ikone wie James Bond wichtige Personen, prägende Einflüsse und alternative Lesarten fehlen, dann erzählen wir eben nicht die ganze Geschichte von Commander Bond', he said.

The James Bond film series started in 1962, and O'Connell's book — published as the franchise approaches another chapter in its history — argues that the official chronicle has long been incomplete. Whether readers agree with his reading, the author insists the queer history of 007 deserves a place in the conversation about what the spy has come to mean.

O'Connell's perspective, he says, does not replace conventional Bond scholarship but enriches it. The book is positioned as a companion to the existing literature on the franchise, drawing on primary materials that include personal letters, production documents, and memories passed down through his family's connection to the Broccoli enterprise.