Ben Whishaw says he has ‘a suspicion’ he won’t be asked to star in any more Bond films

Whishaw has played Q in the franchise since 2012

Ben Whishaw has cast doubt on his return to the James Bond franchise, saying he has a “suspicion” he won’t be cast as Q again.

No Time to Die, which came out last September after an 18-month delay, was Daniel Craig’s final Bond outing, but the rest of the cast have not been told whether they will return.

Whishaw – who has played gadget-master Q in the franchise since 2012’s Skyfall – told the BBC in a new interview: “I have absolutely no idea. I know nothing. They are incredibly tight-lipped about everything really. I have a suspicion I won’t be coming back.”

He added: “I think that they’re probably starting all over again. And that might be the right thing. But of course, but I don’t know for certain.”

When asked whether he meant there could be a 1960s-set reboot, Whishaw said: “Could be, couldn’t it? I mean, I think there’s so many options for them. And I am not privy to any of the discussion at all. So we’ll see.”

Last month, Whishaw admitted he thinks “some things were not great about” how Q’s sexuality was acknowledged in No Time to Die.

Ben Whishaw (Getty Images)

In the Bond film, a scene sees Bond and Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) asking for Q’s help – but a flustered Q is unhappy as he’s preparing for a date, telling them: “He’ll be here in 20 minutes.”

When the subject of the scene was raised in a recent interview, Whishaw told The Guardian that he found the scene “unsatisfying”.

Whishaw can next be seen in This is Going to Hurt, the new BBC One adaptation of Adam Kay’s medical memoir, out on Tuesday 8 February.