I’m not shaken or stirred by James Bond – spare us the latest ‘trigger warnings’

Outdated views, sexism and unsavoury characterisation are part and parcel of the legacy (good and bad) of James Bond, writes diehard 007 fan Rosamund Hall. The point these kinds of warnings are missing is that we know that – and we don’t need to be preached at

‘I am word perfect to Tina Turner’s epic anthem Goldeneye’ (2023 Invision)

Full disclosure: I love James Bond films. Always have, always will (yes, even the Brosnan era – I am word perfect to Tina Turner’s epic anthem “Goldeneye”).

I would happily describe myself as a member of the “wokerati” and would thereby likely feature in a list of people that Suella Braverman dislikes (though I don’t eat that much tofu), but “woke” credentials nonetheless, I still think the latest trigger warnings on James Bond films are absurd – and a step too far.

In a seasonal retrospective of the works of composer John Barry, the British Film Institute (BFI) have added a number of alerts to films being shown in the season, including Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice. The warning to viewers reads: “Please note that many of these films contain language, images or other content that reflect views prevalent in its time, but will cause offence today (as they did then)”.