Lashana Lynch and Lea Seydoux on fighting misogyny and modernising Bond
As all eyes focus on Daniel Craig’s final outing as the Martini-swigging secret agent in the latest James Bond movie No Time To Die, the film also marks a shift in how women characters are perceived.
Bond is no longer the womanising, gun-toting secret agent that previous iterations of the character may have portrayed him as – instead he is now in a (as stable as a secret agent can have) relationship and is working to save the world with Lashana Lynch as 007.
For Lynch, who plays new character Nomi, she feels that Daniel Craig has “shifted” the Bond franchise for the better when it comes to these conversations, and that her inclusion is a sign of progression.
Lashana Lynch and Daniel Craig in No Time To Die. Pic: Nicola Dove/MGM
Lea Seydoux plays Dr Madeleine Swann – James Bond’s partner. Pic: Nicola Dove/MGM Studios
“The fact that [Nomi] was even an idea in the first place is just a reflection of where we are in the world, where we are continuing to go, but also where the franchise is,” she told Sky News.
“And it would be a shame not to do that – so they’re doing exactly the right thing, and I think they’ll continue to do that in the future.”
Nomi has taken over Bond’s agent number of 007, after the secret agent decided to step back from active duty, meaning Lynch is playing a full-blown MI6 officer.
And while the future of MI6 looks to be in good hands – the role of the traditional ‘Bond girl’ has also seen a shift.
No longer do Bond’s romantic conquests only last one film, with French actress Lea Seydoux returning to the franchise as Dr Madeleine Swann from Spectre.
Seydoux told Sky News: “I think that the James Bond films have always been quite relevant on the world.
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‘I’ve never regretted being James Bond’
“Bond has really changed with Daniel, in the sense that he’s less ‘misogyne’ (French for misogynist).
“I think that this time the female characters… have more depth and are stronger, but not only stronger, because they are skilled and powerful, but also we want to have more interesting female characters – we want to relate to them.
“It’s the first time that a female character is coming back – we get to know her and we get to know Madeleine in No Time To Die… so I think that in that sense, it’s much more interesting.”
There is plenty of talk about who the next Bond might be, and while speculation swirls that the franchise could continue with a woman at the helm – Seydoux thinks that could be a bad idea.
“James Bond is James Bond,” Seydoux told Sky News.
“I don’t think James Bond should be played by a woman.
“It’s important for young girls… to have a good example of strong women – maybe they could do a female spy, but it would be another film.”
Thousands of members of actors’ trade union Equity are being asked whether they would support industrial action over artificial intelligence protections.
The organisation has launched an indicative ballot among about 7,000 members working in film and TV.
Performers are being asked whether they are prepared to refuse to be digitally scanned on set in order to secure adequate artificial intelligence protections.
It will be the first time the performing arts and entertainment trade union has asked this whole section of its membership to vote in a ballot.
The Hollywood strikes took place in 2023. File pic: AP
The announcement follows the Hollywood strikes in 2023, when members of Equity’s sister union in the US, SAG-AFTRA, and writers, went on strike over issues including AI.
Video game actors in the US also protested over the use of AI, ending almost a year of industrial action earlier in 2025.
Equity’s ballot opens on Thursday and runs for two weeks, and will show the level of support the union has for action short of a strike.
Another statutory ballot would have to be made before any industrial action is taken.
“While tech companies get away with stealing artists’ likeness or work, and the government and decision makers fret over whether to act, unions including Equity are at the forefront of the fight to ensure working people are protected from artificial intelligence misuse,” Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said in a statement.
“If bosses can’t ensure someone’s likeness and work won’t be used without their consent, why should performers consent to be digitally scanned in the first place?”
Mr Fleming said the ballot would give members the opportunity to “send a clear message to the industry: that it is a basic right of performers to have autonomy over their own personhood and identity”.
The union has no choice but to recommend members support industrial action, he said.
“It’s time for the bosses to step away from the brink and offer us a package, including on AI protections, which respects our members,” added Mr Fleming.
The hotly anticipated Spotify Wrapped is revealing our top tracks, artists and albums for 2025.
But how does the streaming service calculate personalised summaries of users’ listening habits and rank the UK’s hottest artists?
Here’s a look at how your data is used.
The platform describes the annual statistics as “a chance to look back on your year in sound”.
It says data is captured between January and mid-November on every account, although it mostly excludes anything streamed in private mode. (Don’t worry, your passion for the Spice Girls can be kept secret.)
Wrapped presents personalised listening statistics, which Spotify calls the “real story of your year of listening”, alongside global figures for comparison.
The streaming service says Minutes Listened reflects the actual time spent listening to audio on the platform.
Once a user streams at least 30 tracks, Spotify generates a list of Your Top Songs. Similarly, Your Top Artists ranks artists based on total minutes listening to a particular performer.
Other metrics identify the top genres users have played, as well as podcasts and audiobooks ranked by total minutes listened. And if you’ve listened to at least 70% of tracks on a record, you’ll see top albums too.
Spotify also creates Your Listening Age, a guesstimate of your age based on the era of the music “you feel most connected to”.
The streaming service says the statistic is calculated using a five-year span of music which users engaged with more than other listeners of a similar age.
Spotify has been summing up 2025’s most listened to tracks. Pic: Spotify
Swift vs Bunny
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been named the UK’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for the third year in a row.
But she dropped out of the top spot in the global rankings, coming second to Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who secured more than 19.8 billion streams. Third were The Weeknd, followed by Drake and Billie Eilish.
Bad Bunny’s LP Debi Tirar Mas Fotos was the most listened-to album worldwide.
Read more from Sky News:
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Spotify revealed Drake was the UK’s second most-listened to artist, followed by Sabrina Carpenter in third, The Weeknd in fourth and Billie Eilish in fifth.
Despite being the most listened-to artist, Swift failed to break into the UK’s top five most listened-to songs and albums of the year.
Alex Warren’s Ordinary was the most-streamed song, and Short ‘N’ Sweet, released by Carpenter last year, the top album.
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