The Hour's Ben Whishaw lands Q role in Bond
Ben Whishaw has gone to the head of the Q in the new Bond film after movie bosses confirmed he will play 007's gadget guru in Skyfall. The actor - who played reporter Freddie Lyon in BBC2's The Hour - is much younger than previous stars who played the man whose job it is to keep Bond equipped with the latest ingenious technology. John Cleese played the part in recent films after taking over from Desmond Llewelyn who starred in 17 films. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said: "It's a real thrill to confirm the return of Q in Skyfall played by the enormously talented Ben Whishaw. We are delighted to have this beloved character back in the series." Ben, who was recently seen playing the title role in the BBC production of Richard II, joins a cast including leading man Daniel Craig, Albert Finney, Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem and Dame Judi Dench who plays spy boss M. The Bond girls are played by Naomie Harris, who plays an agent called Eve, and French actress Berenice Marlohe. The film, which opens in the UK and Ireland on October 26, has been filmed on location including London, Turkey and Scotland.
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.