He said: “There are unfortunately some quite dodgy sequences about women which in today’s age would have got him instantly cancelled. But as a piece of writing, as a well-written, punchy story, it’s really good.”

As for the future of Her Majesty’s secret agent, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson are about to start the casting for the next James Bond.

While there will definitely be no return to the classic Bond behaviour (and categorically no female Bond), Broccoli has confirmed it may be time for a new direction: “It’s a big decision. It’s not just casting a role. It’s about a whole rethink about where we’re going.”

She has previously explained that the actor they choose will be dictated by the tone the films in the rebooted franchise will take: “Are they going to be more humorous or less humorous, more gritty or not gritty? And then, when we’ve done that, we have to figure out the actor to play it. So, no, it’s not just ‘Oh, who looks good in a suit?’ We have to figure this out on our own.”