Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery would love to be first female Bond

“I love Bond, so yeah, I’d never say no,” Dockery told The Independent. Her Downton character, Lady Mary Crawley, is a far cry from the tux-wearing spy but speculation about a future, female Bond, has led Dockery to add her name to the list.

“I think a lot is changing with those films – I’m looking forward to the next one for that reason,” she said. “Those rumours about Gillian Anderson [being the new Bond], years ago… I was so up for that, it was like, ‘When does it happen, when does it start filming?’”

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Other actresses to put their names forward include Pearl Mackie, from Doctor Who, and Gotham star Morena Baccarin. Wallis Day and Shay Mitchell have also put themselves forward.

When Mail Online revealed that Bond’s secret agent number, ‘007’, will be adopted by a black female agent, played by Lashana Lynch, only to be handed back to him later in the new film, fans wondered whether this was an act paving the way for a female Bond in future instalments.

Dockery’s statement also follows this week’s news that former Bond actor, Pierce Brosnan, had backed the casting of a female Bond. He told Hollywood Reporter that the producers should “put a woman up there”.

Whether or not the role of Bond turns out to be attainable is contentious then, but Dockery has a plan B. She’d be more than happy to play a Bond villain.

“Those roles with a darker side definitely appeal to me,” she said. “It’s all about them feeling authentic. I’ve never played a really mean character, although Lady Mary can be a bit like that at times.”