The spy who shagged guys

Skyfall actor Ben Whishaw confirmed as gay lead in new BBC spy series

He seduced us as hedonist Robert Frobisher in Cloud Atlas and he stole our hearts as a sardonic, nerdy young Q in Skyfall.

Now Ben Whishaw is returning to the screen in a new television series, and it looks like I might finally be getting my wish for a gay 007.

Whishaw was confirmed as the lead of a new BBC thriller called London Spy, which puts the English actor in the role of a gay spy.

“Ben plays Danny — a gregarious, hedonistic romantic who gets drawn into the dangerous world of British espionage in this contemporary, emotional thriller,” a BBC release says.

“He falls for the anti-social but enigmatic Alex, both from opposite worlds, and they soon realise they’re perfect for each other,” the release continues. “But when Alex suddenly disappears, Danny is utterly ill-equipped to take on his complex and codified world. Young, innocent and adrift, he needs to decide whether he’s prepared to fight for the truth.”

The series begins shooting next month and will be aired as a five-part series sometime in 2015.

Looks like the gay community (read: I) finally gets a spy hero they (read: I) have been dreaming of. I guess now we know what Q really stands for.

Michael Lyons is a queer-identified, chaotic neutral writer, activist, misanthrope, sapiosexual, and feline enthusiast. He is a columnist, blogger and regular contributor with Xtra and has contributed to Plenitude Magazine, KAPSULA Magazine, Crew Magazine, Memory Insufficient e-zine, The Ryersonian, Buddies Theatre blog, Toronto Is Awesome blog and Fab Magazine and more.

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