The next James Bond: Gentleman Jack's Suranne Jones has her say on being touted as the next 007

The Gentleman Jack star, 43, has been touted as one of the frontrunners to succeed Daniel Craig as the fictional spy if the franchise was to choose its first female lead.

But speaking at the 2021 Women of the Year Awards she dismissed the idea.

She said: “I told my five-year-old son and he said, ‘But mummy, you would have to wear a moustache’, so not sure about that. Although I did go and see James Bond the other day and I thought the Bond girls are so kick ass. Why do they need to be James Bond?“So there are a lot of people who are saying that you should just have a different character and not carry on that James Bond brand as a woman. And I agree. I think we should just have our own characters.”

Jones, who has appeared in hit television series The Vigil, Doctor Foster and Save Me, said she is attracted to roles that show women as both powerful and vulnerable.

She said: “When I look at a script, it has to affect society in some way and they have to be multi-layered. They have to have some strength and vulnerability that I can play with.

“So I think that’s why women appreciate my work in that way, even if it’s something like Vigil, which is a big thrill-seeking show, or something like I Am Victoria, which was about mental health – my own love letter to mental health.

“It’s important to show women in all of their full glory and not just their strength.

“The woman I am presenting my award to has worked her way up, and it’s great to know someone’s full story, and not just their success.”

Jones presented the innovation award to Heba Bevan, founder of smart sensor technology company UtterBerry, which produces tiny sensors that monitor loads on structures and bridges and can be used in disaster scenarios.