Ben Whishaw to update James Bond

James Bond producers have revealed they cast Ben Whishaw as 007's gadget guru Q in a bid to update the franchise - but they hope he plays the role into his old age.

The 31-year-old British actor - who stars in BBC One drama The Hour - will make his debut as Q opposite Daniel Craig in new film Skyfall later this month.

Producer Michael G Wilson said: "The decision was made to make him a younger man, as would be the case these days. Let's hope he goes on as long as Desmond Llewelyn did."

The Welsh actor played Q in 16 Bond films until he died aged 85 in 1999. Q has not appeared in the last two films.

The film franchise - which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year - began when Albert R 'Cubby' Broccoli secured the rights to Ian Fleming's novels, which he later passed on to his children.

His youngest daughter Barbara Broccoli said: "Cubby used to say, 'This is the goose that laid the golden egg, keep it safe.'

"One of the things he said was we're temporary people making permanent decisions. When you have a franchise, and you're invested in it as emotionally as we are, you make decisions based on the health of the franchise going forward."