The first black Bond girl says the iconic spy should never be played by a woman

Trina, 71, told the Daily Mirror: "Lashana is a great actress, but I don't really agree with her becoming 007. It's not about her colour – a black James Bond, sure. But as a man.

"It's just because Bond, the spy code named 007, was written by Ian Fleming as a man. Miss Bond doesn't have the same ring to it.

"It's been a tremendous franchise since the 60s, and they've always been innovators not followers.

"They set a standard – that has remained a classic film with a man as Bond. That's how I think it should stay."

And Trina also praised the Bond franchise for its dedication to diversity.

She said: "The Bond franchise has gone out of the box with black actors and women of colour more than any other.

"In Hollywood, production ex ecutives were looking at women who were sexually attractive to their societal circles. But Bond has been ahead of the times to present a black actress in a major role.

"It's commonplace to see ethnicity in all the Bonds – and of course Naomie Harris is Miss Moneypenny and Jeffrey Wright is Felix Leiter."

Meanwhile, the plot of 'Bond 25' begins with a retired Bond in Jamaica, but due to a new worldwide crisis he is soon called back to help the Secret Intelligence Service - commonly known as MI6 - by Ralph Fiennes' spymaster alter-ego M.

An insider previously explained: "There is a pivotal scene at the start of the film where M says, 'Come in 007', and in walks Lashana who is black, beautiful and a woman.

"It's a popcorn-dropping moment. Bond is still Bond but he's been replaced as 007 by this stunning woman."