I write James Bond novels – here’s why Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will bring a crackling new intensity to 007

By Kim Sherwood, Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Edinburgh

Our hero is on his way to confront danger, feign love and give away a little of his soul. As he takes a long plane journey over Europe into enemy territory, he reflects on what his younger self would make of him now: “Would he recognise himself beneath the surface of this man who was tarnished with years of treachery and ruthlessness and fear?”

You would be forgiven for imagining these as the thoughts of Thomas Shelby, screenwriter Steven Knight’s war hero-turned-Peaky Blinders gang leader. Or the meditations of Viggo Mortensen’s Russian mobster with a heart of gold in Knight’s 2007…

Read complete article

~	Back-to-school transitions can trigger stress and anxiety — these 5 books can help

~	How language classes for immigrant students can perpetuate inequity

~	Sleepy birds, quiet dawns: how noisy, bright city nights disrupt and change birdsong

~	When it comes to weapons on Australian streets, do our perceptions match reality?

~	Belarusian hackers‘ attack on the IT infrastructure of Russia's main airline sends ‘direct message’

~	World’s biggest coral survey confirms sharp decline in Great Barrier Reef after heatwave

~	Queensland teachers are striking. It’s not just about money – they are asking for a profession worth staying in

~	Could we one day get vaccinated against the gastro bug norovirus? Here’s where scientists are at

~	The digital economy could turbocharge our productivity, but we need to get the settings right

~	Francis Bacon’s Essays explore the darker side of human nature. 400 years on, they still instruct and unnerve