Michelle Yeoh’s rejection as a ‘Bond girl’ during BBC Woman’s Hour for her role as a secret agent in 007 movie Tomorrow Never Dies sparked feminist backlash

Michelle Yeoh’s portrayal of the “ass-kicking” secret agent in the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies signaled a major shift in the way the 007 franchise portrayed its female characters.

But the 62-year-old found herself at the center of a sexism row after BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour belittled her achievements by describing her as a former ‘Bond girl’.

Critics say the term host Nuala McGovern uses in the introduction to her interview with the star has nothing to do with what Ms. Yeoh actually does in the film, which includes performing some of her own stunts.

Dame Jenni Murray, who hosted Woman’s Hour Until 2020 last night, said: ‘For me, ‘Bond girl’ can only apply to a woman (who James Bond) has slept with, and even then it shouldn’t be used for any female character. After 1972, no matter what happens to bed.’

Starring Pierce Brosnan as 007, Ms. Yeoh’s portrayal of Chinese agent Wai Lin couldn’t have been more different from the more passive Bond heroines played by the likes of Britt Ekland, Jane Seymour and Jill St John in the 1960s and 1970s. .

The character of Wai Lin was a skilled weapons expert who could more than hold his own in combat and was Bond’s equal in every way.

Malaysian-born Ms. Yeoh, who won the Best Actress Oscar last year for her role in Anywhere Anywhere, began her career in Hong Kong action films.

When Tomorrow Never Dies was released, the Bond series was making a determined effort to attract female audiences and get rid of its sexist image.

The character of Wai Lin (pictured) was a skilled weapons expert who could hold his own in combat and was Bond’s equal in every way.

Starring Pierce Brosnan as 007, Ms. Yeoh’s portrayal of Chinese agent Wai Lin couldn’t have been more different from the more passive Bond heroes.

Malaysian-born Ms. Yeoh (pictured), who won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Everything Everywhere All at the Same last year, began her career in Hong Kong action films.

Best-selling novelist Kathy Lette said last night: ‘It’s time for the term ‘Bond girl’ to dust itself off.

‘Michelle was the third lead in Tomorrow Never Dies and A trained martial arts artist, he performed many of the demonstrations himself. Actually, ‘Maybe she could be our first female Bond.’

In an interview two years ago, Ms. Yeoh, who is currently starring in the film version of the musical Wicked, described how her role in the 007 series changed her perspective on female stars in the future.

He said: ‘Because it was always a man’s world, wasn’t it? All men love being James Bond, and women were almost always Bond girls.

‘But when they (the producers) came looking for me, they were ready to have a lot more depth, emotion and quality of their own nature in the film.

‘I am very happy that this was the train of thought that went through their minds when writing Tomorrow Never Dies.’

Author Dr. Julia Long said: ‘It is infantilising an actress who is clearly extremely successful, talented and very expert in her craft, to call her a Bond Girl. It seems like such an outdated term.

‘This is part of a vocabulary that undermines women’s participation in the world as human beings, and it’s really unfortunate that Women’s Hour will participate in this.’

When Tomorrow Never Dies was released, the Bond series was making a determined effort to attract female audiences and get rid of its sexist image. Picture: Brosnan and Yeoh in a scene from the movie

Ms. Yeoh (pictured on set) did a lot of her own stunts on the set of Tomorrow Never Dies

The row over the period was the second between Ms McGovern and Woman’s Hour in a week.

The presenter was criticized for her pointed interview with nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital in County Durham who objected to a transgender colleague’s use of the women’s changing room.

Some listeners and Christian groups were concerned that Ms McGovern questioned a nurse’s Christian beliefs and a Mumsnet user criticized her ‘sarcastic tone’.

A spokesman for BBC Radio 4 declined to comment.