British actor Daniel Craig, second from left, attends the premiere of the James Bond movie Casino Royale in Beijing in January 2007. MI6, the real-life British spy agency, wants to hire more women and visible minorities as it hopes to change its image and intelligence-gathering capabilities. (Associated Press)

Call it covert affirmative action.

Britain’s international spy agency wants new recruits, but the clandestine operative of the future is more likely to be a woman, or of Pakistani, Chinese or Arab descent, intelligence officials say.

The head of human resources for the Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6, told the Associated Press that the agency needed to diversify if it was to meet the spying challenges of the contemporary world.

Also, a new British law gives companies and government institutions the right to favour women and ethnic minorities in hiring without facing discrimination charges.

“The key challenge is the terrorist threat,” the official, speaking on strict conditions of anonymity, said in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press. “Government agencies have to show they’re making positive efforts [to diversify] but for us it means much more.”

More than 20,000 people have applied since MI6 began its open recruiting campaign about a year ago, in a drive that has all but replaced the famous tap on the shoulder used to recruit author Graham Greene and others in the Second World War.

Traditionally, many spies came from the military officers' mess or from Oxford and Cambridge universities, with professors and alumni having a quiet word with a student prospect and easing them into spying.

Now the agency, and its domestic counterpart, MI5, are using media and billboard advertising to find new versions of James Bond.

Magazine ad seeks spy recruits

"There are three strangers in the room that you need to get on your side. How do you get them to warm to you? Could you be an operational officer?" asks one of MI6's ads, which have appeared in British newspapers, travel magazines and The Economist. Another ad shows a line of Arabic text and asks would-be applicants if they're able to translate it in a hurry.

MI5 has issued posters showing a black female agent wearing a T-shirt.

The first Muslim woman to be named to the House of Lords, Pola Uddin, has welcomed the moves.

“We need less sexism and a symbol who doesn’t always hold a martini glass,” she said.

MI6 has about 3,600 employees and hopes to reach 4,000 as a result of new recruiting. Just under half are women and about 6.5 per cent are from visible minorities.

Diversity 'mission critical,' says CIA

In the U.S., the CIA is taking a similar approach, a spokeswoman said.

“Give the nature of its vital national security work, diversity is essential to the CIA,” Marie Hart said. “In fact, we call it ‘mission critical.'”

The MI6 recruiting chief said the agency had long been leery of the male, white, card-playing Bond as an icon of spying.

"It's an advantage because it gives us an iconic status and guaranteed interest," the official said. "But they're often thrill-seekers and not the type of people we're looking for. We're beyond Bond now."

With files from the Associated Press