Whether it’s citing Shakespeare soliloquies spur of the moment or embodying some of the finest roles across stage and screen, Dame Judi Dench is one of Britain’s most celebrated acting legends.
However, she’s got a devious side to her, as she revealed on an appearance on the BBC’s This Natural Life podcast, where she confessed to posting a rat through a neighbour’s letterbox.
If it somewhat softens the blow, this was a prank from Dame Judi’s childhood, and not something that happened this week. And the Philomena star admitted that the childhood prank was a "terrible story".
Sharing her wild child anecdote, Judi explained that it all stemmed from her brothers playing outdoors - and losing their balls over the fence.
She said, "The boys used to play cricket in the garden, and they used to be always batting the balls over into the other gardens, and there was a lady called Miss Lazenby, and she never ever would throw the ball back, or give us the balls back.”
Many can relate to having that type of neighbour, sure, but most wouldn’t expect how they planned their payback. Dame Judi continued, "Once the boys found a dead rat in the barn, and they parcelled it up, and they said to me, ‘Judi, will you just go round and put this through Miss Lazenby’s door?’"
The children then wrote a note saying, ‘Please give us our balls back’ and attached it to the rat. Paper might have been better, but such is the benefit of hindsight.
As Judi shared, "So I did go and squeeze it through Miss Lazenby’s door”. As to whether their idea worked and they got their ball back? "Probably not… I don’t think we were allowed to play cricket again."
Not quite the story one would expect from Dame Judi. However, one might expect her to be full of tales of the stage and of defining moments of history, which is exactly what’s being teased with the recently announced second episode of her Sky series, Tea with Judi Dench.
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Set to air on Sky Arts and NOW in August, Sir Ian McKellen will visit Judi’s stunning home and gardens where the pair share extraordinary tales from their unparalleled careers.
Per the press release from Sky, fans can expect the acting titans to discuss everything ‘From Shakespeare, stage fright and the insecurities of acting to the worldwide fame of the Lord of the Rings and James Bond movies’.
As well as reflecting on ‘success, failure and the importance of never taking either too seriously’ Sir Ian ‘speaks movingly about coming out, his defining role in the fight against Section 28, and one of his greatest regrets; never sharing the truth about himself with his parents.’
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The first of this series featured Judi being visited by Sir Kenneth Branagh, and it allowed fans to get a sneak peek into her magnificent gardens.
Set in Surrey, Dame Judi's six-acre estate includes a private woodland and a stunning collection of trees planted in honour of friends and family members, with recent additions including a crab apple tree planted in the memory of Dame Maggie Smith.
