Dame Judi Dench became emotional as she reflected on the loss of her late husband Michael Williams in a candid new documentary.
The Oscar-winner, 91, sat down with her long-term friend Kenneth Branagh, 65, to open up her ‘little black book’ in Tea with Judi – a programme that blends personal anecdotes with rarely seen archive material to chart her extraordinary life and career.
Airing December 22 on Sky Arts, Freeview and streaming service NOW, the special sees Judi open the doors to her stunning country home to a series of fellow national treasures.
Judi and Michael were married for just shy of three decades when he lost his battle to lung cancer at the age of 65 in 2001 and share a daughter, Finty Williams, now 53.
Drawing attention to a painting of Judi’s late husband, who was best known for his voicing Dr. Watson in the BBC radio adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, Kenneth says: ‘I want to ask you about this painting, Jude, because it’s such a fantastic likeness of the brilliant Mr Michael Williams.’
A tearful Judi replies: ‘Michael and I were married just short of 30 years when he died in 2001. Look at that, Kenneth. I mean, you knew him. That’s so, it’s brilliantly painted. I love it, I really love it.’
Dame Judi Dench, 91, became emotional as she reflected on the loss of her late husband Michael Williams in a candid new documentary, Tea With Judi
The Oscar-winner sat down with her long-term friend Kenneth Branagh, 65, to open up her ‘little black book’ in Tea with Judi – a programme that blends personal anecdotes with rarely seen archive material to chart her extraordinary life and career
Judi and Michael were married for just shy of three decades when he lost his battle to lung cancerat the age of 65 in 2001 and share a daughter, Finty Williams, now 53
Judi and Kenneth then went on to have a discussion about her experience working with her late husband on The Merchant of Venice shortly after their 1971 wedding, when she stepped into the shoes of Portia and he played Bassanio.
This was something that Kenneth could also relate to as he went on to work with Michael himself in the film Henry V, where he portrayed a soldier with his very name – Michael Williams.
Kenneth, who played King Henry V of England in the film, admits thinking: ‘Now that’s a very talented young actor! He had such a tack and he had such a sort of strong and, as it happened, very masculine presence.
‘And very, he had that incredible sort of movie star jaw and those piercing eyes. He was a handsome lad, wasn’t he?’
Judi replies: ‘He was.’
Elsewhere in the programme, viewers will be treated to more lively conversation, humorous insights and moments of genuine candour and emotion.
The programme comes after Dame Judi Dench feared she would ‘lose the plot’ due to her deteriorating eyesight and short-term memory loss.
The legendary actress spoke frankly about her health and her former friendship with disgraced American producer Harvey Weinstein in another wide-ranging interview with the Radio Times, ahead of her 91st birthday earlier this month.
Judi and Kenneth then went on to have a discussion about her experience working with her late husband on The Merchant of Venice shortly after their 1971 wedding, when she stepped into the shoes of Portia and he played Bassanio
This was something that Kenneth could also relate to as he went on to work with Michael himself in the film Henry V, where he portrayed a soldier with his very name – Michael Williams – and Judi was clearly touched when Kenneth described her late husband as handsome
Judi admitted she can no longer see the television and has to rely upon her team of assistants to help her with day-to-day tasks.
The screen star was diagnosed with Age-related Macular Degeneration in 2012, which can cause permanent and rapid central vision loss, and is the number one cause of vision loss in people over 50.
‘It’s a crusher’, said Judi, after revealing both her eyes are beyond treatment as they are in the progressed ‘wet’ stage of AMD.
‘I miss seeing Clive Myrie doing Mastermind, but I can hear the questions’, Dame Judi added, when asked about what she missed.
The actress had to give up driving, embroidery, and even going out alone.
Despite these challenges, Judi continues to work by having friends and colleagues read her scripts aloud, which she then learns using her photographic memory.
And the actress admitted while she can reel off reams of Shakespeare’s soliloquys, she ‘can’t remember what I’m doing tomorrow, I swear to you’. When asked if she fears she will ‘lose the plot’, she answered: ‘Oh yes.’
Dame Judi welcomes her close friend Kenneth into her country home for a conversation about their lives, careers, loves and losses in her upcoming TV special
Set against the backdrop of her picturesque Surrey garden, the programme blends personal anecdotes with rarely seen archive material, charting the Oscar-winner’s extraordinary life and career
Dame Judi then asked the interviewer to consult her assistants, who confirmed they help run her life.
Elsewhere in the interview, Dame Judi touched upon working with Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey in Hollywood.
The actress remains friends with Kevin, 66, who was cleared of sexual assault allegations against four men during a UK trial in 2023.
‘Kevin has been exonerated and I hear from Kevin, we text’, she said.
The pair worked together in films like The Shipping News, with the actress defending her ‘good friend’ in 2018, just months after the actor was hit with the allegations.
Recalling the time after her husband Michael Williams’ 2001 death, she said previously: ‘I went to do The Shipping News with Kevin Spacey, and Kevin was an inestimable comfort and never mentioned he knew I was in a bad way. He cheered me up and kept me going.’
Dame Judi also reflected on working with disgraced producer Weinstein and controversially said he may be deserving of forgiveness.
Weinstein was convicted of various sex crimes in both New York and California.
Airing December 22 on Sky Arts, Freeview and streaming service NOW, the special sees Judi open up her ‘little black book’ and the doors to her stunning country home to a series of fellow national treasures
The producer is on trial again because an appeals court found that his New York trial was tainted by prejudicial testimony and overturned that conviction.
Dame Judi said: ‘I knew Harvey and I knew him well and worked with him, and I had none of that experience – very fortunately for me,’ she said.
‘I imagine he’s done his time… I don’t know, to me it’s personal – forgiveness. I just think…’
Weinstein was the producer of Judi’s first big Hollywood film, Shakespeare in Love, which earned her the best supporting actress Oscar in 1998 for her role as Elizabeth I, despite spending a total of just eight minutes on screen.
When the allegations first surfaced, Dame Judi said she was horrified by the claims and, in a statement, offered her sympathies to those who have suffered.
She told Newsweek in 2017: ‘Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware of these offences which are, of course, horrifying, and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and wholehearted support to those who have spoken out.’
Tea with Judi airs on December 22 on Sky Arts, Freeview and streaming service NOW.
