Dame Judi Dench turns detective to probe whether she has family connection to William Shakespeare.
In a new Channel 4 show, Dame Judi Dench turns detective to explore a possible family connection to William Shakespeare.
Dame Judi Dench has turned detective to explore a possible family connection to William Shakespeare.
The Oscar-winning actress, 90, is launching her probe as part of a new Channel 4 documentary that traces her ancestral history, titled Shakespeare, My Family and Me, produced by Proper Job Films.
The 60-minute film follows Judi as she investigates whether her eight-times great-grandfather may have met Shakespeare in 1606 – the year the playwright wrote three of his most celebrated works, as plague swept England and the country was still reeling from the Gunpowder Plot.
Judi has played nearly every major female role in Shakespeare’s canon and said the project allowed her to reflect on the writer’s enduring influence on her life and career.
She added: “It has been such an adventure to explore the possibility that an ancestor of mine might just have got within touching distance of my hero William Shakespeare.
“All the years I’ve spent playing Shakespeare and feeling a genuine, genuine passion for him and his work, to be on a journey where you might be stepping closer to him, it’s beyond my wildest dreams.”
The programme sees Judi travel through the Danish archives in search of evidence of her link to Shakespeare, examining historical records and piecing together the story.
The production, from Proper Job Films, combines personal history with theatre heritage.
Harvey Lilley, chief executive of Proper Job Films, described working with Judi on the film as a remarkable experience.
He said: “To be able to ask Judi if she remembers anything from a Shakespeare play she last performed in nearly 40 years ago and for her then, completely unrehearsed, to perfectly deliver a complete soliloquy illustrates for me what it was like to get to make this film. Unforgettable.”
Emily Shields, commissioning editor at Channel 4, said the collaboration had been a privilege.
She added: “It’s been a real privilege to work with Judi Dench and the team at Proper Job on this beautiful and very personal film exploring the ways Judi’s career and family history have intertwined with those of her literary hero.
“The result is an utter treat.”
