The Telegraph
Dame Judi Dench, the Oscar-winning actress, appears to be keen to join her friend, Dame Maggie Smith, in the cast of Downton Abbey.
Judi Dench is starring in the upcoming James Bond film Skyfall. Photo: PA
With the second series of Downton Abbey over, there is already some jockeying for position in the acting profession about appearing in the third. Judi Dench would appear to be a contender, not least because she is an old friend and occasional holiday companion of her fellow dame, Maggie Smith, the star of the series.
“I’ve been bewitched by it,” the 76-year-old actress tells Mandrake at the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards at Claridge’s in Mayfair. “I’m a huge fan. I never wanted it to stop – I haven’t felt that way about a television programme for a long time.”
As to whether she would consent to joining the cast, she tells me, coquettishly: “I’ve not been asked.”