In her new book, Dame Judi Dench tells us of her life on the stage, on the screen, and, above all, behind the scenes...

You might think you know Judi Dench. In a seven-decade career, she's been a spymaster, an Oscar-winning queen and has starred in musicals, blockbusters, tragedies and comedies. But what makes her tick? How did she become so successful and for so long? And why did her mother occasionally feel obliged to spray her with a garden hose?

Spend time in her company as Judi gradually starts to reveal herself, in collaboration with her friend and writing partner, Brendan O'Hea. With her actor's gift for storytelling, she takes us back to her upbringing in York: the parents who shaped her, the brother who encouraged her to act and the teachers who inspired her.

She tells of pranks, onstage and off, dissects her greatest screen roles and shares tales of her joyful marriage to actor Michael Williams, as well as her passion for nature and animals. From being locked out of the Oscars to almost coming a cropper to a pack of crocodiles in Borneo, Judi's life has been nothing if not adventurous. Just don't ask her to cook you a meal.

Funny, intimate, surprising, moving and over ninety years in the making, this is the story of Britain's most beloved actor.

© Judi Dench 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026