Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? by Judi Dench review – whatever you do, don’t call her a ‘national treasure’

Judi Dench’s new memoir, *Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?*, looks back on a long acting career through conversations with her friend Brendan O’Hea. It presents her as sharp-witted and still passionate about performing, while explaining why she dislikes being called a “national treasure”: the phrase makes her sound like a dusty old relic.

The book ranges across theatre, film, faith, animals and comedy, rather than following a clear timeline. Dench recalls a Hollywood producer telling her she would never make films because of her face, her later success as M in the Bond films and her Oscar for *Shakespeare in Love*, as well as pranks and eccentric personal stories. Now 91 and with poor eyesight, she says she has no intention of retiring.