The 1987 movie Judi Dench thought “smacked of a recital evening” until it became one of her most cherished roles

Judi Dench once declined the lead role in a stage version of *84 Charing Cross Road*, thinking it “smacked of a recital evening”, but later joined the 1987 film as Nora, the wife of Anthony Hopkins’s character. The film became one of her cherished roles and earned her a BAFTA supporting actress nomination, while Anne Bancroft won the leading actress award.

Anne Bancroft’s husband, Mel Brooks, bought her the rights to the 1970 novel for her 45th birthday and helped produce the adaptation. The story follows a New York playwright’s 20-year correspondence and friendship with a London bookseller; the real Marks and Co bookshop was later replaced by a McDonald’s near Charing Cross Station. Dench went on to play M in *GoldenEye* and receive eight Oscar nominations, all after 1997; she has since said macular degeneration makes reading scripts impossible.