There's nothing LIKE A DAME!

New pals DAME JUDI DENCH and JAY BLADES on taking a trip down memory lane together

- CAREN CLARK

When Oscar-winner Dame Judi Dench took part in a spoof of The Repair Shop for Comic Relief in 2022, little did she know that the sketch would lead her to form a wonderful new friendship with the show’s ever-enthusiastic host Jay Blades.

That bond was strengthened the same year when Judi filmed another special episode of the series for the Edinburgh TV Festival, and the team repaired the pocket watch of her late husband, actor Michael Williams, who died in 2001.

Now, Judi and Jay are teaming up again for C4’s Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple, in which they find out more about each other by visiting places that have played important roles in their lives and careers, from Jay’s ‘manor’ in east London to Stratford-upon- Avon, the birthplace of Judi’s ‘beloved’ William Shakespeare.

Here, Judi, 89, and Jay, 54, reveal all about their nostalgic travelogue…

Did you both just click when you first met?

JUDI Yes, I’d always been an admirer of The Repair Shop and ever since we met, Jay and I have become the best of friends. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you meet someone and find you’re on the same wavelength.

JAY We just hit it off. And when she came to the barn for the special episode with Michael’s pocket watch, [clock expert] Steve Fletcher worked his magic on it, and we got it engraved with ‘MW’ – she loved it.

How did the documentary come about?

JAY Judi’s [actor] daughter, Finty [Williams] said, ‘Mum would love to work with you,’ so we started thinking about places we could go that we hold dearly. It’s about two people from different walks of life showing each other their personal sides.