What did you miss?
There aren’t many circumstances under which 89-year-old acting legend Dame Judi Dench could become best friends with The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades, aged just 54. But that’s the driving force behind the Channel 4 documentary Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple.
The documentary followed Dench and Blades on a cultural exchange, showing each other places and experiences that were crucial to their lives and answering perhaps the most important question: how did they become friends in the first place?
What, how and why?
Blades and Dench spoke about the unusual status of their friendship in the documentary’s opening moments. In a voiceover, Blades said: “Why is Jay Blades, who repairs furniture on TV, now in the home of Britain’s most popular actress, Dame Judi Dench?”
Dench then continued the story, adding: “So, since we met at the Repair Shop three years ago, we have become the very best of friends.”
The legendary actress appeared in a special episode of The Repair Shop filmed at the 2022 Edinburgh TV Festival, after handing over a broken pocket watch that she had given to her late husband Michael for their first anniversary.
Watch: Judi Dench performs on The Repair Shop
The show’s talented restoration team managed to get the clock working again, which moved Dench deeply. She said the restoration was “more than I could have ever hoped for.” The pair have stayed in touch since then.
“There’s a lot we don’t know about the very different paths that brought us together,” Blades said of his friendship with Dench. “Judi and I come from completely different worlds. Frankly, I don’t think we have anything in common.”
Dench, for her part, was in her usual mischievous form when asked to describe the differences between herself and her new boyfriend. She said: “He’s very tall. I’m amazed we can hear each other, he’s so tall. He was born around 1970… pathetic.”
What else happened on Dame Judi & Jay: The Odd Couple?
In the documentary, Dench and Blades find themselves in uncomfortable situations as they visit some of the places most important to each other. Blades takes Dench to Ridley Road Market in Hackney, where she tries to sell plantains from a stall, while Dench encourages Blades to perform a Shakespeare monologue at the Old Vic Theatre in the West End.
The documentary was sustained by the wonderful chemistry between the two and proved to be a great mix of generations. There was probably not a dry eye in any household that watched the show.
“Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple” is available to stream on Channel 4.
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This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/judi-dench-jay-blades-friendship-origin-203713174.html
