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Over the course of four years, the actor and director Brendan O'Haye would interview his good friend Judy

Dench about all the Shakespeare parts she's played over the years. The idea, at least at first,

was to transcribe the interviews and find a place for them in the archive department at

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. But O'Haye says the interviews weren't really instructional or didactic.

They were conversations between old friends, both going through a rough patch during the pandemic.

So during lockdown, I was in quite a bad place. My father was dying and my partner wasn't particularly well. And Jude is also very depressed because she's not very good at being by herself. And so in order to rescue each other, we decided to meet up and talk about Shakespeare. Now, unfortunately,

there were a lot of swear words. There was a lot of talk of, dare I say it, ex-lovers. And I thought

I cannot give these tapes over to the globe. So I just started to transcribe what we had.

And then it was just by chance that I found out from a agent

that several publishers have been asking for a book on Shakespeare

by duty Dench for quite a few years.

And that's how this came into being.

Okay, we are recording, so no swearing.

Well, look at it, it's right down here.

What, I just need to set it up.

I don't want it so near me. I can't bear it.

Oh, God.

We're all right.

Like somebody looking at you too close.

Well, I'm now next to you.

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