September 2nd 2023.
Dame Judi Dench just had a dream come true! The 88-year-old Oscar-winning actress joined Hamza Yassin, the Strictly Come Dancing champion, on a birdwatching expedition and was able to see rare golden eagles. Dame Judi has macular degeneration which affects her eyesight. She usually cannot see on film sets, but with the help of a special camera, was able to make out the image of the eagles.
The magical moment was captured on an upcoming special episode of BBC’s Countryfile. A touching scene saw the wildlife camera operator wrap a blanket around Dame Judi’s head and the camera to make the image of the golden eagles clearer. After she saw them for the first time, Dame Judi was overwhelmed with emotion and nearly jumped from her chair in excitement.
Dame Judi was speechless and teary, simply describing the sighting as ‘breathtaking’. Hamza Yassin asked her if she was okay due to her emotional reaction, and she responded with a teary ‘Yes. I’m very overcome. It is an enormous privilege. How often does anybody see that? Not very often.’
The RSPB states that golden eagles are only found in ‘low density’ in remote areas of the Scottish Highlands and most of the Hebrides. Fortunately, Dame Judi was lucky enough to spot two of them.
Dame Judi previously shared that her eyesight deterioration made it ‘difficult’ for her to have sizeable parts in acting but vowed to keep working ‘as much as I can’. She even revealed her wish to find a machine to help her read scripts.
Elsewhere in the Countryfile episode, Dame Judi is joined by her grandson Sam to check in on a tartan that’s being created for her, in which every thread tells a personal story. The episode also features her eating a traditional picnic featuring langoustines in the grounds of Inveraray Castle.
Countryfile Dame Judi Dench Special airs on Sunday 3rd September at 7:00pm on BBC One. For those who miss it, there will be plenty of other opportunities to hear about Dame Judi’s magical birdwatching expedition and other exciting adventures.
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