Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh to appear in one-off TV special

Sky Arts has announced a new one-off special with the working title Drinks with Dame Judi, which will see Judi Dench welcome her longtime friend Kenneth Branagh into her country home for an intimate conversation about their lives and careers.

Set against the backdrop of Dench’s English garden, the programme will feature personal anecdotes, archive material and reflections on their collaborations, as well as wider highlights from both of their careers.

Dench and Branagh previously shared the stage in Branagh’s staging of The Winter’s Tale, in which Dench played Paulina and Branagh played Leontes. On screen the pair have worked on Henry V (1989), Hamlet (1996), Murder on the Orient Express (2017), All Is True (2018) and Belfast (2021).

The 60-minute special is produced by Mindhouse, with Nancy Strang and Emma Whitehead serving as executive producers. Leanne Cosby is commissioning editor for Sky.

Broadcast date and time is to be confirmed.