James Bond legend Judi Dench reveals who is really to blame for her M's death – and which Bond she has a "soft spot" for

There were a lot of memorable moments during Daniel Craig's five film tenure as James Bond, but perhaps the most emotional of them was the tragic death of Judi Dench's M in Skyfall.

The legendary star played James Bond’s boss in seven films before the character was dramatically killed after sustaining a gunshot wound at Skyfall Lodge – and now Dench has opened up about the decision to kill her off 14 years on.

In an excerpt from her new memoir Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It? shared by Variety, Dench described how longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson and director Sam Mendes had taken her to a restaurant to break the news to her.

"They outlined the plot and told me they were going to bump me off," she said. "My own fault, I suppose. Ever since Goldeneye, when the entire film unit went off to Monte Carlo and St Petersburg and I only had three days in Watford, I’d been begging them to let me out from behind my desk.

"Well, they did finally let me out from behind my desk . . . and they shot me!"

And it turns out that the decision for the character to meet a tragic demise actually came from a rather unlikely source: 007 himself.

"Apparently, it was Daniel’s idea to have me killed," she said, jokingly adding: "But first I had to suffer the indignity of being sacked by Ralph Fiennes. Arsehole."

Meanwhile, she also shut down reports that had previously circulated in the press that suggested she had cried when she was told she was being replaced as M.

"Of course I didn’t cry," she said. "Why on earth would I cry after 20 glorious years and eight Bond films – which, by the way, is one more than Roger Moore, the longest-running 007 to date."

In the excerpt, Dench also revealed that while it was "impossible" to choose a favourite Bond, she had a "soft spot" for the very first star to play the character, the great Sir Sean Connery.

"But what’s lovely is that both Pierce [Brosnan] and Daniel really made it their own," she added.

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"They each have a great sense of humour and can be self-deprecating, which I find very attractive in life, and which I think is an essential quality for Bond."

Of course, we're currently awaiting news on which actor will be next in line to play 007 – with the search now having reportedly been whittled down to just four names – but little has been said as to who could be the next M.

As mentioned above, Dench was replaced in the role by Ralph Fiennes, but with the franchise entering a new chapter it seems unlikely that he would return – although it hasn't been officially ruled out.

As for Dench, she recently revealed that her longstanding eyesight condition sadly means she is no is no longer able to act on stage or in film and is unable to read.

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Authors

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.