Dame Judi Dench has delighted listeners with a wonderfully mischievous story from her childhood, revealing how a dispute over missing cricket balls led to an unforgettable neighbourhood prank.
The celebrated British actress recalled growing up alongside her older brothers, Peter and Jeffrey, who regularly played cricket in the family garden. Their games often sent balls flying over nearby fences, but one neighbour, Ms Lazenby, apparently had a habit of keeping any that landed on her property.
After repeatedly failing to get the balls back, the siblings decided to make their feelings known in a rather unusual way.
Judi explained that her brothers found a dead rat in the family barn, wrapped it up as a parcel and attached a message asking for their cricket balls to be returned. They then persuaded their younger sister to deliver it through the neighbour’s letterbox.
To their surprise, Judi agreed.
She remembered squeezing the parcel through the door before quickly returning home. The neighbour arrived at the Dench household not long afterwards, understandably unhappy about the discovery.
Looking back on the incident with humour, Judi suggested that the prank may have brought the children’s cricket games to a permanent end.
Her reflections also moved towards a much gentler subject: the importance of trees and the memories they can hold.
Judi shared that a sapling connected to the much-loved Sycamore Gap tree is now growing in her garden. She has named it Antoninus, inspired by the history surrounding Hadrian’s Wall, and said the young tree has already grown taller than she is.
The actress spoke sadly about the loss of the original tree, reflecting on how many people had gathered beneath it over the years to mark meaningful moments in their lives.
Her own garden has similarly become a place filled with remembrance. Judi has planted trees in honour of close friends she has lost, including fellow acting legends Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon.
She described the trees as comforting living tributes that allow those friendships to remain close to her.
From a cheeky childhood adventure to her thoughtful way of preserving precious memories, Judi’s stories offered a warm glimpse of the humour, affection and humanity that have made her such a treasured figure.
