Licence to cut bills: Dame Judi takes on meerkat rivals in clash of TV finance ads

AS an Oscar-winning force on stage and screen, the rising cost of living may not be as big a concern for Dame Judi Dench.

But the veteran actress, 87, is on a mission to help Britons save £1billion on household bills as she takes centre stage in a new TV advert.

Dame Judi has teamed up with MoneySuperMarket for its MoneySuperSeven campaign – involving a squad of money-saving specialists dedicated to saving Britain money through credit cards and car, home and travel insurance.

It pits her against the popular meerkats (pictured) of comparethemarket’s longrunning advertising campaign.

Dame Judi plays Eight, the mysterious leader of the squad, in a nod to her role as ‘M’, the head of MI6 in the James Bond franchise, a character she portrayed across seven films.

‘You thought I’d retired? Hardly,’ she tells one squad member. ‘I’ve been otherwise engaged but now people’s bills are going through the roof, so I’m back.’ Dame Judi proceeds to check in on the teams’ money-saving progress, telling them to ‘keep focused and stay on top of your game’. The one-minute ad, which launches today, ends with Dame Judi saying: ‘If we can’t save Britain money now, no one can.’ The advert was shot by acclaimed British film director John Madden, who worked with Dame Judi on The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Lis Blair, general manager, insurance, marketing and customer at MoneySuperMarket, said: ‘We are thrilled that Dame Judi has joined the MoneySuperSeven to steer the squad through its toughest challenge yet.’ She is the latest golden oldie to turn her hand at TV adverts. Dame Joan Collins and Sir Elton John have fronted commercials for Snickers, while Sylvester Stallone and Robert de Niro both worked with Warburtons.