A new Dench in town

The smart set’s talking about...

ASKED last year if she planned to retire, Dame Judi Dench scolded an interviewer: ‘Don’t use that word. Not in this house. Not here. Wash your mouth out!’

Should the Oscar winner ever decide to exit, stage left, there is, however, another Dench waiting in the wings. I can reveal that her dashing great-nephew Oliver Dench, pictured, is to star in period drama Hotel Portofino, which producers hope will rival Downton.

Oliver, 27, will play artist Lucian in the drama, set in Italy in the 1920s. He’s currently filming it with costars Anna Chancellor and Natascha McElhone. Not short of admiration for his celebrated relation, Oliver says: ‘I saw her in The Winter’s Tale in London. ‘When Judi walked on stage, it was like she had been written into the play. That’s what I’ve found inspiring about her.’