PMJ acquires Judi Dench’s ‘funny, honest and deeply inspiring’ memoir
Penguin Michael Joseph (PMJ) has acquired world all-language rights to Dame Judi Dench’s memoir, Is It Too Late To Make A Run For It?
Publishing director Daniel Bunyard acquired the rights from Victoria Belfrage of Julian Belfrage Associates and Tom Reed of Lou Coulson Associates.
Described by the publisher as a story "over 90 years in the making" from "Britain’s most beloved actor", Is it Too Late to Make a Run For It? is "funny, honest, intimate, enlightening, surprising, moving and deeply inspiring".
Written with her friend and writing partner Brendan O’Hea, the book reveals a wealth of stories. From how she felt about not being cast as Mary in her school nativity to playing M in the Bond movies, this memoir shines a light on her many "unforgettable" performances across seven decades of performing on stage and screen. It also reveals more about Judi as a person – her reputation as a notorious mischief-maker, her challenges with stage-fright, as well as her love of nature, friends and family.
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PMJ previously published Dench and O’Hea’s Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, which was a number one bestseller and Waterstones Book of the Month.
Dench said: "Brendan and I have enjoyed talking for many hours, recalling stories from my childhood all the way through, well, everything. As ever, he’s got far too much out of me, but we’re very proud of what we’ve produced, and I very much hope that you enjoy it too."
O’Hea said: "We were so delighted by the reaction to our book on Shakespeare, but what I soon realised is that it only scratched the surface of Judi’s remarkable career. I knew she was full of mischief – a risk taker with a wild side – but, my God, I really didn’t know the half.
"Hearing her recount stories from her past has made me appreciate how certain events, experiences, doubts and knock-backs have conspired to make her the extraordinary person and actor she is."
Is It Too Late To Make A Run For It? will be published in hardback, e-book and audio on 22nd October 2026.
