On an episode of Countryfile, Dame Judi Dench broke down in tears after realizing a lifelong dream of seeing a golden eagle in the wild.
The Oscar winner was in Scotland before and may have seen the rare bird of prey, but she was not positive.
However, with the help of wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin, she was able to get a good look at the animal on the BBC show.
Dame Judi and Yassin, winner of Strictly Come Dancing, caught sight of the bird as they drove to a “secret location” on their way to fame and fortune in the film Philomena.
The 88-year-old actress looked at a screen and remarked, “Oh, yes, I do (see it)… I see two golden eagles flying near a kestrel in the sky.” It doesn’t look like the kestrel is having a nice time. He’s being sent off in style.
Keep Reading
Yassin inquired as to Dame Judi’s opinion, and she laughed and looked tearful as she responded, “I could see one and you are a witness to witnessing that I saw it… Very moved, really… It’s a huge honor, wouldn’t you agree?
The 33-year-old Yassin remarked, “It is, isn’t it?”
How often does anyone see that?” Dame Judi asked. Usually not.
“There’s few people in the UK that can say they’ve seen a golden eagle in the wild… and doing some pretty impressive behavior,” Yassin said in response.
How brilliant,” Dame Judi exclaimed. What if I preserve the video and play it for people?That was something I never anticipated happening. I figured, all right, let’s go out and look. It’s not going to happen (that they show up). We did saw them; you’re very welcome.
Judi Dench: My Passion For Trees was a one-off BBC documentary in which Dame Judi discussed her love of nature and the outdoors.
She made the following statement about the current state of the country on Countryfile: “I think people’s attitude towards looking after the country is stronger now and changing or we’re being made more aware of how we destroy and what we must preserve.”
Now that we know plastic is bad for the ocean and rivers, we may hopefully be more appreciative of what we have. We can’t let that get destroyed.
Sam, Dame Judi’s grandson, watched as tartan was being woven for the Bond actress, and David Mills, Dame Judi’s boyfriend and the man responsible for founding the British Wildlife Centre on his Surrey farm, also made an appearance on the show.
Dame Judi has appeared on Countryfile before, and in 2016, she was a part of a program commemorating the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death.
Sunday night at 7 p.m. on BBC One, a special episode of Countryfile featuring Dame Judi Dench aired, and you can watch it again on BBC iPlayer right now.
