In This Article
- A memoir told as a dialogue, not a monologue
- The partnership behind Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?
- What the early coverage says about the contents
Judi Dench's memoir Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? is published on 3 November by St. Martin's Press, written with her friend and collaborator Brendan O'Hea. The Guardian, in a review published two days ago, describes it as a memoir built around her conversations with the actor and theatre director.
People reports that Dench is 91 and that the book comes from her longtime collaborator O'Hea, billing it as a winding, story-filled tour of her life.
A memoir told as a dialogue, not a monologue
The book's form is its most distinctive feature. The Epoch Times notes that it was written as a dialogue, a conversation between Dench and O'Hea, rather than a typical one-woman-show memoir.
That approach carries over from their earlier partnership. The Guardian says the two also collaborated on 2023's Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, and that the new book is delivered in a question-and-answer style in keeping with it.
The partnership behind Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?
O'Hea is a theatre director and Associate Artist at Shakespeare's Globe, according to a book blog's profile, which also notes this is his second book with Dench. The Guardian describes him as her friend as well as her writing partner.
BBC News reports that Dench says she was diagnosed with AMD in 2012, leaving her struggling to read scripts and recognise faces. The BBC also describes the memoir as written with fellow actor O'Hea.
A spoken, conversational format is a natural fit for a writer-collaborator pairing like this. It lets Dench's voice carry the book without requiring her to put pen to paper alone.
What the early coverage says about the contents
The Guardian reports that Dench's reflections on her working life form the backbone of the book. It quotes her saying that being onstage is where she feels safest, and that she would never consider herself a film actor.
The paper also recounts a story from the late 1950s in which a Hollywood producer told her she would never make a movie. It adds that she was about to make her professional debut as Ophelia at the Old Vic, and that she later became a film star in the 1990s as M in the Bond films and with an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love.
Elsewhere, the Guardian says the book confirms that Dench is impishly funny, swears like a sailor and cannot resist a prank. It cites her swapping the drinks served onstage in Brecht's Mother Courage at the Barbican for cider vinegar.
James Bond Lifestyle says the book offers a wide-ranging look back at her life and career, from her childhood in York onwards.
Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? is published on 3 November 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? published?
The memoir is published on 3 November by St. Martin's Press.
Who wrote Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?
It is by Judi Dench, written with her friend and collaborator Brendan O'Hea. The book is built around their conversations.
Is Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? worth reading?
That depends on your appetite for theatre stories told conversationally. The Guardian's review describes Dench as funny and irreverent, with her stage career at the heart of the book.
Has Judi Dench worked with Brendan O'Hea before?
Yes, the two previously collaborated on 2023's Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, according to [the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/oct/28/is-it-too-late-to-make-a-run-for-it-by-judi-dench-review-whatever-you-do-dont-call-her-a-national-treasure).
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