Judi Dench reveals TV advert paid for £8m farmhouse

In Louis Theroux’s new series – during the second installment which aired on 1st November – Dame Judi Dench reveals that an unlikely TV advertisement she filmed nearly four decades ago allowed her to purchase her beloved home.

Louis Theroux Interviews…

Louis Theroux’s interview with the Yorkshire-born acting legend is the second installment of his new series, ‘Louis Theroux Interviews…’ currently airing on BBC Two and iPlayer.

Throughout the series, he interviews some of the biggest and best personalities – from grime superstar Stormzy to adventurer Bear Grylls, Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan to musician Yungblud, and, of course, Dame Judi Dench.

With Louis Theroux himself a British legend in his own right, the one-on-one interviews in this series are heartfelt and intimate, with a deep respect between all participants. Just check out Brit award winner Stormzy fangirl over Louis when they first meet – it’s an unforgettable moment.

Unlikely advert for Clover butter pays for family home

During Dame Judi Dench’s interview, she reveals to Louis that she purchased the farmhouse in which she still resides off the back of a TV advert for Clover butter around 38 years ago. The property in Surrey is currently valued at an estimated £8 million.

She starred in the advertisement alongside her beloved late husband and fellow actor, Michael Williams. They were married from 1971 until his unfortunate passing from lung cancer in 2001.

When discussing the advert, Dame Judi Dench admits that she cannot remember ever filming it, even after a producer brings the ad up on YouTube for her to watch.

It is a normal occurrence for actors to take on advertising work between TV and film jobs – but the classically trained theatre actress’ foray into advertising might have seemed a surprising move at the time.

Indeed, Louis jokingly asks her whether she did the advert “because [she loves] it so much”, referring to Clover’s slogan, as she laughs almost in disbelief how she landed upon such an opportunity.

Today, however, Dame Judi Dench is more than just a household name, another successful advertisement under her belt.

Return to TV adverts with MoneySupermarket

In May 2022, Dame Judi Dench made her way back into advertising with MoneySupermarket, vowing to help people save money on their bills.

In order to capitalize on the changing ways that audiences consume media, MoneySupermarket has increased ad spend for its Judi Dench-fronted MoneySuperSeven campaign by £20 million this year alone. TV and radio ad spend increased from £16 million to £19 million, whilst online spend increased from £36 million to £42 million.

This is part of a wider trend at the moment, where brands are taking advantage of technological advances such as ad-supported streaming services and advanced tv targeting more and more.

And, with it, it’s likely that veteran actress Dame Judi Dench will continue to adapt alongside the ever changing media landscape – her TikTok fame over the Covid-19 lockdowns increased her global fan base even further, alongside her grandson Sam Williams.

She later revealed that she refuses to retire from acting, despite being an octogenarian and revealing to have a degenerative eye condition which makes it difficult to read, write, and even eat.