Tree planted in honour of Maggie Smith bore fruit on the day of her funeral, reveals Judi Dench | Hollywood

To mark what would have been Maggie Smith’s 90th birthday on Saturday, a dedicated programme reflected on her life and career, titled Maggie Smith At The BBC. (Also read: Maggie Smith to be honoured in Downton Abbey 3, confirms executive producer)

Judi Dench on Maggie Smith

Dame Judi, known for planting individual trees in memory of her friends who have died, revealed in the programme that she found out Dame Maggie’s crab apple tree had produced fruit on the day of her funeral. “I had it in my pocket at her funeral, which was a very nice thing to have. We had such great times”, she said.

The two worked together on various projects, including 2004’s Ladies In Lavender and 1985’s A Room With A View. Recalling their time together, Dame Judi said: “I have known her for a long, long time. Very, very funny and unbelievably witty, and a really sweet and special friend.” The veteran actor also admitted Dame Maggie could be “quite frightening” at times and joked that “you didn’t want to be on the wrong side of Mags”.

Stage and screen star Sir Derek Jacobi agreed that Dame Maggie could be “terrifying because she was so gifted”. He added: “I was just in awe of her, but you had to get over that. Being in awe of her didn’t last because she wouldn’t let it last.”

Maggie Smith remembered

The programme, which aired on BBC Two, looked back on her life through interviews from those who knew her, and with clips from the 1960s to the 2020s, of Dame Maggie performing in various shows and films.

(Inputs from PA Media)

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