The ultimate Bond girl was recently seen working the back streets and alleys of London, and man, what a dame. Wait, that didn't come out quite right, did it? Let me try this again. Dame Judi Dench was recently spotted filming the new Bond movie on location in London. Dench will be reprising her role for the sixth time as M, the boss of James Bond and the head of Military Intelligence, section 6, better known as MI6 to Bond enthusiasts. It's the British Secret Intelligence Service, so Dench as the fictional figurehead is perfect — her intelligence is no secret, and neither is her presence or value on screen.

Dench first appeared as M in the 1995 Bond release GoldenEye. I was never much of a fan of the Bond franchise, though even as a kid I was a huge car fiend. To me, Bond was simply a lovely Aston Martin. As I got older, he was a lovely Aston Martin with lovely women either trying to kill him or be saved by him. But the presence of Dench instantly upgraded the tired franchise. Though the other Bond women come and go, M has been the most consistent woman in Bond's life, and he has a real affection for her. Well, if you want to call it that. She tells him what to do, and he tries to do it without getting killed, killing too many people (especially innocent ones), embarrassing his country, or making M so angry that she'll fire him.

Here are the recent pictures of Dench on the set: … continue reading