Judi Dench To Skip Oscars

Dame Judi Dench won't be attending the Oscars next year.

The 79-year-old actress - who was nominated for Best Actress this year but missed the ceremony because of filming commitments - insists she ''loves'' the Academy Awards but isn't planning to be in the audience for the 2015 ceremony.

She said: ''No, I don't think I'll attend. I don't imagine so.

''I mean I love them but I never like to speculate on these things.''

For the next few months, Judi will be filming a BBC adaptation of 'Richard III' opposite Benedict Cumberbatch and she can't wait to work with the ''true gentleman'', who she has known since he was just a child.

She explained to the Daily Telegraph newspaper: ''I knew him when he was a little boy at prep school before he went on to Harrow.

''His mother, Wanda Ventham, was at the Royal Central School of Drama a year ahead of me.

''He is a true gentleman and a thoroughly good actor, which helps. We start on Monday and it's a huge project, six months in filming.''