Judi Dench Says M’s ‘Skyfall’ Death Was Daniel Craig’s Idea, and She Isn’t Letting It Go
Judi Dench spent 20 years as M, James Bond’s formidable boss, and she is now looking back on that run in her new memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It? The book arrived on Nov. 3 and is structured as a long conversation with actor and director Brendan O’Hea. Her memories of the Bond years are already drawing plenty of attention from fans of the franchise.
Dench first stepped into the role in ‘GoldenEye’ and stayed through the Pierce Brosnan era before carrying on alongside Daniel Craig. By the time ‘Skyfall’ arrived, M had become the emotional center of the story, with the plot built around her past decisions and the vengeful Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem. The film ended with her character’s death and Ralph Fiennes stepping in as her successor.
In an exclusive excerpt published by Variety, Dench recalls being taken to The Wolseley restaurant by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson and director Sam Mendes. They laid out the plot and told her M was about to be killed off. She doesn’t believe Craig was at the table, but she says, “Apparently, it was Daniel’s idea to have me killed.”
That wasn’t the only indignity, according to the actress. She jokes that she first had to endure being “sacked” by Fiennes on screen, and she follows it with a mock-indignant jab at the actor who took over the role. It is classic Dench: sharp, funny and entirely unbothered about who is listening.
She also takes aim at a long-circulating story. Press reports claimed she cried when she was told she was being replaced, which she flatly denies, asking why anyone would weep after 20 glorious years and 8 Bond films. She adds that the tally is one more than Roger Moore, the longest-running 007 to date.
Dench’s complaint has a punchline. She says she had been pushing for years, going back to ‘GoldenEye’, to get M out from behind her desk and into the field. ‘Skyfall’ finally granted that wish, and the reward for leaving the office was a fatal ending.
The numbers around her tenure come with a footnote. Variety describes 8 Bond films that begin with ‘GoldenEye’ and end with ‘Skyfall’, followed by a very brief cameo in ‘Spectre’. Other outlets count 7 full films plus the cameo, and Dench herself has previously said she counts 8 because of that appearance.
On that ‘Spectre’ cameo, she says it took no more than 1 hour to shoot and that she is still sulking about being killed off. The line is delivered with a laugh, and it fits the tone of a memoir that treats even its sore spots with humor. For Bond fans, it is also a reminder of how unusual it was to see M on a television screen after her death.
Beyond the headline claim, coverage of the book suggests Dench relished the authority the role gave her, especially the chance to put powerful men in their place. She says she invented a private history for M and approached her as she would any other character. She also describes continual rewrites that left little time to absorb new material before cameras rolled.
One moment she remains proud of is M’s first meeting with Brosnan’s Bond, where she dismisses him as an outdated, sexist relic. That scene set the tone for the dynamic that defined her tenure, a boss who respected her agent but never indulged him.
Her feelings about moving on are consistent with earlier remarks. In past interviews she has said it was high time someone else had a go at the part, while also saying she is terribly fond of her years doing Bond. Her latest comments sit comfortably alongside that attitude, with affection and teasing in equal measure.
At 91, Dench has spoken openly about how vision loss has made stage and film work difficult. She has not retired, though. She voiced a role in the 2026 film ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’, appeared briefly in the short film ‘Joke’ and took part in a 2025 documentary.
None of the coverage reviewed includes a response from Craig to her claim, so it remains one side of a story told with a wink. Even so, the anecdote adds a bittersweet footnote to one of the most talked-about exits in the franchise. It also shows that, nearly a decade and a half after M’s final scene, Dench still has the last word on the subject.
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