They are two distinguished actresses, but now Dame Judi Dench and Dame Sian Phillips will take on new roles – as the first ever female members of The Garrick Club.
The pair will be the first women to join the private members’ club in its 193-year-old history, after 60 per cent of members voted in May to admit women for the first time.
The club, which was founded in 1831, faced mounting pressure from members to reform, with women previously only being allowed to enter if they were invited and accompanied by a man.
Notable members include Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, the Head of the Civil Service Simon Case and King Charles.
Dame Judi Dench, 89, pictured at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May earlier this year
Dame Sian Phillips, 91, pictured at The Novello Theatre for the press night of Betty Blue Eyes
Dame Judi, 89, and Dame Sian, 91, were granted fast-tracked memberships last night, joining other prominent actors such as Brian Cox and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Their memberships came after a legal analysis of the club’s rulebook by David Pannick KC and decided there was no reason to exclude women from joining, The Guardian reported.
Other nominees included former home secretary Amber Rudd, classics editor Mary Beard, Labour Ayesha Hazarika and Channel 4’s Cathy Newman.
The club can admit up to four new members a year if the committee chooses, however the usual process can take between two to five years meaning women may have only been admitted by 2026 if the pair had not been fast-tracked.
As per regulation 15 in the rulebook, ‘general committee may in its discretion elect four members in each year in consideration of their public eminence or distinction’.
A discussion about voting to allow women to join the club took two hours in May, according to The Times.
The Garrick Club, which was founded in 1831, faced mounting pressure from members to reform, with women previously only being allowed to enter if they were invited and accompanied by a man
Those said to have been in favour of women joining included Stephen Fry, former Supreme Court justice Lord Sumption and Nigel Havers.
One member at the meeting who supported the decision in support of women to join said: ‘A remarkable club will become more remarkable and it will continue to thrive rather than die.’
Both are talented in their art and Dame Judi, an Oscar-winning actress has starred both on screen and on stage – playing M in the James Bond films and several Shakespeare plays in her early career.
BAFTA-winning Dame Sian has played Enid Meadows in Doctor Who, amongst appearing on other shows, and was made a dame for her services to drama in 2016.