DAME JUDI DENCH’s gorgeous travelogue for Channel 5 was shelved after her co-host Jay Blades was ousted by the broadcaster when he was charged with controlling behaviour towards his wife.
So it’s fantastic news to hear that she will be back on air with a new sidekick for a festive special with a cause.
Judi has teamed up with The Yorkshire Vet Peter Wright for A Donkey For Christmas, which will air on December 17.
The pair travel to the The Flicka Foundation Donkey Sanctuary in Cornwall where Dame Judi became a patron after visiting in 2022 and falling in love with them.
Peter will then visit sanctuaries from County Durham to Cornwall to celebrate the work of teams rehabilitating neglected and abused donkeys.
He will then work to find some of them new homes in the process in the heartwarming project.
Jay Blades, 54, was ousted from his role on the BBC Repair Shop after he was charged with coercive and controlling behaviour towards his wife.
Channel 4 subsequently revealed there would be no sequel to The Odd Couple with Dame Judi.
The show followed Jay and Dame Judi as they embarked on a journey together, in particular, exploring the places and people who had shaped their respective backgrounds.
Their travels took the pair to places such as London and Stratford-upon Avon.
