Dame Judi Dench purrs like cat in ‘public service poem’ to help hand washing

Dame Judi Dench reprises her role of a cat for a “public service poem” to help people wash their hands amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The veteran actress, who recently starred as Old Deuteronomy in box office disappointment Cats, is joined by Gyles Brandreth to recite The Owl and the Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear.

In a video shared by Brandreth on Twitter, the pair begin at the sink before turning to the camera while lathering their hands and recite the verses.

When Brandreth gets to the line “What a beautiful pussy you are”, Dame Judi begins purring and nuzzling up to the writer.

He adds: “Wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds and you too will get the purr of satisfaction. A purr and good health too.

Dame Judi continues to purr and he adds: “Oh lovely pussy.”

The pair then turn back to the sink to rinse their hands.

Alongside the video, Brandreth tweeted: “A Public Service Poem – from Judi Dench & Gyles Brandreth.”

Dame Judi recently confirmed she has not yet watched the film of Cats, and has ignored the withering critical response to the film.

The Tom Hooper-directed feature used “digital fur technology” to transform actors into animals.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, she said: “No, I haven’t seen it. I didn’t read anything about the response to it, nor have I seen it, and I’ve only seen a picture of myself.”