Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellen, and Maggie Smith

Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellen, and Maggie Smith set for one-night benefit

The actors will take part in an evening of conversations, hosted by Kenneth Branagh.

UPDATE: For One Knight Only will be available to stream again from 28 - 31 May. More information can be found here

Dame Judi Dench, Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Ian McKellen, and Dame Maggie Smith will headline For One Knight Only, an evening of conversations with the British acting legends hosted by Kenneth Branagh. The event is presented by Lockdown Theatre in association with Acting for Others, a theatrical charity that provides emotional and financial assistance to theatre workers. The live conversation will take place on Zoom on 29 November at 7 pm. 

"We began this initiative when Robert Lindsay suggested we considered donating our proceeds to the RTF charity, a charity that is part of Acting for Others," Lockdown Theatre producer Rob Grant said in a statement. "In this climate, it sounded like a truly worthy cause, and we decided to  mount future productions entirely for the benefit of the charity, and via them, the performing arts industry, which is suffering so hideously from the restrictions on live entertainment, with no clear end in sight. We enjoy putting the shows on, the cast enjoy performing them, and the audiences enjoy watching. It's a three-way win."

The event comes after Lockdown Theatre's previous events including Waiting for Godot with Robert Lindsay and Michael Palin, Private Lives with Emma Thompson and Emilia Clarke, and The Real Inspector Hound with Sanjeev Bhaskar and Jennifer Saunders

Photo credit: Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, and Derek Jacobi

Article Updated: 29 April 2021

Originally published on

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