Louis Theroux says he was told to 'f*** off' by Judi Dench

Louis Theroux has spoken out about why he was sworn at by Dame Judi Dench in his latest series.

No one likes to be cussed at, but if it's by one of the greatest actors of all time, then I think I'd let it slide.

Journalist and documentary-maker Louis Theroux has had plenty of run-ins during his career, from being kicked out of the house of a streamer mid-interview, to coming face-to-face with Tiger King Joe Exotic.

However, Theroux has since opened up about the 45 minutes he spent with Dame Judi Dench and why she ended up telling him to 'f**k off'.

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As part of his six-part series for the BBC, titled Louis Theroux Interviews, the documentary-maker sat down with some of Britain's most famous stars, including grime musician Stormzy and adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls, as well as Belfast and beloved Bond star Dench.

As the synopsis reads: "Louis Theroux gets up close and personal with the UK's biggest stars in the way only he can. With exclusive access to poke about their lives, expect anything and everything."

But what could have possibly caused Dame Dench such offence?

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When asked by Metro's Adam Miller if any of his interviewees surprised him and changed his preconceptions about them, Theroux admitted it wasn't just Stormzy but Dame Dench because of her 'unwillingness to accept sort of a widely acknowledged national treasure status'.

Theroux continues: "When I say, 'You’ve been described as a national treasure', she says f**k off in a friendly way.

"You get the feeling from her that she is someone who never wants to rest on her laurels and actually, every time she goes out to do something of any depth, it’s a kind of a struggle because she's out to prove herself again and along with that is a degree of insecurity about whether she’s good enough which makes her so extraordinary."

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Dench apparently 'turned the tables' on Theroux and asked if he often gets called a national treasure, although he said it doesn't happen 'very often'.

Theroux continued: "It’s almost a superstition, and in the very least, it feels emotionally incorrect to even begin to acknowledge anything like that because you’re setting yourself up to fail.

"You’re sort of saying, 'Well, I don’t have to try anymore.'"

Theroux's interview with Dame Dench is set to air next Tuesday, 1 November and you can catch it on BBC 2 or BBC iPlayer.