She thanked the voice coach 'who made me sound less like Barbara Windsor and more like Elizabeth Windsor', and the costume designer who supplied 'the best padded knickers I've ever worn'.Īnd there was a tear, though not of faux humility: she paid a moving tribute to an actor who supported her very early in her career - 'I'm really not sure that I would be here today if it weren't for him' - Ian Richardson, who died on Friday. 'But we had a clue when it was chosen by the critics in Venice that it would have a broader appeal.' 'We always thought it was a small film, obviously it's a pretty parochial film in some ways,' Mirren said. The movie's success continues to astonish even those involved. Inside, Dame Helen startled her audience by pronouncing 'thank you, dogs and bitches all!' She referred, of course, to her most important co-stars, the corgis. Surrounding streets were closed, and with memories of the disastrous recent occasion when rain caused the red carpet to erupt into white foam, the last stretch was protected by a huge canopy.
