Judi Dench: We shouldn't erase the work of Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein

Dame Judi Dench has said that despite allegations of sexual abuse, the work of Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein should be not be forgotten.

The actress, who worked with both Weinstein and Spacey on the movie The Shipping News in 2001, has previously said that she was 'horrified' by reports of Weinstein's alleged behaviour.

However, in a new interview with the Radio Times, she expressed sadness over how it may affect their contributions to cinema and theatre, though still condemning their behaviour.

“What kind of agony is that?” she said. “Are we going to negate 10 years at the Old Vic and everything that he did [as artistic director] – how wonderful he’s been in all those films? Are we just not going to see all those films that Harvey produced?”

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“You cannot deny somebody a talent. You might as well never look at a Caravaggio painting. You might as well never have gone to see Noël Coward.”

Carravagio murdered another man, while Coward was also accused of predatory behaviour with young men.

Spacey has been accused by several men of sexual assault, the first being Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp, who claimed that he was molested by Spacey at a party when he was 14.

Many others then came forward, including a swathe from when the actor was the artistic director at the Old Vic Theatre in London.

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Dozens of women have accused Weinstein of incidents of sexual assault and harassment over several decades.

Both continue to maintain their innocence, though Spacey apologised to Rapp over his initial accusation, claiming that he did not remember the specifics of the incident.

In January, he pleaded not guilty to indecently assaulting the 18-year-old son of news anchorwoman Heather Unruh in court in Nantucket, Massachusetts.