Dame Judi Dench has recalled an amusing reunion with Pierce Brosnan years after sharing the screen together in a run of James Bond films.

The British acting veteran played MI6 boss “M” in a run of films throughout Brosnan’s time as Bond, including GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, and Die Another Day.

She would continue to play the character during the start of Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007, before being killed off in the 2012 installment Skyfall.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to promote her new memoir Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?, Dench said she later met up with Brosnan “years” after last seeing each other.

At her house, however, Brosnan was stunned to find that she had a Bond-themed doormat – with a uniquely apt greeting.

“He looked down, and I completely forgotten that I have a doormat there saying, ‘I’ve been expecting you, Mr Bond’. I was pleased. I think he was [too].”

The novelty mat had, she said, been there “for a very long time”.

Dench also spoke about her health troubles in recent years, with eyesight difficulties meaning she is no longer able to read scripts.

“I can’t be on stage. I can’t do a play anymore. I can’t do a film anymore. I can’t read anymore,” she told the programme.

Dench has been diagnosed with AMD, an age-related eye disease that can blur an individual’s central vision but does not cause total blindness.

While Brosnan’s spell as Bond now seems a distant memory, there remains fervent speculation over who is set to become the next James Bond, following the departure of Craig after 2021’s No Time to Die.

A recent report suggested that four actors are testing for the part, including Slow Horses star Jack Lowden – presumed by many to be the frontrunner – One Night Only actor Callum Turner, and Challengers’ Josh O’Connor.

It is not yet known when the forthcoming reboot will be shot or released, but a director has already been announced: Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve.

Speaking to The Independent earlier this year about the process of identifying the next Bond, retired casting director Debbie McWilliams — who was instrumental in choosing Timothy Dalton, Brosnan and Craig for the franchise — said that “it is absolutely essential that [Bond] retains a total enigma.

“I don’t want to see [Jacob Elordi, Turner, Harris Dickinson et al] as Bond because we now know so much about them,” she added. “We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that’s what spies are. We don’t need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are, or where he lives … He’s licensed to kill, and we have to believe that he can do that. If you don’t, then you’ve lost the audience.”