Judi Dench pens letter to younger self for National Youth Theatre’s anniversary

Letters written by Dench and No Time to Die actor Lashana Lynch will also feature during the event, with further contributors set to be announced.

The event is directed by National Youth Theatre chief executive and artistic director Paul Roseby alongside Josie Daxter. Young creatives from National Youth Theatre and Netflix’s IGNITE Your Creativity programme will work across the production, both on stage and behind the scenes.

Akhtar, who is a patron of National Youth Theatre, said: "I came up through National Youth Theatre and it was a really, really important step in me being where I am now. I’m looking forward to being back with my friends from NYT for a special evening."

National Youth Theatre president Barbara Broccoli said: "The National Youth Theatre’s Letters to My Younger Future Self at Southbank’s Royal Festival Hall promises to be a very special evening of entertainment celebrating the 70th anniversary of the world’s first youth theatre."