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Dame Judi Dench has shared some fond memories of her As Time Goes By co-star Geoffrey Palmer following his passing earlier this month.

The two actors starred together in the charmingly gentle BBC sitcom, which aired in the U.S. on PBS and ran for nine seasons between 1992 and 2005. They played Jean and Lionel, two former lovers who meet unexpectedly after not having been in contact for 38 years, and go on to rekindle their relationship. You can see them in character in the sweet clip below:

They also shared the screen in the Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies and Queen Victoria biopic Mrs Brown.

Paying tribute to Palmer in an interview with the Radio Times, Dench recalled: “When you acted with him, you’d just feel very safe. Geoffers was so sure on comedy that you could be pretty secure in knowing he would get you through it and make it funny. I certainly couldn’t have done As Time Goes By with anyone else.”

Dench also recalled Palmer's playful side, saying that when she occasionally fluffed a line, he would jokingly ask the crew if Dame Maggie Smith or Dame Eileen Atkins were available to take over her part. She also said that when she and Palmer first met for lunch to discuss As Time Goes By, he told her cheekily that another actress, Jean Simmons, had already declined the role.

Praising her late co-star's comic timing, she said Palmer was "unsurpassed as far as comedy is concerned, aided by that lugubrious face and his amazing voice," and hailed him as a "remarkable actor, full stop."

She added: "Geoffers was a terrific man and most remarkable friend and actor. I wouldn’t have missed a moment of our time together for the world."

Have you enjoyed watching Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer in As Time Goes By?