Gloved Up

Proving once and for all that acting is the best job in the world, the cast and crew of upcoming film The Shipping News have been revealing the fun and japes they had on location in Newfoundland. Now most people wouldn't think that spending six wintry weeks in the back of beyond would be a laugh riot - but according to the film's stars Kevin Spacey and Judi Dench, they'd be wrong. Perhaps the best joke played involved an old feud between Dame Judi and fellow British thesp Tim Piggott-Smith. It transpires that the pair have been hiding a black glove on each other's film or theatre sets for many years - with points awarded for the more creative locations. When Dench's co-star Spacey discovered this he sent for the glove... and waited. Four weeks later when Dench shot a scene involving her peeing over her dead brother's ashes (don't ask), Spacey hid himself under the outhouse with the glove on a stick, waiting until Dench had hiked up her skirts before pouncing. 'I felt something tickling my bottom,' Dench tells this months' Premiere magazine, 'Kevin says I jumped into the air screaming. It took me quite a lond time to recover and it will take even longer to plan the proper revenge.'