DAME Judi Dench drew the crowds yesterday when she began making a new BBC film in Sussex.

Dame Judi was joined by Joan Sims and Ian Holm for the shoot on Hastings seafront. A BBC crew spent the day on Hastings Pier shooting scenes for the film, Last of the Blonde Bombshells.

Heavy rain and strong winds meant a cold wait for autograph hunters.

Most of the filming was limited to a bar at the end of the pier, so there was little chance for crowds to watch the stars in action.

But a BBC producer did come out to talk to fans and spoke briefly about the film and its connection with Hastings.

He said: "The film tells the story of an all-girl dance band who lose contact after the Second World War.

"More than 50 years later the main character Elizabeth, played by Dame Judi, and her best friend, played by Ian Holm, decide to reform the band for a reunion concert.

"Elizabeth travels the country in search of her former band members and comes to Hastings to find Betty, played by Joan Sims.

"Betty is discovered playing the piano in a bar on the end of Hastings Pier."

But Hastings was not the original loca-

-tion for the film. The author Alan Playter described Brighton Pier, not Hastings Pier, in his first script.

Adam Richards, BBC locations manager, said: "We decided the Palace Pier in Brighton was too commercial and modern.

"We wanted a pier with a historical atmosphere and traditional design."

Despite miserable weather, the filming went smoothly.

Last of the Blonde Bombshells, which also stars June Whitfield, Olympia Dukakis and Cleo Laine, will be shown on BBC1 in the spring.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.