Judi Dench and Siân Phillips become first women to join prestigious Garrick Club
2 July 2024, 20:01
Judi Dench and Siân Phillips have become the first women to join the prestigious Garrick Club.
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The pair were granted fast-track membership - becoming the first women to join the club in 193 years.
Other nominees include former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, classics editor Mary Beard and Channel 4's Cathy Newman.
It comes after The Garrick voted to allow women to join as members in May after decades of only-men access.
The club can allow up to four new members to join each year "in consideration of their public eminence or distinction", according to the rulebook.
The process tends to take between two to five years, which means women joining the club could have been delayed until 2026 if not for the fast-tracking.
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During a private meeting in May, a two-hour debate was held over whether women should be permitted to join the nearly 200-year-old club.
The vote was passed 59.98% in favour of allowing women to join.
Prominent members include King Charles and Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, as well as former England football manager Roy Hodgson and actors Stephen Fry and Brian Cox.
Sir Richard Moore, the head of MI6, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and several judges previously resigned from the club.
It came amid controversy over the release of a list with about 60 names of the club’s most influential members.
Women were previously only allowed to enter the club by invitation and if accompanied by a man.
