Miriam Margolyes hopes to help people feel less "embarrassed" about death.
The 77-year-old actress will explore the subject of mortality in the two-[part BBC2 series ‘Miriam’s Dead Good Adventure’ – which sees her spend time with communities in both the US and Europe – and she hopes the show will encourage more conversations around the subject.
She said: "For so long death has been a subject that people couldn’t talk about. It makes people embarrassed or nervous and that doesn’t help anyone. I think that we should all talk about it and that’s why I have made this programme.
"You can’t generalise about death which is odd when it is the most universal experience. Everyone deals with it differently but it’s the only thing that absolutely everyone will go through."
And the ‘Harry Potter’ actress admitted her experiences during filming has changed the way she feels about dying because she is no longer "frightened" of it.
She said: "The film has definitely changed the way that I feel about death. I’m less frightened by it now.
"I feel really in awe of the people I met who have faced death so beautifully and so gracefully. I’ll never forget the experience and I’ll never forget them."
Miriam felt "nervous" approaching the subject with someone terminally ill but she quickly developed an "incredible connection" with cancer patient Tracy.
She said: "The most striking thing from my journey would be meeting Tracy, a wonderful woman living with terminal cancer.
"I was very nervous to meet a stranger to talk about something as personal as preparing for death but I felt an incredible connection with her. We opened up to each other straight away.
"Tracy’s life was full of passion for living and love for her daughters. She made life rich. She was extraordinary and she had such strength. She was very special to me.
"We remained in daily contact until she died."
Miriam Margolyes wants more death conversations
