Judi Dench, BBC Cause Traffic Jam In Potomac

Potomac drivers experiencing the long traffic lines on River Road Thursday morning may be mollified, or further annoyed, to learn it’s because British actress Judi Dench is in town filming a BBC production.

Traffic slowed on River Road early Thursday and reportedly was backed up all the way to Travilah, according to one resident on Twitter.  Witnesses speculated that police had closed the road to guard the set of “Philomena Lee,” a movie about an Irish woman searching for her son from whom she was separated following his illegitimate birth.

According to county spokeswoman Lucille Baur, police did not block off the road, but drivers, seeing that crews were filming at a private residence near Saints Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, slowed down to watch.

“Police did not close the roadway,” Baur said. “There is filming going on and drivers on the roadway did slow down because they could see there are lots of movie trucks. A couple of times traffic was stopped because a piece of equipment needed to cross the road.”

Nearly 40 cars and trucks were associated with the production. Baur cautioned residents that the filming will take place again Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the same location.