I admire Judi Dench and I love the opportunity to see another part of the world, but like CalendarGirl question this whole notion of actors or other “celebrities” being credited with “taking us there”.
The camera crew are the principal people who should take the credit for what we see, the presenter is just that.
An actor is just a person doing their job albeit in an articulate and attractive way. Your plumber, my gardener, any botanist, biologist ,or scientist is just as entitled to have their views . And perhaps command a lesser fee than a “celebrity”. Just because Judi Dench or Sue Perkins or Rick Stein is a famous face - so what?