Nothing Like a Dame was commissioned in 2016 in the United Kingdom by BBC Television for its long-running arts strand Arena, and made by Field Day Productions.

Angel approached BBC Arts commissioning editor Mark Bell who suggested it to Anthony Wall at Arena.

It opened in eighteen territories between May 2018 and November 2019, including Australia, the United States, and at film festivals in Norway and Iceland.

The website's consensus reads, "Tea with the Dames proves there's plenty of entertainment value to be found in rounding up a quartet of screen legends for a chat -- and is likely to leave audiences wishing these stars would keep brewing up pots for an ongoing series.

'We are not in the first rank of beauties,' Plowright said to Atkins, sounding not unlike (a dead dame) Edith Evans – though whenever images of their younger selves flashed up, you begged to differ.