It was in one of these many emails that 34-year-old Diane McElhany of Seattle first suggested, and then ended up organising, the London trip.

Diane McElhany says the writing on the show is outstanding

"Everyone was so excited about coming to London to see, not just the programme, but Dame Judi in particular - most of us are huge fans," she told BBC News Online.

Last year the group's "incurable interest" in the award-winning actress led to a jaunt to see her in Amy's View on Broadway.

That trip gave Diane the impetus to be more ambitious and contact the As Time Goes By production office in London for tickets.

The gentle and quintessentially British show is hugely popular in the US where the programmes are transmitted on 158 PBS stations, representing 87% of the country.

Classy comedy

"There is nothing to compare to it in the US where I rarely see a comedy that does not make me think 'I could easily have written that myself'," said Diane.

Some of the group went to see Dame Judi on Broadway

The current series, the eighth, continues the story of Jean (Dench) and Lionel (Palmer) who enjoyed a brief affair in the early 1950s before circumstances separated them.

Four decades later, they meet again by chance and their romance is rekindled, leading eventually to marriage and domesticity - but not without its trials and tribulations.

"The writing is fantastic and the acting is top-notch - clever, witty and unpredictable," enthused Diane.

Sadly, perhaps one of the show's biggest fans, Bonnie Rottstin who started, and runs, the 120-member website, is missing out on the London trip.

"Bonnie is afraid of flying," commiserates Diane. "She says the only way to get her here is to build a bridge."