The Lady in the Van Bennett Alan (2015)

In 1974, the homeless Miss Shepherd moved her broken-down van into Alan Bennetts garden. Deeply eccentric and stubborn to the bone, Miss Shepherd was not an easy tenant, while Bennett, despite inviting her in, was a reluctant landlord. Yet she lived there for fifteen years. This account of those years was first published in 1989 in the London Review of Books. The play premiered in 1999, directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Dame Maggie Smith, who reprise their roles in this new film adaptation. Shot on location at Bennetts house, the film features Alex Jennings as the author, alongside household names including Frances de la Tour, Jim Broadbent and Dominic Cooper.