The Lady In The Van. Image shows from L to R: Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith), Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings). Copyright: BBC Films
The Lady In The Van
- 2015 film
The Lady In The Van is a drama based on real events, about a vagrant who the playwright Alan Bennett allowed to park her van in his driveway, where she lived for fifteen years. Also features Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Frances de la Tour, Roger Allam and more.
- Repeated Thursday 9th May at 9pm on BBC4
The Lady In The Van. Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith). Copyright: BBC Films
Key details
- Genre
- Film
- Released
- 2015
- Stars
- Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Frances de la Tour, Roger Allam, Deborah Findlay, Gwen Taylor, Pandora Colin and more
- Writer
- Alan Bennett
- Director
- Nicholas Hytner
- Producers
- Nicholas Hytner, Damian Jones, Kevin Loader, Miles Ketley, Charles Moore, Christine Langan and Ed Wethered
- Company
A mostly true story.
Miss Shepherd was a woman of uncertain origins who "temporarily" parked her van in Alan Bennett's London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years. Secretive, crotchety and nervous, her presence was soon felt not just by Alan but by all of those who knew him. What began as a begrudged favour became a relationship that would change both their lives.
Filmed on the street and in the house where Bennett and Miss Shepherd actually lived.
Stream and download
Additional details
- UK certificate
- 12A
- Duration
- 104 minutes
- UK release
- Friday 13th November 2015
- Distributors
- Production
- Location
- Camera set-up
- Single camera
- Picture
- Colour
Website links
Broadcast details
- Next repeats
-
- Thursday 9th May at 9pm on BBC4
- Most recent repeats
-
- Saturday 8th July 2023 at 10:25pm on BBC1
- Thursday 10th November 2022 at 9:00pm on BBC4
- Saturday 18th December 2021 at 9:00pm on BBC4
Recording details
- Gloucester Crescent (Camden)
This film was not originally promoted as a (British) comedy but has been labelled as one by many parties since its original release, so is included on British Comedy Guide for completeness and to avoid confusion.