Two-time Oscarยฎ winner and star of โDownton Abbeyโ, Dame Maggie Smith, recreates one of her most celebrated roles โ the singular Miss Shepherd โ in The Lady In The Van, Alan Bennettโs big-screen comedic adaptation of his own iconic memoir and honoured stage play. Based on the true story, Miss Shepherd was a woman of uncertain origins who โtemporarilyโ parked her van in Bennettโs London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years. 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 lived for all those years, acclaimed director Nicholas Hytner reunites with Bennett (The Madness of King George, The History Boys) to bring this funny, poignant, and life-affirming story to the screen.