In 1974 the playwright Alan Bennett took pity on the elderly, eccentric and evil-smelling Miss Shepherd, whose only home was a dilapidated van that the authorities were trying to move on from its illegal parking place in the road outside his London home. He offered her a temporary parking space in his front garden, a refuge she occupied for the next 15 years until her death. This is the dramatised but largely accurate account of the weird relationships that subsequently developed between them, her social worker and the neighbours. In the play, there are actually two Alan Bennetts: one who talks directly to Miss Shepherd and everyone else on stage, and another who comments on the events to the audience and has arguments with his other self about what really happened and what his motives were.

Richly comic, brutally honest and at times oddly moving, this West End hit eventually became an equally successful film, starring Dame Maggie Smith as the idiosyncratic Miss Shepherd.

Tickets

Tickets are now available for just £12. Buy online or from the Box Office.

Meal deal

Take advantage of our £26 meal deal with Terranova Italian Restaurant in Stanborough Park which includes a 2-course, pre-show meal from the set menu with a glass of wine and a ticket for the show. Download the menu

Not available Sundays and Mondays.