The lady in the van is Miss Shepherd. Alan knows very little about her. She used to drive ambulances in the war, might have been a nun, sells pencils and pamphlets and has an unexplained aversion to piano music. But somehow she lives in the playwright’s garden and has done for years.

Alan Bennett is one of the nation’s best-loved playwrights, with plays including The History Boys, Talking Heads and The Madness of George III.

The Lady in the Van stars Nichola McAuliffe, one of British theatre’s most loved actresses. As well as playing Sheila Sabatini in seven series of ITV’s Surgical Spirit, Nichola won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Performance By An Actress In A Musical for her role in Kiss Me Kate (RSC).

‘a masterclass in what regional theatre can achieve at its best.’ Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph