Some plots arrive in a flash of inspiration. Some are the product of graft. For Alan Bennett, one arrived fully formed right outside his house, rolling up in a filthy van.
Teasingly billed as "a mostly true story", this is a warm-hearted film spun from Bennett's award-winning 1999 play – which itself began life as a book – based on his experiences of a sharp-tongued vagrant called Miss Shepherd, who camped outside his house for more than 15 years.
Bennett employs the...
