Well, it's not a retrospective of Alan Bennett's oeuvre as such but it gives an insight into the creative process, juxtaposing it with the story of the woman who stayed in a van on his north London driveway for fifteen years. In many respects, I thought the actor who played Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) was the star rather than Dame Maggie Smith, who played Miss Shepherd.
The script seemed about fifteen to twenty minutes too long although I'm not sure what could easily have been edited out, certainly not the parts played by Bennett's mother (Gwen Taylor) as they added so much explanatory detail.
The script seemed about fifteen to twenty minutes too long although I'm not sure what could easily have been edited out, certainly not the parts played by Bennett's mother (Gwen Taylor) as they added so much explanatory detail.