Maggie Smith's British drama The Lady in the Van is on TV tonight
Set in the 1970s and based on Alan Bennett's memoir of the same name, the film follows the unlikely friendship between Bennett (Alex Jennings) and Miss Shepherd (Smith), a homeless woman who lives in a van on his driveway.
Per the synopsis, the film tells "the true story of Miss Shepherd, an eccentric woman of uncertain origins, who 'temporarily' parked her broken-down van in writer Alan Bennett's London driveway for 15 years."
The Lady in the Van, will air tonight at 11.40pm on BBC One and will be added to BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast. The film is also available to watch right now on Netflix.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the 2015 film boasts a stacked cast including Jim Broadbent, Claire Foy, Roger Allam, Dominic Cooper, and Frances de la Tour.
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The film proved popular among critics and currently has an impressive score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes from 152 reviews, with critics calling The Lady in the Van "charming".
The Australian said the film was "as charming and enjoyable as it is decidedly lightweight", while The Guardian said: "Smith's performance, honed from the previous stage and radio versions, is terrifically good."
Most reviews praised Smith's lead performance, with The Times writing: "Ornery and odiferous, Maggie Smith delivers a compelling performance in The Lady in the Van."
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"There's no use fending off the force of nature that is Smith. Sensitive and formidable, self-deprecating and brave, she elevates every role she's in, as we know by now," echoed The Washington Post.
"Thanks to the richness of Maggie Smith's performance, a cantankerous bigot who leaves shit and chaos in her wake ends up seeming a tragic heroine, far more sinned against than sinning," penned The Independent.
The Wall Street Journal said: "Wonderfully funny, terribly touching and a vehicle-with comically dilapidated vehicles-for the boundless gifts of Maggie Smith."
The Lady in the Van airs tonight on BBC One at 11.40pm, and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
