In the 1970s‚ an eccentric old lady called Miss Shepherd lived in an old van opposite Bennett's house in Camden. That is until new parking regulations come into force -and he suggests moving the van onto his driveway. This odd relationship - not quite a friendship - lasted for 20 years until Miss Shepherd's death.
The play is based on entries from Bennett's diaries of the period. As well as Miss Shepherd‚ other characters are "Alan Bennett 1" - the helpful householder - and "Alan Bennett 2" - the writer using the incident as raw material. There's also Bennett's own "Mam" who provides a foil to Miss Shepherd's eccentricity‚ herself suffering from dementia.
Bennett uses the situation to explore the line between acceptable and unacceptable mental illness; the troubling contrast between his care of Miss Shepherd versus comparative neglect of his own mother; and the various ways in which even the officially sane can deny reality.
