Dame Maggie Smith as homeless Lady In The Van: first pictures

The actress is filming The Lady In The Van, the true story of a homeless woman who lived for 15 years outside the home of playwright Alan Bennett 



Dame Maggie Smith has swapped her Downton Abbey finery for a less glamorous look. 
The actress is filming The Lady In The Van, the true story of a homeless woman who lived for 15 years outside the home of playwright Alan Bennett. 
Bennett detailed his often strained relationship with the eccentric Miss Shepherd in his diaries, and later turned it into a play. 
It is now being made into a BBC film directed by Nicholas Hytner. Dame Maggie was unrecognisable in a flat cap and dirty raincoat as she filmed her scenes with Alex Jennings, who plays Bennett. James Corden was also present, playing a local market trader. 

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