Biggar Little Cinema

The first film in our new season is The Lady in the Van (Cert 12A), a 2015 British comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner, written by Alan Bennett, and starring Dame Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings.

The Lady in the Van is being shown in The Corn Exchange on Saturday 29th October 2016 at 7.30pm and Sunday 30th October 2016 at 7.30pm.

The Lady in the Van tells the true story of Alan Bennett's strained friendship with Miss Mary Shepherd, an eccentric homeless woman whom Bennett befriended in the 1970s, before allowing her temporarily to park her Bedford van in the driveway of his Camden home. She stayed there for 15 years. As the story develops, Bennett learns that Miss Shepherd is really Margaret Fairchild (died 1989), a former gifted pupil of the pianist Alfred Cortot. She had played Chopin in a promenade concert, tried to become a nun, was committed to an institution by her brother, escaped, had an accident when her van was hit by a motorcyclist for which she believed herself to blame, and thereafter lived in fear of arrest.

Maggie Smith previously portrayed Mary Shepherd twice: in the original 1999 theatrical production, which earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 2000 Olivier Awards; and in the highly-respected 2009 BBC Radio 4 adaptation. Hytner directed the original stage production at the Queen's Theatre in London, while Bennett adapted the screenplay from his 1999 West End play of the same name, which was nominated at the 2000 Olivier Awards for Play of the Year. The film was shown in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

Please click on the poster on the right to read more about the film.

Admission is £6, with tickets available from Hamiltons Newsagents and at the door on the evening, subject to availabilty.

Many thanks to all of you who have confirmed their membership for our 2016/17 season. If you have not yet done so, we would be very grateful if you could support us again for our new season, and we would be delighted if you would join as a member.

All our proceeds go to local organisations and Rotary charities.

The membership form for the season is available by clicking here. Just fill in the form, tear off the top portion, and pop it in the post to Stewart Houston at the address shown on the form. You can either enclose a cheque with the form, or you may pay electronically if you wish - full details are given below.

Alternatively, you can send us an email by clicking here and filling in your name and address details, and your choice of first or second screening for the season.

We are very pleased to receive payments by electronic banking.

The bank details you will need are as follows:

Bank: Royal Bank of Scotland, 104 High Street, Biggar ML12 6DH

Sort Code: 83-16-11

Account No 00622143

Account Name: Biggar Little Cinema

Please don’t forget to give a reference to the payment so that we can identify that you've paid!

Thank you very much for your continued support!

About Us

Biggar Little Cinema was founded in February 2011, and is run as a community cinema on a non-profit basis.

As a not-for-profit organisation, our aim is to disburse all the surplus from our screenings as charitable donations, to local organisations and Rotary projects. So far, with your help, we have raised over £14,000, and we anticipate making further donations at our October screenings.

We also aim to provide the opportunity for members of an isolated rural community to enjoy good films without having to make a round trip of 60 miles or more to the commercial cinema.

Our films are shown in high-resolution digital quality, and projected using the latest digital equipment on to a full-size cinema screen. To match the exceptional quality of our picture, our sound is Dolby stereo using high definition loudspeakers. The Corn Exchange is well-known as an excellent venue, with very comfortable cinema-style seating and a cosy atmosphere. A full bar is available both before and after each screening, with a lounge area for relaxing and chatting with friends. All in all, Biggar Little Cinema offers a perfect location - and all proceeds go to support local organisations and Rotary projects.

If you have any questions about Biggar Little Cinema, please contact

Thank you again for your support!