The story of a relationship that caused an uproar

WHAT'S an ageing monarch (Victoria) to do when she outlives her beloved husband (Albert) and loyal manservant (John Brown) by decades, but she's still in the mood for a little romance? With tongue firmly in cheek, Victoria & Abdul gives us a revisionist version of an unlikely relationship, one that is "based on real events ... mostly".

Pushing 70, lonely, bored by her daily routine and downright disdainful of the pomp and circumstance associated with her ceremonial duties, Queen Victoria (Judi Dench, who else?) is a senior citizen who enjoys a good snooze and yearns to be, well, herself.

Instead, she has to put up with the indignity of having her bowel movements scrutinised by the royal household. "It is imperative, Your Majesty, that the royal colon receives a little roughage," her doctor beseeches.