Victoria Wood's Mid-Life Christmas

https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/victoria_wood_midlife_xmas/episodes/1/1/

Reading the BCG-linked (front page) article on the Telegraph website...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6867117/How-BBC-bosses-ruined-Christmas-for-Victoria-Wood.html

After I'd finished weeping at the injustice of it all, I reflected that Victoria Wood not only has had a special TV night (in the last week) in her honour, but also that Christmas Eve is a pretty prestigious slot anyway. Also, she's getting a 'Making Of' spoof programme about this on the 30th December as well.

I suggest that she might count herself rather lucky to be getting this kind of high profile slot and send a thank you card to French and Saunders for retiring.

I am however looking forward to her wringing the last drops of comedy out of Bo Beaumont (aka Mrs Overall from Acorn Antiques). If it wasn't for Julie Walters I probably wouldn't plan to watch it, to be honest. But she's so good she can rescue even the most mediocre of sketches.

She can sod off, with her hum drum, down to earth, load of bollocks. And Julie Waters can join on her the sodding off bus as well. Over-rated as f**king billy-ho.

I think Victoria's stuff is awesome.
(Except most of the songs).

Yeah, I can't wait for her song about the bloody credit crunch, or whatever.

Difficult to know what to make of The Telegraph article. If someone with Victoria Wood's clout can have a show hacked around without having any say in the matter, that is a bit worrying. But all the quotes about her being upset come from an anonymous source, and the BBC spokesman flatly denies the allegation.

Can understand her being miffed on losing out on the Christmas Day slot to Gavin & Stacey.

Quote: john lucas 101 @ December 23 2009, 10:36 AM GMT

She can sod off, with her hum drum, down to earth, load of bollocks. And Julie Waters can join on her the sodding off bus as well. Over-rated as f**king billy-ho.

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WENDY: (Yorkshire accent.) Don't mind John, he's got a lot on his plate. His wife ran off with a big noise at 'World Of Leather' and his son's just revealed that he works in hotel catering. Any news vis-a-vis Deidre's hysterectomy? (Takes bite of Eccles cake.)

Quote: Tim Walker @ December 23 2009, 10:48 AM GMT

WENDY: (Yorkshire accent.) Don't mind John, he's got a lot on his plate. His wife ran off with a big noise at 'World Of Leather' and his son's just revealed that he works in hotel catering. Any news vis-a-vis Deidre's hysterectomy? (Takes bite of Eccles cake.)

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Eccles cake? Is it on T'Trolley?!

Two soups.

The BBC has for some time been dumbing further and further down in an attempt to win the hearts and largely-vacant minds of young viewers.

They're far more likely to succeed by screening Gavin and Stacey than they are with Victoria Wood.

In the 21st Century, BBC TV is no longer about quality - it's all about non-wrinkly bums on seats.

Quote: Tim Walker @ December 23 2009, 10:48 AM GMT

WENDY: (Yorkshire accent.) Don't mind John, he's got a lot on his plate. His wife ran off with a big noise at 'World Of Leather' and his son's just revealed that he works in hotel catering. Any news vis-a-vis Deidre's hysterectomy? (Takes bite of Eccles cake.)

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This is a pisspoor attempt at emulating Victoria Wood. The references are right but she isn't a writer who has no jokes as you imply. I dislike Julie Walters - along with Richard Curtis and all the other official keepers of the flame of British comedy, but Victoria Wood is a very good writer as all the stuff she had on the other night effortlessly demonstrated.

The episode of Dinnerladies was a model of narrative comedy writing with good jokes; 'Can you smell my Charlie", and a very neat ending revolving around the woman with learning difficulties who had a savant's knowledge of cooking appliances but couldn't go on mastermind because she 'couldn't sit on leather'. When she first appeared, she seemed to be a cheap joke to pad the script but Wood ultimately tied the episode up with her. The will-they-won't-they relationship between Bren and Tony is also every bit as touching and believable as the Dawn-Tim one in the Office, which it pre-dates.

I'd rather watch Dinnerladies any day of the week than Peep Show, which is basically a show written by two Cambridge graduates who are scared of vaginas.

I will not allow anyone to knock Wood.

Quote: Godot Taxis @ December 23 2009, 1:28 PM GMT

I'd rather watch Dinnerladies any day of the week than peep show, which is basically a show written by two Cambridge graduates who are scared of vaginas.

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"Mmmmn... vaginas."

I like Victoria Wood. Well, not her stand up shows really, and possibly not the later stuff, but As Seen On TV is pretty brilliant.

Is she still married to that pathologically cheerful bald magician?