I may have enhanced the severity of it in my febrile mind but I doubt I have invented it. Note that it was French that interviewed her - I think the competetive rivalry is with Saunders because Ab Fab catapaulted her two furlongs beyond other fillies. I have read interviews where there is a definite frost at the mention of JS.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ December 26 2009, 3:34 PM GMT'Go and get a job down the chippy' that you used to sing so vibrantly about.
Christ, I hated that song. 
Quote: Aaron @ December 26 2009, 3:19 PM GMTPerhaps we're just not joyless bastards who switch off if we've not been left rolling on the floor within 3 minutes.
So you are Victoria Wood fans then. To be fair, I never saw the show myself and I'm just going by the comments of others but even when the Wood apologists start going 'oh dear, that was a bit crap...', you know it must have been Godawful bollox.
I can't comment on the Wood vs Saunders rivalry, but I can well imagine it existing - they basically do the same schitck, but one is working class and one is posh - so the posh one gets all the plum work as is stated in BBC policy guidelines.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ December 26 2009, 4:02 PM GMTSo you are Victoria Wood fans then.
No.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ December 26 2009, 3:41 PM GMTI may have enhanced the severity of it in my febrile mind but I doubt I have invented it. Note that it was French that interviewed her
Yes, one would have expected Jennifer Saunders to interview Victoria Wood on Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy.
Quote: Aaron @ December 26 2009, 4:13 PM GMTYes, one would have expected Jennifer Saunders to interview Victoria Wood on Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy.
See, now that's comedy.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ December 26 2009, 3:06 PM GMTit was a disaster.
Dinnerladies was a disaster was it? Well, thanks for letting me know.
Quote: Aaron @ December 26 2009, 3:19 PM GMTWell, no.
Most people are saying that this was below standard. Not that she was never good. So you're still wrong.
Quite.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ December 26 2009, 4:02 PM GMTthe Wood apologists.
Bloody Nora; some people just like, or have liked in the past, her work! That's all! (I didn't watch the special so have no opinion on it, and I'm not a huge mad fan of hers or anything)
Of course French has no problem with her - she is the non creative fat one of the duo who wouldn't have an artistic rivalry with her or be undermined by her size. But Saunders became the official Queen of Comedy for her F&S writing but mainly for her transatalntic sitcom success with Ab Fab. Wood hated this and had no real reply to it, try as hard as she could. Yes I believe Dinnerladies was indeed Wood's reponse to Ab Fab. Why is this an absurd notion? Five years to develop a sitcom from germ to TV screen is not at all unheard of. Good evening.
Alfred, you should write soaps.
Quite miserable this Christmas, aren't you Alfred?
I'm afraid this apparent "bitter rivalry" between Wood and Saunders is mostly dreamed up. Yes there may be some creative clashes between them, but they're more than happy to sit down and have a conversation without smacking each other over the head with tea cups at London Fashion Weeks. I can't find the photos on the net at the moment but one of the pics I found saw them deep in conversation - and they didn't look bitter with each other at all. I can only find these posed pics:
http://www.contactmusic.com/pics/m/betty_jackson_120208/jennifer_saunders_1758368.jpg http://www.contactmusic.com/photos.nsf/main/jennifer_saunders_1758359
PS I thought the Bo Beaumont sketches were the funniest ones in the show... the rest was a bit below standard. Those of you without long memories won't remember that Wood's 2000 special was absolutely panned at the time, but everyone seemingly loves it now. And 'dinnerladies' wasn't a failure? It was critically praised at the time and I can't think why you're fabricating this apparent 'hatred' of the programme.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ December 26 2009, 6:50 PM GMTWhy is this an absurd notion?
Why isn't it? You just seem to have made up a rather interesting rivalry in your head. As though Wood sat in her home, watching with a jealous, twitching eye, as Ab Fab garnered viewers and praise, and said 'Right, I'll show the sharp faced little f**ker!' as she scribbled the word 'Dinnerladies' into her ideas pad, whilst 'The Great Soprendo' fretted in the doorway; his powers told him her efforts would be fruitless, but he was too cowardly to tell Wood and suffer her wrath.
You could well be bang on the money of course. Or you could have just imagined that she MUST hate them because they're all women, she wasn't bothered about what the silly boys were writing.
Quote: Nemo @ December 26 2009, 9:06 PM GMTThose of you without long memories won't remember that Wood's 2000 special was absolutely panned at the time, but everyone seemingly loves it now.
My memory is good enough to remember that it wasn't universally welcomed, and for good reason as far as I'm concerned. I didn't think that one was wonderful, but it was comedy gold compared with this year's. I still think Victoria Wood - As Seen On TV was a brilliant show, but I'm starting to suspect that might be the only thing of hers that I will ever truly enjoy.
I think you are all missing the point with Victoria Wood. She has never been particularly hilarious it is the quality and lyricism of the writing which has made her unique and also her ability to mix comedy and tragedy in a mostly non sentimental way.
I have just watched Pat and Margeret on YouTube and would highly recommend every other BCGer does so.
Quote: Ronnie Anderson @ December 26 2009, 11:57 PM GMTI think you are all missing the point with Victoria Wood.
Oh, so it's our fault if we don't recognise her genius? That's a bit of a condescending way to start any argument advocating anything, frankly. 
I didn't notice any of this great lyrical writing in evidence on the Christmas Special. Other than the Reece Shearsmith monologue, it was generally an exceptionally bland and lifeless script.
Tim, when are you going to realise that Victoria Wood was funny a long, long time ago with her Alan Bennett character rip offs and her Richard Stilgoe type musical numbers. Bennett and Stilgoe in one is like Superman and Stephen Hawkins getting into the Brundle Pod and emerging as the most bestest super hero ever.
Because of that, any talk of her not being funny anymore is akin to blasphemy. Or perhaps you're just a trouble maker and you don't like songs revolving around the troubles of bored middle class women in a Northern environment?
You scum.
I didn't mean to patronise you all, especially not someone who is pretty close to getting their stuff on the telly I am just a passionate Victoria Wood fan who is frustrated that her genius is being overlooked (including in Thursdays show) especially when far less accomplished shows get praised heaped on them on other threads.
I agree that parts of her style are similar to Alan Bennett but that doesn't matter as every writers style has similarities to another. Parts of Miranda are very similar to Coming Of Age but this has never been used as a criticism.
