Victoria Wood (I)

Babs (on telephone): Acorn Antiques, can I help you? Gainsborough's Blue Boy? Yes, I think we have it in mauve, I'll just check.

Yes, we do; shall I pop it under the counter for you? Not at all, bye!

Victoria Wood was one of the true comedy greats of her generation, celebrated for her acute skewering of the absurdities of everyday life, from corner shops to candlewick bedspreads, supermarket checkouts to suburban lust.

Chunky contains the complete scripts of Wood's beloved wobbly-walled spoof soap opera Acorn Antiques, as well as the Kitty monologues: 'My name's Kitty. I've had a boob off and I can't stomach whelks so that's me for you.'.

It also features daytime television presenters Margery and Joan, Susie the waspish Continuity Announcer, and the unforgettable bus stop stories of Kelly-Marie Tunstall: 'I said I'll tell everyone what happened on Christmas Eve when you drank two pints of correcting fluid and sexually harassed me with an outsize party squeaker'.

This revised edition of Chunky collects the very best of Victoria Wood's sketches, shows and more, and is newly introduced by Celia Imrie, star of so many of Victoria Wood's shows, with additions and annotations from Wood's much-feted official biographer, Jasper Rees.

This is a true celebration of an inimitable and greatly missed comedic genius.

'I was very proud to be part of her gang.' Celia Imrie

'There was none like her before and there's been none like her since - she was unique.' Dawn French

'She is on a par with Alan Bennett.' Clive James

First published: Thursday 21st September 2023