British Comedy Guide
Our Friend Victoria. Victoria Wood. Copyright: BBC
Our Friend Victoria

Our Friend Victoria

  • TV documentary
  • BBC One
  • 2017
  • 7 episodes (1 series)

A series dedicated to the body of work from Victoria Wood. Also features Julie Walters, Richard E. Grant, Michael Ball, Maxine Peake, Daniel Rigby and more.

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Episode menu

Series 1, Episode 4 - Appearance

Our Friend Victoria. Maxine Peake. Copyright: Phil McIntyre Entertainment
Maxine Peake guides through a selection of classic comedy that sums up Vic's views on the diet and health industry.

Further details

Maxine Peake presents this latest installment of Our Friend Victoria, which explores Victoria's take on appearance.

Victoria was no stranger to waistline woes, but rather than let it hold her back she channelled her own worries into her comedy by regularly taking a swipe at society's views on how we look, what we should wear, what we should eat and what we should weigh. She spoke up for us all, whatever size or shape.

Maxine guides us through a selection of classic comedy and some forgotten moments that perfectly capture Victoria's views of the diet and health industry. In her stand-up Vic reveals her generous rectangular shape, reveals why she sets off the alarms in a high street store and why diet plans aren't for her. There are standout clips - the dinnerladies bemoaning the size of their buttocks; an unforgettable aerobics class with fatties with attitude in Fattitude; Marjorie & Joan's top tips for a perfect tan; and a bonkers but sublime sketch called The Shoe Shop.

Julie Walters and Celia Imrie are on hand to ponder the transformation of Acorn Antiques into a health spa, while Duncan Preston reveals the pain he endured when faced with a wrinkly gusset. Harriet Thorpe and Kate Robbins recall their lighthearted chats about yo-yo dieting and Zumba classes with their old friend Vic. While Michael Ball, Thelma Barlow and Andrew Dunn discuss the importance of egg & chips in the creative process.

It was an honour for Maxine to present this programme. Victoria was her comedy hero. When she was young, she would watch As Seen On TV over and over again. Years later when she got the call to audition for a part in dinnerladies, she was gobsmacked. Not only would she be in the same room as her hero, she might even get to work with her. Maxine got the part of Twinkle, which was a dream come true, so she is thrilled to be able to look back at this celebration of the finest work of her friend, Victoria.

Broadcast details

Date
Tuesday 2nd May 2017
Time
9:30pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
30 minutes

Cast & crew

Cast
Maxine Peake Host / Presenter
Anne Reid Self
Thelma Barlow Self
Celia Imrie Self
Victoria Wood Self (Archive Material)
Guest cast
Kate Robbins Self
Harriet Thorpe Self
Duncan Preston Self
Michael Ball Self
Julie Walters Self
Richard E. Grant Self
Daniel Rigby Self
Production team
Richard Dean Series Director
Richard Dean Series Producer
Jessika Barcynski Producer
Lucy Ansbro Executive Producer
Lindsay Jex Executive Producer
Chris Heath Edit Producer
Ian Wilson Editor
Kate Deadman Editor
Stephen Bainbridge Editor
Victoria Wood Composer
Rachel Ashdown Commissioning Editor

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