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.
Episode menu
Series 1, Episode 4 - Appearance
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
| Maxine Peake | Host / Presenter |
| Anne Reid | Self |
| Thelma Barlow | Self |
| Celia Imrie | Self |
| Victoria Wood | Self (Archive Material) |
| Kate Robbins | Self |
| Harriet Thorpe | Self |
| Duncan Preston | Self |
| Michael Ball | Self |
| Julie Walters | Self |
| Richard E. Grant | Self |
| Daniel Rigby | Self |
| 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 |