Review for Wood and Walters Complete Series

Victoria Wood is a national institution and one that should be treasured. The fact we are not calling her 'Dame Victoria Wood' is shocking as she is one of the most successful and talented comedians that the UK has ever produced. It did not matter whether she is doing stand-up, behind a piano or even the counter in her show Dinnerladies, she is just the best. Wood and Walters was her first ever TV shows, pairing her with Julie Walters who is probably up there as one of the best British actresses ever.

This series was a collection of sketches (similar to her As Seen on TV show) and though I would like to say they are all great… I can't. This is almost a dry run for the later show as there are certainly some elements of characters and motifs that Wood would later develop. Even Wood herself has said of the show "Some bits of it were good, some deadly" even though it was nominated for a BAFTA. Despite this, there is a lot to be enjoyed from these shows including a sketch involving a woman who overdosed on fertility pills and now is surrounded by hundreds of babies and of course any time Wood sings such as her perfect song about Northerners. The show also includes a cameo by Rik Mayall in a Kevin Turvey-esque role which makes this show a nice curiosity for fans of him (Like me).

At only seven episodes and the pilot the show wasn't given a long enough run to make that much of an impact, but many see this as simply another step in the development of Wood as a writer and performer and for her fans this is definitely an interesting show to watch and there is a great deal of humour to be found here too. But then it is Victoria Wood!