dinnerladies

Brilliant stuff, I've always loved Victoria Wood and everything she's ever done. After watching her TV shows there's some of her repertory company, co-star Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, and Duncan Preston. I've never watched Coronation Street as I am not a fan of soaps, but I recognised two of its regulars (Anne Reed and Thelma Barlow) though I didn't know the actresses names. It was good to be introduced to actresses who were new to me, Shobna Gulati and Maxine Peake, as well as to Andrew Dunn.

I've since enjoyed seeing Anne Reed in several TV programmes. And Andrew Dunn in one or two occasional shows. I absolutely love Julie Walters in everything I've ever seen her in. She is a consummate actress who plays every part to perfection. I can't disagree more with the comments about her character. She is extremely eccentric but that's no bad thing, I think she is wonderfully weird. No one else could have possibly played that part, she is Petula.

This is one of my favourite comedy shows with a great selection of colourful characters, each brilliantly performed by an incredibly talented team of artists. They formed such a perfect partnership, that I could certainly imagine them working together. Anyone used to working in what I consider to be a normal environment, such as a factory will be able to to relate to the show. The natural badinage that exists between workmates used to each others company, is wonderfully encapsulated.

I have watched on DVD hundreds of times All the episodes of Dinner Ladies. Those who did not like or maybe not quite understood some of the humour, check it out again, there are a great many hidden gems as to the brilliant mind of Victoria woods writing. "He played my body like a pinball machine. I lit up, paid out, and no tilting" was the brilliant line of Bren (victoria wood) mother (Julie Walters) describing her relationship with her young man. It was everyday folk, talking about everyday issues. Hidden behind the charm and the humour the show showed its emotional side, with Bren giving up her holiday to help her mother financially, single mothers, and redundancy. The show lasted two series. I look with great hesitation Victoria Woods next project.

A whimsical observational comedy from Victoria Wood. As another contributor said, not a million miles away from the works of Allan Bennett. It featured a mixture of Wood's 'repertory company', familiar from her other shows such as Duncan Preston and Celia Imrie and talented Northern English character actors such as Sue Devaney and Thelma Barlow (both veterans of the long-running soap 'Coronation Street') The main characters were richly detailed, the lesser ones caricatures, but very recognisable types. The one false note, I feel, was struck by the character of the heroine Bren's alcoholic, fantasist mother who made occasional raucous appearances. She was a grotesque figure, out of the wilder reaches of Charles Dickens, and seemed to have been included merely to give an opportunity for Wood's old pal Julie Walters to overact shamelessly. Victoria Wood bravely decided to end this popular show after only two series while it was still fresh (like the dinnerladies' bacon butties).

Those who make any form of negative comments about this hilarious comedy should have their heads tested. This program is British comedy at its best, capturing the dry wit and sarcasm that is such a common feature of the great Englishman/ woman. Victoria Wood's writing is pure genius and the incredibly talented actors who surround her deliver those classic lines with impeccable timing. Victoria Wood resists the temptation, that so many "comedians" succumb to, of using slap stick to gain laughs. By capturing the charming characteristics of normal everyday people, particularly the Northern culture, that we can all relate to, Wood is 100% successful in producing a comedy which proves that British comedy shows ARE the funniest in the world.

I absolutely love this show! It's the highlight of my week, watching it on a Friday night. It has me in hysterics from start to finish. I've heard a lot of people say they don't like it, but I just can't see why. It captures men and women perfectly, and that's REAL men and women, not just stereotypes. The way Tony just gives up when the girls start talking about PMS or blokes, the way Dolly criticises Jean in practically every other sentence, the way Bren and Tony never quite get together and you really want them to, the way Stan won't go in the ladies loo... Hilarious every time! Ok, it hasn't got MUCH staying power, as they talk about mostly current issues, but I hope it goes on for a good long time. I f every comedy was as good as this, the world would be a much happier place. Victoria Wood is a comic genius and totally underrated. She totally understands real people's thoughts and feelings! If only Friends was this good...