dinnerladies

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).

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.

'dinnerladies' (sic) was a short lived but concise series which was a delight to watch. The scripts were quite simply charming. Victoria Wood's attention to character detail is so well refined, there is little like it elsewhere in the land of situation comedy. Even series which clock up over a hundred episodes do not have the brilliance or depth of character as can be seen here.

A lot of the credit also goes to the performers. Particularly Anne Reid and Thelma Barlow as the bickering friends Jean and Dolly respectively. We had seen aspects of Thelma Barlow's comic timing when she was in Coronation Street but it is brought to great fruition here.

It may not be as 'in your face' or as loud and bumptious as a lot of nineties comedies and I feel it is sad that 'dinnerladies' is often compared to these others. This is a series of pure classic comedy writing - showing off a great knowledge of idiolect and pathos.

Victoria Wood kept the series short to leave on a high note, and she certainly did. The second series proved just how brilliant a writer she is. I certainly hope she pens another sitcom of an equal standard sometime in the future.

The way in which "dinnerladies" is presented is enough to endear you to the show on its own. Each of the characters are simply that - their own little character more often than not in their own little world. The humour comes from their interaction and their experiences, and Victoria Wood's unique writing style.

The single setting means that every now and then, there are references to events we haven't seen, or in some cases, not even been mentioned before, which gives the canteen a realistic feel (and and occasional frustrating quality!) as you realise that they do have lives outside those four walls, what kind of a life is anyone's guess.

"dinnerladies" is one of those comedies that loses none of its charm or wit on repeated viewings, and despite the fact that there won't be a third series, it is sure to be remembered.