| Wood And Walters |
Article Index for Wood |
Website Links For Wood |
Information AboutWood And Walters |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT WOOD AND WALTERS | |
| 1981 television program debuts | |
| wood and walters | |
| british television sketch shows | |
British television comedy sketch show starring Julie Walters and Victoria Wood for Granada Television and written entirely by Wood. A short lived show, with one pilot in 1981 and a series of six shows in 1982. VICTORIA MEETS JULIE Both women had first met at Manchester Polytechnic in 1970, Wood was hoping to enroll, and Walter was coming to the end of her course. They met again in 1978 when they both appeared in the same revue In At The Death at The Bush Theatre in London. 1 PILOT – WOOD AND WALTERS: TWO CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
Wood had been initially spotted by Granada’s head of drama, Peter Eckersley, performing in her self-written play ''Talent'' at Sheffield ’s Crucible Theatre , who asked her to recreate it for television. The TV version of ''Talent'' and it’s sequel ''Nearly A Happy Ending'', would also co-star Walters. 2 In 1980, Eckersley offered Wood a sketch show of her own. But Wood agreed only on the understanding that her friend received equal billing, not feeling confident enough as yet to go it alone. Wood had in fact only ever written one sketch three years earlier before being given her own show. She fell back on songs, which she felt was her strength, the pilot contained four in 30 minutes. The sketches concerned themselves with Marriage Guidance Council, keep fit classes, DIY and gossip. Wood hated the finished result, so was very surprised that the show was nominated for a BAFTA alongside The Two Ronnies , Kenny Everett and Stanley Baxter (who won). {Link without Title} SERIES – WOOD AND WALTERS
For the series a year later, the ‘Two Creatures Great and Small’ adjunct had been dropped, as critics going on about Wood’s weight had been beginning to get to her {Link without Title} (though she did also say later she was delighted that she was once described as ‘dominating the stage like a witty tank’). 3 The show was not a happy experience as in the intervening time since the pilot, the shows producer (and Wood’s mentor) Peter Eckersley had died of cancer. It was a terrible blow to Wood, she said “he had lots of ideas for the series…but he never told me what they were. His value to me was inestimable. He had a marvellous eye for what was unnecessary and great attention to detail. He had liked the first material for the series but never saw any of the other stuff.” Wood was not impressed by his replacement for the series, Brian Armstrong, and was of the opinion that he had hired several unsuitable actors." {Link without Title} The studio audience was generally filled with pensioners who often had difficulty in understand Wood’s refined humour. Before one sketch, the warm up man had to explain to them what a boutique was. Wood said she heard one disgusted audience member say to her friend: ‘You realise we’re missing Brideshead for this’. {Link without Title} Sketches for Wood and Walters included
A regular character on the show was Dotty played by Walters, a monologue by a busybody middle classed housewife discussing all matters national and trivial, such as in the sketch ‘Dotty on Women’s Lib’ . As a character she shares many similarities with a later Wood creation ‘Kitty’ (as played by Patricia Routledge ). Rik Mayall also appeared in a regular monologue as a chauvinistic feminist called Mitch. Filling a similar guest slot as he had with Kevin Turvey in the sketch show A Kick Up The Eighties . 4 Another Alternative Comedy innovator to appear on the show was John Dowie , who had already toured with Wood in 1978 5 “Some bits of it were good, some deadly” is Wood’s view of the series. {Link without Title} Its place in British comedy history can be seen as that of a dry run for the more popular and acclaimed Victoria Wood As Seen On TV . Sharing some elements of that show, such as pseudo-documentaries, songs, sketches, Walters and Preston. TRIVIA
8
EXTERNAL LINKS NOTES REFERENCES |
|
|