ON THE BOX
Victoria Wood was often described as a national treasure long before her tragic death in 2016 at the age of just 62. A recent BBC documentary examined her rise to fame and the personal toll it may well have taken on the star. Mark Ritchie writes:
I managed to catch Victoria Wood on tour just once but, as I mentioned in my book Right Place Wrong Time back in 2020, I met her long before that. At the time of our first meeting, she was already sort of semi-famous, after weekly appearances seated at the piano in Esther Rantzen’s successful and long-term Sunday evening consumer based vehicle, That’s Life.
Ms Wood had previously been successful on a TV talent show called New Faces, before being picked up by the BBC for Ms Rantzen’s show. This involved coming up with a topical song every week on a show which was filmed live in front of a studio audience.
Although this was seen by many as a decent platform, Victoria still did not have an act to speak of and she was soon signing on the dole again, while her than boyfriend was performing as a successful comedy magician. Going on to marry the said boyfriend Geoffrey Durham, when he was performing as The Great Soprendo. I booked ‘Soprendo’ at a club gig on night, during my short-lived career as an entertainment agent.
But back to the BBC Telly programme about the life and career of debatably the most important female comedy act of all time. Inspired by female humourists before her, such as Joyce Grenfell for example, Victoria started all over again in front of very small crowds, who were not all that interested in what she brought to the stage, Ms Wood honed her talents.
A telly platform, firstly alongside her friend the actress Julie Walters, then later flying solo, was provided for her and Victoria Wood delivered the laughs and the memories.
As a performer myself, I have never craved or coveted cachet of fame, which others have driven themselves crazy in the pursuit of. I know for a fact that I would have made a real dog’s breakfast of fame, even if I had secured it. As for Victoria, the documentary revealed that she approached fame on her own terms. An intensely private person, Victoria had the marriage and the children, but managed to box and file everything away in what I suspect was probably a coping strategy.
When I caught Victoria Live, I had only the week before performed in a small venue nearby. A local vicar was a member of my audience and he was clearly unimpressed by my own humble efforts. In the theatre bar before Victoria’s show, the vicar approached me glass in hand, observing rather tartly, “ I hope she is funnier than you”. The good reverend need not have worried. She was!
To express your views on UK-TV, please e-mail the editor at mark.ritchie@ukcabaret.com and we will include your thoughts and observations on our Readers Letters page.
