Victoria Wood’s secret stash of comedy gold
A “SECRET list” of favourite sketches compiled by comedy legend Victoria Wood will be used for a two-part BBC special showcasing some of her greatest performances.
The much-loved entertainer had written down what she considered to be her best comedy performances, in order of preference, before she lost her battle with cancer aged 62 in 2016. Now the list, found in a personal notebook after her death, is to be used by her long-term friend, manager and TV producer Phil McIntryre.
He will turn it into a countdown of her favourite TV moments in specials given the working Victoria Wood’s Secret List.
They will air at the end of the year and also contain previously unseen clips, photos and scripts from her personal archive. The shows will feature famous
VAL SAVAGE IS AWAY collaborators, likely to include Dame Julie Walters and Celia Imrie, who will pay tribute to her.
Series producer Lindsay Jex said the sketches are “comedy gold”, adding: “Victoria had planned to make a whacking great compilation of her work but sadly, never got around to it. ”
BBC entertainment chief Jo Wallace said: “It is an absolute honour to share with viewers her personally selected favourite moments and lots more besides.”
Victoria had kept her illness a secret even from close friends and after her death, pal McIntryre said: “She was always modest, generous and undemanding.”
Victoria first appeared on New Faces in 1974 and went on to write and star in plays, musicals, films and sitcoms. In 1986 she got her own series, Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, featuring the famous Acorn Antiques sketches.