Dinnerladies

[BeenThruMoreThanALilBit]

Just rewatched it all. Victoria Wood was so talented. Julie Walters such an amazing actress. Actually, the entire ensemble was brilliant. A tiny part of the writing hasn’t withstood the test of time (it’s been almost 23 years ), but the most - almost all - of it is just as relevant and touching and human and incisive as it was back then. It’s like a warm bath, or sitting in front of the fire when it’s snowing outside. Love it.

Wonder if The Detectorists will age in the same way. I think it might.

Do excuse me I man a helpline at midnight

Love this show! Tony and Bren forever!!

I loved dinnerladies when it was aired, and I love it now. I was wondering the last time I watched it, has there been a comparable British TV show since? By which I mean a majority female cast, featuring women of all ages, not dressed up to be glamorous, not set in London. I also love the way it was all filmed on the one set. We saw so much of their lives, but also so little.

Loved it then. Love it now. Perfect ensemble cast.

Maxine Peak got her big break there. I recall reading that she lost weight following advice from VW that it would help her career.

Oh, I love this show so much

Dolly– I’ve worked on my pelvic floor. Jean’s more or less let hers dangle.

Another one who loves it when it aired as a teen (watched with mum) and it’s gentle and just nice it’s wonderful.

It's the perfect timing of the delivery of the one liners.
Oscar worthy, truly.
Jean and Dolly are amazing. I comfort food watch it as well.
Funny, poignant, pithy it doesn't try too hard, it doesn't have to.
I also remember being gutted when Victoria Wood died. She was so much part of my teen years- me and my Mum used to rewatch the Audience with- "beat me on the bottom with my Woman's Weekly" etc.

Both me and my DD 14 love this programme! It has us in stitches every time.
Do you think I came up the Manchester Ship Canal on a ryvita?

I love it so much. A woman led cast with loads of laughs, but a huge amount of very carefully observed sadness as well - Bren married an abusive drunk because she felt sorry for the registrar, Stan cares for his parents until they die and only then can look for a relationship, even Twink is caring for her disabled single mum. The Millenium episode where Anita comes through the door and Bren instantly knows it was her baby always makes me cry

'Honestly, who has sex on Christmas Morning?!'

'The Dalai Lama!'

'Well he must peel his sprouts the night before'

I think Dolly snd Jean have the best lines. Jean is such a credible character. Menopausal, disillusioned, SO OVER IT, says what she thinks - soft in the middle, strong sense of “well this is life” and acceptance, but also funny and takes joy from life. She and Dolly are so good with the younger Anita and Twink.

I also love how VW let her northern disdain of southerners out with Philippa’s rants towards the end, showing her true colours.

Been totally saw herself in Anita’s abandoned baby. I sobbed more than a bit in that episode. And Stan’s poem for his Dad’s funeral.

The matter of fact acceptance of Tony’s infertility, his chemo - it’s so reassuring. Shit happens, life is shit, but we’re still here and we’ll make the most of what we have, which includes lots of love and friendship ❤️

Brilliant thread...

Love dinnerladies ❤

Another Dinnerladies fan here !

It’s so beautifully written and performed, an absolute masterpiece. I always think it’s the honesty about programmes like this which make them so watchable !

Ahhh I loved it! Does any one know how I can watch it?

All on YouTube.

My now DH and I went to nearly all of the recordings at the BBC. We went to a lot of recordings back then because they were free and a decent night out but you always got the long dull bits where they set stuff up and did retakes. Not with Dinnerladies though, every moment was a joy and even the dull bits were interesting. Miss VW so much, all the post-menopausal humour and observations that we've lost out on.

I loved watching it as a kid with my mum and as an adult I often rewatch them. As many have said, it’s comforting TV. Still so funny. I saw one of the cast (Jean I think) say on a Victoria Wood prog that VW often did last minute rewrites , up to them literally performing it, as she always wanted the lines /jokes to be just right

@CMOTDibbler oh yeah the bit where she says “it’s all right the police have got him” puts a lump in my throat too!!
I love how she’s such a good friend to Stan, she gets the minor royal to “remember” him and when Stan says “I wonder if you’d consider having some sort of sex with me” she pretends she misheard him.
Like so many on this thread I was genuinely gutted when she died as she would surely have created more gems like this

Love it all, especially Dolly’s driving mocassins.

@CMOTDibbler

I love it so much. A woman led cast with loads of laughs, but a huge amount of very carefully observed sadness as well - Bren married an abusive drunk because she felt sorry for the registrar, Stan cares for his parents until they die and only then can look for a relationship, even Twink is caring for her disabled single mum. The Millenium episode where Anita comes through the door and Bren instantly knows it was her baby always makes me cry

Oh yes, the sadness along with the laughter....... and always relatable...

Dolly– I’ve worked on my pelvic floor. Jean’s more or less let hers dangle

There is nothing remotely in the same league on the telly nowadays.

Anyone remember her one woman special - when she was heavily pregnant, wearing a turquoise salwar kameez?

I love dinnerladies so much! I've watched it so many times I can recite as I go along, it's the best show for when I'm feeling ill or in need of comfort

Love Dinnerladies! So many quotes, I'm laughing just thinking of them. Off to rewatch.

It was absolutely brilliant. Just how was it so funny and heartwarming and real at the same time? And for a sitcom VW packed it with little mysteries and set ups that all pay off.

Anita's pregnancy has lots of clues, and Petulia's crime connection providing the bag of money. It's hinted at loads when you watch it back.

Just utterly perfect television

@LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow

there's two ways to get to Urmston.

I love dinnerladies, it's genuine, funny perfection. I think Dolly is my favourite....her viagra rant is splendid and that little face she makes when revealing her son Stephen lives with a microbiologist called Marcus is so wonderful...pathos, resignation, pride, confusion, sort of breaks my heart a little bit every time.

Such amazing writing from VW.

I didn't know girls could be called Marcus.

What a massive loss Victoria Wood was, I loved her !

Victoria Wood's tv shows and dinnerladies kept me sane when I was in hospital having my dc. DH had downloaded loads of Victoria Wood stuff onto a tablet and they kept me so entertained on the post-natal ward! We quote lines from dinnerladies all the time though I think the 'two ways to get to Urmston' is our most used