Talk:Victoria Wood

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[edit] dinnerladies

All the DVDs, audio cassettes, CDs, videos and books released in connection with the series spell the name without a capital letter. This is also referred to in a news article on the BBC website here. I think this is a good case for using the lower-case letter - does anyone not agree? Habasi 15:52, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Praise her!

This Woman deserves praise. She is truly a genius, a marvel, the 8th wonder of the world. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE who can sustain a 30-odd year career as a comedian without even once telling a funny joke has earnt their MBE or whatever. Even as a middle of the road entertainer who only attempts to appeal the lower-middle class middle age women she is piss poor. Her main skill is to try and use "funny words". I saw Julie Walters (Wood's equally cringeworthey lackey) saying how she loved such jokes. Is there any comedic genre less funny and lazier that using "funny words" like "bum" in jokes? Poor mans woman Peter Kay. Make her a Dame! To be fair, she's worked harder for it than Kelly Holmes or that stupid yacht woman.--Crestville 14:29, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

On the face of it, Wood's achievement seems notable enough to warrant her inclusion here. One of her skills is that she manages to talk so incredibly quickly that you think there has been a joke, start to laugh, but before you can work out whether she said anything funny, she's on to the next line! DavidFarmbrough 12:15, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Lol, that's a pretty sly tactic. I'm not saying we should delete the article or alter it in any way, but she's not funny. On paper, and even thinking back after one of her piss-poor jokes has whizzed by, she's about as funny as a kerbie.--Crestville 19:11, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

So you don't like her then? Fine, but why make such a song and dance about it on her Wikipage? I think various comedians are about as funny as cancer but I don't feel the need to unload on their talk page which is really for discussion about notability or about matters for inclusion in the subject's encyclopaedia entry. Weird. And we must be from different generations as I have no idea what a "kerbie" is, still less whether one is funny. - Stevecov 15:12, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

Wikipages can and are used for discussing anything. I wrote that because I enjoy engaging in a lively discussion. Why are you making a song and dance out of it? I'm guessing you're either a straight woman or a gay man if you like her enough to be prepared to actually defend her. No one else finds her funny.--Crestville 14:23, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

Well, I'm afraid many people do Crestville otherwise she wouldn't have sustained her career would she? Think about it. Just think about it. If no-one (NO ONE IN THE WORLD AT ALL, as you're suggesting and don't say you're not because you used the words 'no one else', you see, 'no one else' does very much get across that in the popularity stakes she is deficient by one hundred percent and believe me I know how irritating it is to go on like this at you and that's why I'm doing it) had ever found her funny, then how would she have found her first job? Hmm? How would she have found her second? How would she have gotten onto New Faces? How would she have been allowed to write comedy for television, if not even one person found her funny? I don't much care for... hmm.. Jimmy Tarbuck's act but it is evident that enough people did find him hilarious for his career to go from strength to strength. In any case, how would Wood have married Geoffrey Durham if she didn't have a good sense of humour? And I suspect you haven't actually watched any of her stuff anyway. :P

Can you read? I said "no one else" which would imply that I am reffering to a group set aside from the masses (not that no one at all likes her. If I had ment that I would have said. Therefore I am acknowleging that someone likes her, which pretty much knocks your argument on its arse and makes you look silly. This could have been avoided if you had read my post properly and thought through your argument. In this case I clearly acknowlege the sepearate group as "straight women and gay men". Of course, for the sake of stressing a point I am exaggerating, and would expect a reasonably intelligent person to recognise this. I of course assume some straight men and gay women find humour in Wood's cunning use of words that sound a bit like "fanny" of "willy" for comedic effect but belive them to be in a distinct minority. I don't know any nor do I ever hope to meet any. I too find Jimmy Tarbuck unfunny and feel it is reasonable to generalise that (for your sake I'll simplify) the majority of his fans are over 50, Northern and have at some stage frequented a Working men's club. See? BTW, don't accuse me of never having seen her material. Why would I bare such a grudge if I had never encountered her work? I would not be so stupid at to enter an argument without proper research and a decent opinion. And I am the son of a straight Northern woman. So of course I've seen it. And it's shite.--Crestville 21:10, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Okay, it was a silly argument. I agree and take it all back with head very much between my legs and my tail shamefully in my mouth, etc. To defend, I'd had a bad day and your initial tone rather angered me but please let's forget about it as I was foolish. Looking back on the post, I could do ne'er but laugh. When you said 'no one else', I assumed you were referring to no other people apart from the first user with whom you were discussing this topic (i.e. taking a confrontational, one on one approach as opposed to a public mass debate which is obviously what you were involved in). And there are very many people who criticise work without even seeing it - Tessa Jowell during the Brass Eye Special furore, several hundred ministers/politicians/cinema managers at the time of Life Of Brian and Mary Whitehouse thousands of times surely - they are the true idiots and, as so, should be castigated. But you're not like that and therefore praise must be lauded in proper terms. Incidentally, Victoria Wood counts for only a small part of my humour influence - I couldn't possibly list everything I like and there are countless examples that I hold higher than Wood's collected output (dinnerladies was routinely awful for one thing, though still endearing in my opinion; not yours', can you read, I'm only saying it's mine and so you don't need to reply offering another point of view because I wasn't asking for it, if I was I would have said it, I'm a man and I use words, don't you see? etc) - but I still wholeheartedly maintain that her stuff is incredibly well-written. Unlike any of this right-royal gubbins. Like Alan Bennett's humour, it is superficially gentle but there is an underlying contempt. Whilst I'm here, I'll list of the sketches that verify this - any of Kitty's monologues, the daytime television presenter bits, the fake documentaries which truly helped define the genre of faux-documentary-making and included the much-vaunted Channel swim incident, anything that features a grotesque character played by Walters (especially the shoe-shop one), the one about the old couple winning the lottery, the sublimely drawn-out 'Two Soups' although if you don't like that sort of joke then I can understand you not enjoying the skit and absolutely all of the parodies included in the last Christmas special she made for the BBC which was definitely the best furious satire of vapid satellite television ever made. Her stand-up is also mesmerising, particularly the full Live at the Albert thing.

Also, ':Can you read? I said "no one else" which would imply that I am reffering to a group set aside from the masses' What? ... What? So, aside from those that like her, no one likes her? Wow! I never thought about it like that before. Well, I'm just gobsmacked. Puts paid to my argument that certain people like her doesn't it? Thanks for putting that though, really. It really was entirely worth it.

Anyway, putting this aside, what did you have for dinner last night?

What a load of ill informed nonsense on this page. The usual cliches and assumptions that because a comedian doesn't swear and isn't youth obsessed, that means their bland (Other quite blatantly brilliant but slated cause of these reasons works of comedy include Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister). I can pretty much guarantee that the people criticising VW here have hardly watched any of her work, or made a rush to judgement seeing a tiny fragment of her work, when they had initial resentment anyway. None of the criticism seems informed in any way. VW has never been a fashionable comic, middle aged and literate just doesn't go with people who prefer there comedy cool over it being funny. As for her not cracking gags or avoiding them, I assume that observation is based on total ignorance. Cause like her or not, but she is one of the most gag-filled comedians you're ever likely to see. Victoria Wood As Seen on TV may be the greatest TV sketch show ever. I'm always baffled how such a great comic mind like she is, can become an Aunt Sally for those that can't see past the surface tweeness and like an easy target ie Jimmy Tarbuck. Ah well, tough cheese, its their loss - bingo99 20:00, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Who's ill informed? That's a cliche about people under 30, right there. I like "yes minister" as well as other slow moving sitcoms - last of the summer wine, open all hours, the royal family - and more tame acts - Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper - not because I think they're cool (is the young ones even cool anymore?) but because they have funny jokes. I'm from a yorkshire family of matriarchal woman and so I've seen loads of her stuff and - get this - she's not funny (disclaimer: IMO)--Crestville 17:40, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

I'll say it again, none of the criticism on here seems informed in any way. Can you give any examples of her not being funny? Because all we've had so far on this page is: "Is there any comedic genre less funny and lazier that using "funny words" like "bum" in jokes?" I can assure you, if that was the sum of her talents I wouldn't find her funny either. And the other accusation on here that her stuff lacks gags is just plain untrue and I can only assume based on a complete ignorance of her work. How about her spoof documentaries about the Channel swimmer or starting university or the girls public school? Amongst the sharpest comedy I've ever seen. I shall continue to be in awe at her wit, jokes, intelligence and originality and am not persuaded otherwise by "get this - she's not funny" comments backed up with nothing. Being a woman from Yorkshire (which Wood isn't anyway) is not enough. One black man criticising Louis Armstrong doesn't make him a bad trumpet player. bingo99 20:11, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

ah, I'm not a woman from Yorkshire. Me mam is, so I have to watch a lot of her stuff. That was the point. Try keep up. As I am not at all a fan I cannot quote endless lines off the top of my bonce, but dinnerladies, for example, I found to be blisteringly unfunny. One example I was forced to view the other night saw one actor do a really long boring monolouge about christmas, the only laugh of which came from the word "Miss Farnesbarnes" - which wasn't even pronounced humorously (like Rowan Atkinson could with "Bob") - and that reminded me of something I saw where Julie Walters got all luvvied up in an interview about how Victoria uses masterful word play. I was left thinking if this is an example of "masterful wordplay" Walters could benefit from watching Blackadder, Chic Murray or anything Eric Idle or Ronnie Barker ever touched. It's a vaugely silly word deliviered by a wooden actor (it was one of those ones she always surounds herself with so they don't steal her limelight)
Then there's one that always sticks in my head for sheer crapness about marks and spencers who's "trousers are dropping off" (i.e. declining in quality/falling down). Now where is the humour in that? It's just a pointless, witless, bottom of the barrel seaside postcard humor that would make Julian Clary cringe. I know bum/trouser jokes are an aquired taste but The Young Ones, French and Saunders, Monty Python, Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson - they've all managed to construct a well thought through and vaugely witty bum-joke. Simply suggesting that trousers can concieveably fall down by way of an unrelated pun is neither sharp nor funny.
Finally, my fave, on Parkinson or something like that she told an anecdote about a time she was in a resteraunt and some pissed old lady started saying to her family "look that's victoria wood! I'm going to go over! I'm going to go over!" then she approached Wood and said "I've come over to see you". Now even a comedian with good delivery would have trouble making that one funny, but Wood just sort of stumbled through it. Everyone in my livingroom sat stony faced while Parkie roared with laughter (he deserves the money he earnes) before my Grandad said what everyone was thinking - "Why's that funny?" Even me mam had to admit there was no humour there. I've never been so happy.
The number of times I've seen Victoria Wood and someone's had to ask "Why's that funny?" Now if you can give me something that is funny by her instead of prasing her as one of the sharpest comics you've ever seen backed up by nothing I'll relent. Until then my original 18 posts stand.--Crestville 21:35, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

I did back it up , I gave examples of a number of sketches. You obviously haven't seen As Seen On TV, generally regarded as her best work, quite rightly. Here's a good example for you to cross your arms at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cWENNdnw1E - bingo99 19:58, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, mate. I've seen that series before, though not that particular clip. Didn't make me laugh, and I'm afraid my arms remained crossed throughout. There were elements where you could see it was well observed but that's nothing if its not funny. "Love Those Nostrils"? Nah. Always nice to see Sam Kelly though.--Crestville 16:51, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

I love this sixties Coronation Street parody http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46cwOX5Z3rg Uncanny http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgHRJeQXje4&mode=related&search= - bingo99 04:18, 25 September 2006

Can I just say that I think that her stand up is marvellous and her writing is brill. But to the person who said that they didn't like the Kitty joke because she said "They're trousers were dropping off" didnt understand the joke i dont think. Kitty has been asked "What do you think of Marx?" But she thinks she said "Marks'" as in marks and spencer and says they're trousers are dropping off. The laugh was not for the trousers line, but for Kitty's misunderstanding. Oh and I've added her to the english vegatarian list, becasue she stated it on a show with Gloria hunniford.