Victoria Wood

As featured in Victoria Wood Plays: 1, published in 1998 by Methuen

Victoria Wood was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, in 1953. She is one of Britain's top comedians and the only one ever to have sold out fifteen consecutive nights at the Royal Albert Hall. Her first stage play, Talent (1978), was awarded the Plays and Players and Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. It was then adapted for television in 1979 and won the Pye Television Most Promising New Writer Award. Victoria subsequently wrote two television plays, Nearly a Happy Ending and Happy Since I Met You, and a second stage play, Good Fun (Sheffield Crucible 1980; Kings Head Theatre, London, 1981). Her television series include Wood and Walters and the two As Seen on TV series, followed by a TV special which won BAFTA awards for Best Light Entertainment Programme in 1986 and 1987. She has performed a series of one-women shows in theatres all over Britain, including the London Palladium in 1987. Her previous books, Lucky Bag: The Victoria Wood Song Book; Up to You, Porky: The Victoria Wood Sketch Book; and Barmy: The New Victoria Wood Sketch Book were based on these shows. Her first full-length comedy film, Pat and Margaret, was screened by the BBC in September 1994.