This is a Substack that just keeps on giving: Erudite lectures on Shakespeare, fascinating insights into contemporary culture and astute political commentary.Thank you Andrew 👏👏👏
Hi TT, it’s good to find you on here 🤩 She was of course married to a magician and at one of his shows, I was invited on stage to be ‘levetated’ - you know the sort of thing - you are laid out on chairs and slowly these are removed one by one. Very strange experience!!!
I loved the fact that Victoria Wood was recently named as one of the top three female British comedians of all time, but when I saw that the other two named were Rosie Jones and Eddie Izzard, I knew that someone was taking the piss.
I loved Wood & Walters, it was on at an odd time very early in the evening and I used to watch it when I got in from college. It was rather niche at the time and I only knew of one other friend who was watching it so we would discuss the sketches with delight and wonder why everyone else wasn’t watching it. Nice piece Andrew, I can’t believe it’s been ten years!
An excellent piece again. I miss seeing her on TV. And once again, I'm impressed by your vocabulary. I can only think of Sam Harris as an example of someone else with such an impressive range of words on display. 👍
As it happens, hubby and I just recently introduced our teenage sons to As Seen On TV. I was cackling away, as usual, but they didn't seem to engage with it well. I'll persist though and get them to watch the whole series, as well as Mens Sana in Thingummy Doodah. She really was a legend. I grew up wathcing her with my parents and she made a huge impact on me.
My irony detector may be malfunctioning here, but I can answer thus: Some years ago a gentleman called Julian Clary was about to present a trophy at The British Comedy Awards. He made an off the cuff reference to having applied an invasive sexual practice to the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Norman Lamont, in a London Park. I say unusual, because I am not familiar with these things personally. I did however find it one of the funniest moments in television history, perhaps equal in impact to Spike Milligan's 'grovelling bastard' remark and for the same reasons. It was neither cruel, nor cynical; it was 'deflation wit' where timing is everything and a taboo bubble is burst just at the moment it needs to be. It was of that moment - the kind of dichotomy that presents itself in that split second when you narrowly avoid a fatal car crash, or not, as was the case in this instance. Norman Lamont was neither impugned nor harmed. I would describe the quip as daft as well as hilarious. It didn't demean or attribute an underlying serious condition to Mr Lamont or people like him. Ms Woods' 'Two Soups' did both and it wasn't as funny as people make it out to be.
This is a Substack that just keeps on giving: Erudite lectures on Shakespeare, fascinating insights into contemporary culture and astute political commentary.Thank you Andrew 👏👏👏
Very kind of you, Terri!
I love the Patricia Routledge monologues- she’s underrated in my opinion.
Thanks for another fascinating piece Andrew. An interesting glimpse into a complex character.
Those Kitty monologues are brilliantly written and performed.
Hi TT, it’s good to find you on here 🤩 She was of course married to a magician and at one of his shows, I was invited on stage to be ‘levetated’ - you know the sort of thing - you are laid out on chairs and slowly these are removed one by one. Very strange experience!!!
I agree that those monologues were brilliant 🤩
Hi Bea, 😂 brilliant! I’m definitely putting that on my bucket list.
You taught a course on stand-up? Man, gutted to have missed that.
For a number of years. Until someone in one class claimed that a joke I'd tweeted made her feel "unsafe" and they asked me to stop.
Double gutted.
You should recreate the course on Udemy or similar - I'd gladly pay for it.
Great post ,Andrew. I found myself chuckling at your quotes ! What a star she was. RIP. Thanks ,Andrew.
Thanks Susan!
I loved the fact that Victoria Wood was recently named as one of the top three female British comedians of all time, but when I saw that the other two named were Rosie Jones and Eddie Izzard, I knew that someone was taking the piss.
Haha!
I loved Wood & Walters, it was on at an odd time very early in the evening and I used to watch it when I got in from college. It was rather niche at the time and I only knew of one other friend who was watching it so we would discuss the sketches with delight and wonder why everyone else wasn’t watching it. Nice piece Andrew, I can’t believe it’s been ten years!
I found W&W a bit hit and miss, but she was trying to find her feet. ASOT is basically perfect.
An excellent piece again. I miss seeing her on TV. And once again, I'm impressed by your vocabulary. I can only think of Sam Harris as an example of someone else with such an impressive range of words on display. 👍
Thanks Nicholas!
As it happens, hubby and I just recently introduced our teenage sons to As Seen On TV. I was cackling away, as usual, but they didn't seem to engage with it well. I'll persist though and get them to watch the whole series, as well as Mens Sana in Thingummy Doodah. She really was a legend. I grew up wathcing her with my parents and she made a huge impact on me.
Ah well - comedy is subjective!
Comedy being in the jocularity strap of the beholder, I only ever got cynical and cruel.
As in - you only like comedy that is cynical and cruel? Or that's what you detected in Wood?
My irony detector may be malfunctioning here, but I can answer thus: Some years ago a gentleman called Julian Clary was about to present a trophy at The British Comedy Awards. He made an off the cuff reference to having applied an invasive sexual practice to the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Norman Lamont, in a London Park. I say unusual, because I am not familiar with these things personally. I did however find it one of the funniest moments in television history, perhaps equal in impact to Spike Milligan's 'grovelling bastard' remark and for the same reasons. It was neither cruel, nor cynical; it was 'deflation wit' where timing is everything and a taboo bubble is burst just at the moment it needs to be. It was of that moment - the kind of dichotomy that presents itself in that split second when you narrowly avoid a fatal car crash, or not, as was the case in this instance. Norman Lamont was neither impugned nor harmed. I would describe the quip as daft as well as hilarious. It didn't demean or attribute an underlying serious condition to Mr Lamont or people like him. Ms Woods' 'Two Soups' did both and it wasn't as funny as people make it out to be.
And Acorn Antiques, Mrs Overall serving soup, 😍 👌