About dinnerladies diaries

Twenty years ago, Victoria Wood put pen to paper and wrote her multi-award-winning comedy, dinnerladies. It sounds simple in retrospect, but Victoria had never written a sitcom before, having stuck to sketches, songs and playlets.

dinnerladies diaries

Creating dinnerladies was, in fact, a step into the unknown and a big leap. And, during this challenge and incredible journey that spawned one of the most-loved British sitcoms of all time, Victoria recorded all her thoughts and feelings in diaries, notebooks and photos.

Watch the trailer

With exclusive access to Victoria's diaries, her backstage photos and studio records - together with footage of the making of the show which has never been seen before - we're able to tell the full story of the sublime sitcom in this three-part series.

Duncan Preston (Stan in dinnerladies)

Duncan Preston (Stan in dinnerladies)

Every aspect is explored along the way, from the fluffs, the gaffs and the laughs as we see Victoria and the rest of the dinnerladies cast record the show live in front of a studio audience to an archive interview with Wood herself as she explains the processes she went through to make this iconic sitcom.

Plus, there are contributions from co-stars and fans alike, such as Julie Walters, Maxine Peake, Duncan Preston, Jim Moir and Jo Brand as they describe why dinnerladies deserves its place in sitcom history.

Maxine Peake (Twinkle in dinnerladies)

Maxine Peake (Twinkle in dinnerladies)

And, as an extra special treat, four of the original cast members, Andrew Dunn (Tony), Shobna Gulati (Anita), Anne Reid (Jean) and Thelma Barlow (Dolly) meet up to chew the fat on what made making dinnerladies such a delicious experience.

So join us for a mouth-watering menu of memories and moments on this very personal journey through comedy history.

Can't wait until Wednesday 14th March? You can also watch the first episode right now On Demand.