It has been a year and a half since Victoria Wood passed away. She is still remembered with fondness for her work on her BBC sitcom 'Dinnerladies' as well as her earlier sketch show 'Victoria Wood - As Seen On TV', yet how many people can remember her even earlier Granada Television show 'Wood & Walters'? Not to put too fine a point on it, it was a dire series. Like her later BBC series, each episode had visual sketches sandwiched in between stand-up slots and musical items, but unlike her later series, the sketches were both written and performed in a very amateurish way.
Initially intended to be a solo vehicle for Wood, Walters landed second billing here as Wood felt she didn't have the confidence to carry the show herself. It was clear by the drab nature of the show that neither were capable of carrying the show off of the ground.
One sketch saw Wood in a hairdressing salon, asking the hairdresser to give her red highlights in her hair. We then see the hairdresser stab the customer in the top of her head so that blood trickles down her hair, making it look like highlights. Rikki Fulton and Gregor Fisher later did a much funnier sketch of a similar idea in 'Scotch & Wry'. The only really amusing sketch featured Rik Mayall in a self contained item entitled 'Mitch The Feminist'. Other than that, there was as many laughs to be found here than there would be in a hospital morgue.
Only one season got made of 'Wood & Walters' before it was axed. Just as well 'As Seen On TV' got underway four years later, otherwise Wood may have done a Paul Squire ( remember him? ) and vanished without a trace.
Initially intended to be a solo vehicle for Wood, Walters landed second billing here as Wood felt she didn't have the confidence to carry the show herself. It was clear by the drab nature of the show that neither were capable of carrying the show off of the ground.
One sketch saw Wood in a hairdressing salon, asking the hairdresser to give her red highlights in her hair. We then see the hairdresser stab the customer in the top of her head so that blood trickles down her hair, making it look like highlights. Rikki Fulton and Gregor Fisher later did a much funnier sketch of a similar idea in 'Scotch & Wry'. The only really amusing sketch featured Rik Mayall in a self contained item entitled 'Mitch The Feminist'. Other than that, there was as many laughs to be found here than there would be in a hospital morgue.
Only one season got made of 'Wood & Walters' before it was axed. Just as well 'As Seen On TV' got underway four years later, otherwise Wood may have done a Paul Squire ( remember him? ) and vanished without a trace.
