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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 252031" data-attributes="member: 23">Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV Series One (January-February 1985) <img src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wZXlw1YiaJU/maxresdefault.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 818px" /> In many ways, As Seen On TV is more of the same as Wood & Walters. The formula is very similar: the spoof commercials and voiceovers; the satirical fly-on-the-wall documentaries; the advice column; the sketches; the songs; the two lead actresses. The themes, too, are familiar territory. Many sketches revolve around bad service. Wood & Walters had Julie as the machine gun toting clothes store assistant who mocked Vic for being over a size eight; or as the self esteem shredding cosmetics counter assistant suggesting a needle and pink thread would be the best thing to close Vic’s gaping pores. As Seen On TV has Julie’s barmy shoe shop assistant who snaps the heels off shoes because Vic wanted a flatter pair; or Vic as the unhygienic checkout girl, coughing over Celia Imrie’s cauliflower. Despite the similarities between the two series, there’s something more vibrant and polished about As Seen On TV. In a way it’s as though Vic has taken the best aspects of Wood & Walters and used them was a foundation, but it’s so much more than that. On paper they sound like much the same animal, but they’re really not. Time has passed - three years, in fact - and while things have been quiet on the television front, there’s been much ado in other areas. Julie is now a celebrated actor with a BAFTA and a Golden Globe as well as a nomination for an Oscar. Not that you’d realise this to watch the show. She’s the same woman we’ve watched from Talent to Wood & Walters, throwing herself into the new series’ material with gusto. No matter how unflattering or small the role might be, she mucks in and does what the writing asks. It all ties in with what [USER=5150]@Ukdallasfan[/USER] said about Victoria's generosity when writing roles. It's the right person for the right role, and there's no ego at all. Meanwhile, Vic has performed her first solo stand-up show, Lucky Bag. This aspect of her act has made its way onto the TV show with each episode’s opening monologue. I think of these moments as an intrinsic and essential part of her repertoire (An Audience With…; the live shows) and, with the benefit of hindsight, their absence can really be felt in Wood & Walters. When Vic’s name is mentioned, it’s her stand-up moments that spring to mind. How close they are to her as a person is debatable, but it’s this image that I think of as pure Victoria Wood and it feels as though this is the real Vic putting herself forwards with a confident focus, which is such an improvement on the sometimes awkward banter with Julie or the moments where they played themselves in the earlier series. I can imagine some actors might have felt it a step down to no longer be named in the title, but it comes across strongly that Vic and Julie’s relationship is one of friendship and mutual admiration, and it’s always about how the material works best. It was the case when Vic wrote Talent as a vehicle for Julie, and it’s the case now where each member of the ensemble have their shining moment while others play a more supporting role. Speaking of the ensemble, As Seen On TV’s regular cast is pure quality. After a couple of small roles in an episode of Wood & Walters, in comes Julie’s Happy Since I Met You co-star Duncan Preston as the main ensemble’s leading man. There’s Celia Imrie who will forever be associated with Vic’s vehicles. Susie Blake’s seething ice queen of an announcer is there, of course, and she’s been spotted in another small role or two. In place of Dotty’s Slot comes Kitty, with Patricia Routledge effortlessly stepping in as the no-nonsense agony aunt who forcefully dispenses blunt and opinions left, right and centre. It seems a slightly surprising move, given that Julie’s Dotty was one of the highlights of the earlier series, but it also proves to be the right choice as Patricia’s Kitty is a force of nature and hugely memorable from the moment she first looks into camera. It’s impossible now not to see the similarities with her Hyacinth Bucket character that Roy Clarke would later write for her. There’s no doubting that he was familiar with Kitty. (continued)</blockquote>

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