VICTORIA WOOD'S MID LIFE CHRISTMAS

UK / BBC 1 / 1×60 minute episode / Broadcast Thursday 24 December 2009 @ 9.00pm

Writer: Victoria Wood / Producer: John Rushton / Director: Tony Dow

Some nine years since her last sketch special Victoria Wood proves she is still better than anybody else at this kind of thing. There are pot shots at annoying advertisements, sporting events, a great mickey take of Lark Rise to Candleford and Cranford with Lark Pies to Cranchesterford and a classic slice of Busby Berkeley musical mayhem. Not to mention a semi-return to the world of Acorn Antiques with a look at the world of actress Bo Beaumont.

Best of all though is a fab staging of brilliant song The Ballad of Barry and Freda.

Guest stars included old faithful Julie Walters as well as the likes of Anton Du Beke, Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Lorraine Ashbourne, Bob Cryer, Richard Lintern, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Reece Shearsmith, Marcia Warren and Delia Smith.

A behind the scenes look at the making of the show called What Larks! – The Making of Victoria Wood’s Mid-Life Christmas aired on BBC One 30 December 2009 @ 11.00pm.

Victoria Wood – Seen on TV aired on 21 December 2009 @ 9.00pm and was a nicely nostalgic look back at the career of Wood, it featured contributions from her stable of regular performers (Walters, Susie Blake, Duncan Preston etc) as well as from celebrity fans.