Dinnerladies - The Complete Collection [DVD] [1998]

It was great to watch Dinnerladies again. We laughed so much. What a tremendous talent was the inimitable Victoria Wood!

A classic TV series centred around the daily running of a factory canteen, co produced and superbly written by comedy genius Victoria Wood. Below is my brief synopsis of each episode, as a reminder or to give insight if unfamiliar with Dinnerladies. Cast of Characters includes amongst others:~Victoria Wood ~ Senior Dinnerlady Brenda (Bren)Andrew Dunn ~ Catering Manager TonyAnne Reid ~ Dinnerlady JeanThelma Barlow ~ Dinnerlady DollyShobna Gulati ~ Dinnerlady AnitaMaxine Peake ~ Dinnerlady TwinkleCelia Imrie ~ Human Resources PhilippaDuncan Preston ~ Maintenance StanJulie Walters ~ Bren's Mother PetulaSpecial Guests:~Dame Thora Hird ~ EnidEric Sykes ~ JimDora Bryan ~ ConnieKate Robbins ~ BabsCOMPLETE FIRST SERIES (all included on the first disc):~1. Monday ~ During the general Monday morning catering organisation in the kitchen, you are gradually introduced to the characters. Plenty is continually happening which carries right through each episode. Something seemingly insignificant occurs, which gives rise to an unexpected outcome in the last episode.2. Royals ~ The staff prepare for a Royal visit. This has a profound impact on Stan. Beautifully written and brought a tear to my eye.3. Scandal ~ Bren's mother and her new 'boy' friend cause a stir...nothing to do with cooking!4. Moods ~ Emotions are rather fraught; November blues intermingled with a variety of other factors like bad hair and a possible pregnancy. Mother's are invited to 'bring your mother to work day' Eric Sykes attends. Thora Hird makes an appearance which adds a level of gravitas as only she could give... and Bren's mother...5. Party ~ The works Christmas Party; relationship issues, intrigue, suppressed miss-timed romance, miss communication and... Bren's mother....6. Nightshift ~ Tony is off recovering from treatment and his replacement leads to profound consequences. The sinking ship is rapidly deserted and the warmth of the ending is writing perfection.SERIES TWO Disc One:~1. Catering ~ The decorators attempt to do their job; miss communication, broodiness, Segourney the trainee and pre op difficulties involving a rather long ladder.2. Trouble ~ A relationship is on the rocks so everyone suffers, Marbella beckons Tony and Bren, spilt orange juice does have consequences and... how do you do placenta on a Baby Belling?!3. Holidays ~ Bereavement, pregnancy, Bren becomes brave, emotional blackmail and heart strings pulled.4. Fog ~ Stale relationship, miss understanding, blood donor, an escaped prisoner, 'don't go mad...get mad' and new romance's.5. Gamble ~ The bet is on, tree delivery and where are those decorations? tongues wag, pills, coffee and romance, a ghost from the past but worst of all...tangled tree lights without their original packaging!6. Christmas ~ Misunderstandings, repercussions and the inevitable monumental jumping to conclusions, staff Christmas dinner, a birthday to remember and Bren's mother...SERIES TWO Disc Two:~7. Minnellium ~ Millennium catering intermingled with inevitable bad weather and resulting stress, six pack or catering pack? combustible human resources and a mystery baby.8. Christine ~ A new dinnerlady arrives causing home truths to surface, Viagra, a social worker visit, new romance and of course...Bren's mother...9. Gravy ~ Fresh start and new ways, only three weeks, Totally Trivial show and yes... Bren's mother...10. Toast ~ New uniforms, the wrong kind of help, a missed opportunity and a goodbye with an unexpected ending.Picture and sound quality are superb and this was played on equipment so naff, WE were paid to take it away! One plastic DVD case has all three DVD's fitted inside, including a delicate hinged middle section. There are no extras, no casting leaflet and the running order is on the back cover. This was pure self indulgence for me, so all this mattered not one jot!Casting is perfection, with the actors bringing their characters to life with down to earth realism. Each believable and I'm sure we have all met most of them in our own lives. Words flow effortlessly with impeccable timing. I enjoyed watching this recently as much as I did when first broadcast, worth every penny. Timeless perfection!

Loved the whole series. So lovely to look back on how simple life used to be and how great the comedy was back then

Three years on from the death of Victoria Wood in 2016, its still makes me angry that such a warm comic genius was taken from us so soon. She had been a regular on British TV since the 1980's and stood out straightaway being a female stand-up comic in a men-dominated entertainment niche.Although she was responsible for many comedies and dramas I think 'Dinnerladies' is her finest hour. Surrounded by some of her regular colleagues (Julie Walters, Celia Imrie and Duncan Preston), she wrote and starred in 16 half-hour episodes all included here. Set in just two rooms of a very authentic looking northern factory canteen, we are treated to delightful and occasionally side-splitting observational comedy, based around the characters follies and foibles that stay just the right side of ridicule.I can't say that every episode is hilarious and Julie Walters appearances cast as Bren's unlikely mother started to grate after a while. In the main though this series is amongst the best of British TV comedy you will ever see. Part of the reason for this is blend of humour and tragedy the characters experience. Watching Victoria Wood herself you get glimpses of sadness behind the mask of a clown.I'm pretty sure Victoria Wood is currently in some nirvana reserved for our most beloved comedians, alongside the likes of Peter Sellers, Tommy Cooper and Morecambe and Wise.

My wife and I love Dinner ladies. The script is so clever and the acting first class, it always makes us laugh, even th9ough we will have seen it before. Victoria Wood was a genius

One of the best comedy series ever written

This is a series I wish they had made more of, but it does finish at the right point. It's northern and funny and I point out the northern bit because sometimes north of the m25/ A1 junction sometimes gets left to the stereotype and nothing else is celebrated. I have always loved Victoria Wood's comedy. It is acute in its observation about life it's frailties and unfairness and yet she is pants wettingly funny. Anne Reid and Thelma Barlow have me gasping for breath I am laughing so hard especially as i am now a lady of a certain age. The tentative romance between Bren and Tony adds a will they won't they tension. Shanobe Gulati's Anita is sweetly dim and lovably funny and Maxine Peake (now an acting force to be reckoned with) is perfect as the teenage grump Twink! All the members of the Victoria Wood Rep are there and there are some just brilliant performance from "minor" cast members who fill in the gaps perfectly (sue Devaney and Bernard Wrigley's jingle bells dance!) and no one cares that every episode Julie Walters' Petulia Gordiino comes in and steals the show for 5 mins and goes out again (and nearly gets out dne by Janet Krankie in one episode!). I think this is British (northern) humour at its finest and appeals to all.

pre political correctness!