Netflix Picks
Netflix picks some of the best moments from Victoria Wood's classic sitcom.
Sitcom File No. 003
BBC One · 1998–2000
dinnerladies
- Network
- BBC One
- Years
- 1998–2000
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 16
Victoria Wood's ensemble sitcom set in a factory canteen: beautifully written, quietly moving, and packed with the sort of dialogue only Wood could write.
WorkplaceEnsembleCharacter comedy
Created by Victoria Wood
The Review
Our verdict
Rating
8.2/10
Wood wrote every episode of dinnerladies herself — a rare feat for a modern sitcom — and the result is a script of extraordinary craft. Every line is a small poem, every character fully realised, and the show finds enormous comedy and enormous heart in the smallest details of canteen life.
The second series deepens Bren's tentative romance with Tony while her mother's escalating chaos gives the whole enterprise an undertow of melancholy that Wood plays perfectly. Remarkably, the action never once leaves the canteen set, turning a single room into a whole world. It's the warmest cold-canteen comedy ever made.
Cast & Creators
Who made this one
Names linked to their Laughter File are part of the archive. Follow the thread.
Victoria Wood
Bren
View Laughter File →
- A
Andrew Dunn
Tony Martin
- A
Anne Reid
Jean
- T
Thelma Barlow
Dolly
- D
Duncan Preston
Stan
- M
Maxine Peake
Twinkle
- S
Shobna Gulati
Anita
- C
Celia Imrie
Philippa Moorcroft
- J
Julie Walters
Petula Gordeno (recurring)
Memorable Episodes
Episodes to revisit
- 01
MondayS1 · E1
Bren meets the canteen in the quiet, brilliant pilot.
- 02
MinnelliumS2 · E7
The canteen braces for the millennium with Bren's usual calm.
- 03
ToastS2 · E10
Wood's understated finale — a farewell only she could write.
Classic Clips
Four scenes to revisit
Dolly's Viagra
Dolly blows a gasket when she thinks she drank a Viagra-laced beverage.
Christine's Eggs
Clip from the smash-hit BBC One sitcom written by and starring Victoria Wood.
Babs (S2 E3)
A memorable cameo by comedienne Kate Robbins, playing the hapless Babs.
Awards
- 2000
British Comedy Award: Best TV Comedy Actress (Victoria Wood)
Won again for the second series.
- 1999
Rose d'Or: Press Award
Honoured at the international television festival.
- 1999
British Comedy Award: Best TV Comedy Actress (Victoria Wood)
For her performance as Bren.
Legacy
Cemented Wood as one of the finest comedy writers Britain has ever produced, and placed 28th in the BBC's 2004 Britain's Best Sitcom poll.
Where to watch
Check BBC iPlayer for current availability.
Merchandise
From the shop
The Complete Collection (DVD)
All 16 episodes of the BBC sitcom set in a factory canteen, written by and starring Victoria Wood.
£33.48 4.8
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dinnerladies: First Helpings
The complete texts with photographs from the first series of Victoria Wood's hit BBC sitcom.
£279 4.7
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Julie Walters Photograph
Stunning, large-scale 16×12" (40.6cm × 30.4cm) professional photograph.
£9.99 4.5
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