Film about comedy legend Victoria Wood being shown in Lancaster
Becoming Victoria Wood delves into the complex inner world of this national treasure nearly ten years after her passing.
Actor Jessica Barden (The End of the F***ing World, Dune: Prophecy) will bring to life extracts from letters, interviews and Victoria Wood’s own personal archive in specially filmed scenes combining readings with dramatisation in the upcoming feature length documentary.
Victoria Wood, who lived in Morecambe in her student days and later returned to the area in later life living in Silverdale, remains one of Britain’s most cherished entertainers – a northern comic genius whose work reshaped the landscape of British humour.
But behind the joyous persona – the singer, the satirist, the sharp-witted writer – lay a young woman navigating insecurity, anger, and self-doubt.
Told in her own words and through the voices of those who knew her best, the film uncovers the formative experiences and personal battles that powered Victoria’s unmatched ability to make the nation laugh.
The film will explore never-before-seen archive material and previously unheard audio recordings, to paint a vivid portrait of the woman behind the fame.
Among the unearthed treasures are her first-ever recorded performance from 1973, behind-the-scenes footage from stage and screen, unseen interviews with Victoria and intimate audio diaries recorded during the making of dinnerladies – candid, confessional entries that reveal the unfiltered Victoria: thoughtful, biting, vulnerable, and funny.
From Wood and Walters to As Seen on TV, Pat and Margaret to dinnerladies, the documentary carefully threads her most iconic work into her personal story, highlighting how her lived experience shaped the characters and worlds she created.
Becoming Victoria Wood will be shown at The Dukes Lancaster on Friday, January 16 at 6.30pm and also on January 17, 18, 20, 21 and 22.