To laugh, and to make someone else laugh. There are few finer things on this Earth. There are many things that make us laugh and I wouldn't have it any other way. Great sitcoms are just a select few. I love a good sitcom me, yet I don't bow down to all of them; certainly not. I of course feel some are better than others, and that some are so wonderful that they are truly timeless. So, I thought I'd start looking at what I feel are simply classic comedy sitcoms and shows, past and present, and I begin with Dinnerladies.
Perhaps not an immediately obvious choice when when one thinks of "classic comedy", yet I defy anyone who has seen it to disagree with me when I say it is wonderful to behold. It is hard to put my finger on exactly why I like it. Intrinsically northern, intrinsic situation comedy (there is only one set and it does not move toward the 'alternative' like we see in some cases nowadays) superbly written, and brilliantly performed. To name but a few reasons why I am enamored with this programme.
Penned and produced by legendary actress, comedienne, writer, and national treasure Victoria Wood, Dinnerladies was her first, and to date her only sitcom. Anyone familiar with Victoria Wood's work will know that she is rather brilliant at what she does, and in her Dinnerladies scripts, the bones of the show, we can see inspired stories. Not just funny lines, innuendo and hilarity (though there is plenty of that) but characters that are instantly recognizable, yet highly individual. What's more each story for each character does develop and does evolve through each episode. From the very start, at nowhere do I think Wood was content to simply establish these charmingly funny characters, leave it at that, and see what she can throw at them. Rather she seemingly establishes all these wonderful figures, and effortlessly moves them forward, putting them in a variety of instances and scenarios that brings out the best in them, sometimes they are rather trivial, at other times powerful, but always for the best, both for them and the audience. That's another thing, before we move away from the conception and writing. A lot of sitcoms struggle to be funny and then to be serious also (some even struggle to be funny!) and then even if they have the two, they struggle to move from one to the other. Not Dinnerladies. Of course it is a sitcom, we know that, but there are nevertheless extremely serious, and highly dramatic moments dotted throughout that do make you stop and gasp in awe at what is happening on your screen. I don't wish to spoil anything for those who haven't seen it but, especially in the second series, there are some poignant and raw moments of drama, that in lesser sitcoms would seem woefully out of place but in Dinnerladies make you stop falling about, look and feel emotion, then a minute later have you wetting yourself again.
Now I think we can move to those wonderfully written and fleshed out characters, and the actors who play them. Each and every one of them is utterly masterful, each great individually, and when they come together: a joy to watch. Victoria Wood plays Bren, a middle aged loner who nevertheless has enormous heart and love for all around her; there is not one instant when you are not happy to see her on screen. Andrew Dunn is Tony, the dry and down to earth boss of the canteen, who tries to contain the chaos, often with ludicrous results. We have old acting institutions in Anne Reid and Thelma Barlow who play love/hate best friends Jean and Dolly respectively. Shobna Gulati's dipsy but warm-hearted Anita and Maxine Peake's sarcastic but staunch Twinkle represent the youth of the catering team. Duncan Preston is the wonderfully traditional, manic and often hilarious Stan the handyman. Celia Imrie is a really interesting and very funny cast addition I find, in the form of Philippa, the posh, zany but well-meaning Human Resources manager. And Julie Walters plays Bren's mother Petula Gordino...what can I say? On the one hand she is extremely exploitative and manipulative; we should hate Bren's mum, but we really don't. This is one of the most incredible strokes of genius, in terms of writing and acting I have ever seen, not just from Wood, but full stop. Petula always makes an entrance and an exit, and everything in between is almost always comedy gold. Every word out of her mouth is both insanely ridiculous and delivered in such a wonderful way. Nevermind laugh-a-minute, this is laugh-a-second. She is a fantastic character. Even the supporting cast who pop up every now and then are superb, for example Sue Devaney's Jane and Bernard Wrigley's Bob, who appears on a few but incredibly memorable occasions.
In reality, they are all great characters and great actors behind them, not one ever feeling misplaced or expendable. Yes it is very northern, Celia Imrie playing the one person that is not, but it is incredibly accessible and watchable, wherever you're from. Dinnerladies only ever ran for 2 series, from 1998 to 2000, and I would welcome it back in a heartbeat as I know it would be just as flawless, yet if it does not return I will still be happy with what we had. If you have never watched an episode I implore you to. It is without a doubt, brilliant, a classic comedy if ever I saw one.
No comments:
Post a Comment