Victoria Wood

*Victoria Wood* was a series of six one-off situation comedies written by and starring Victoria Wood, which aired in 1989. It came two years after her successful and award-winning series *Victoria Wood As Seen on TV*, during which she took a break from performing sketches. In all six episodes, Wood appeared as a fictionalised version of herself named "Victoria." In *The Library*, it was stated that she "worked in TV," while in *Over To Pam*, characters seemed to recognize her celebrity status. In the final episode, *Staying In*, her character was invited to a party to perform as a comedienne and was expected to deliver a stand-up routine. Her character frequently broke the fourth wall by speaking directly to the camera, though this did not occur in every episode. Wood, bored with the sketch format and eager to recapture the success she had as a playwright, developed the six individual sitcoms as a compromise. She found the writing process difficult. While Wood's character was central to the stories, other lead roles were written with specific actresses in mind, including Julie Walters and Una Stubbs. Wood stated, "I want people to like me and the people who play my friends, and not everybody else." Screenonline described the series as "modest in ambition and scale but rich in wit and acuity," noting that the six playlets showcased Wood's eye for human foibles and her ability to create eccentric characters.

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