Becoming Victoria Wood (15)

This affectionate documentary captures the wit, warmth and quiet determination that made Victoria Wood one of Britain’s most loved comic voices.

Lively, affectionate and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, it treats its subject as a national treasure rather than a distant icon. Using generous archive clips, the film revisits Wood’s breakthrough in the 1980s, when her sharp observations and unmistakable northern voice cut through a comedy scene that still doubted women could lead from the front. Sketches from As Seen on TV, featuring Julie Walters and Celia Imrie, remain gloriously silly and anarchic, brimming with barely contained giggles and a sense of performers delighting in their own mischief. Alongside the laughs, the documentary traces Wood’s early life, from a shy childhood and difficult family relationships to the stubborn ambition that powered her rise.

Friends and collaborators, including Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Maxine Peake, reflect on Wood’s generosity and her rare ability to make audiences feel included. Her humour was never cruel, always rooted in everyday frustrations and self-awareness.

Hearing Wood herself through archive interviews adds an easy intimacy, making this an uplifting, funny and deeply fond tribute to a true comedy original