Wood, who shot to fame in the 1980s as one of Britain’s most popular standup comics, dies from cancer

The comedian Victoria Wood, described as “one of the brightest talents of our generation”, has died aged 62 after a short illness.



Her publicist Neil Reading confirmed she had died after a “short but brave battle with cancer.”

“The multi-Bafta-award-winning writer, director, actor and comedian died peacefully at her north London home with family this morning. The family ask for privacy at this very sad time,” he said.

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Actor Julie Walters, whose lifelong friendship with Wood began when they met in the 1970s, said her loss was “incalculable” and she was “too heart sore” to comment further.

Born in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, Wood rose to fame in the 1980s as one of Britain’s most popular standup comics. Her elder brother Chris said he was “hugely proud” of his sister, and her death had “robbed us of one of the brightest talents of our generation”.

“It wasn’t just that Victoria was hugely talented in so many different fields, she was also outstanding in her tremendous, single-minded drive and determination to pursue her chosen career.

“Success did not come easily to Victoria, and it was only after years of struggle that she achieved her well-deserved national acclaim,” he said.

“Oh, Victoria Wood. You were so my hero. I can quote whole scripts by heart,” said writer and broadcaster Caitlin Moran. “Seeing Victoria Wood on TV – working-class, bookish, silly, clever, doing standup, singing, acting – made me think ‘girls can do this’.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Victoria Wood and fellow cast members from the BBC show Dinnerladies. Photograph: BBC/PA

Richard Osman, the presenter and director, remembered her as “funny and clever and kind and melancholy and all the good stuff”.

Comedian Jennifer Saunders added: “She was truly an inspiration and had so much left to give and we won’t see it.”

The prime minister, David Cameron, called Wood a national treasure – a title Wood had sought to dismiss last year. “Everyone’s a national treasure these days; you can’t move for them,” she told the Daily Mail. “But there should only ever be one at a time. For years, it was Dame Thora Hird. After she died, it was going to be Judi Dench, but then Joanna Lumley saved the Gurkhas so she got the gig.”

Tony Hall, director general of the BBC, paid tribute to Wood’s “array of talents”.

“People identified with her warmth and great charm. She brought people from all walks of life together and made them laugh and cry. She will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with her friends and family,” Hall sad.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Julie Walters, centre, as Mrs Overall in the spoof soap Acorn Antiques, written by Victoria Wood, left, and also starring Celia Imrie, right. Photograph: BBC/PA

Wood was the youngest of four children. Her mother, she once said, “had no sense of humour” but Wood knew from an early age she wanted to be a performer. After studying drama at the University of Birmingham, she won the ITV talent show New Faces and in 1976 landed a regular role on the BBC show That’s Life.

In the 1980s she cemented her place as one of Britain’s most popular standup comics. Shows such as Wood and Walters and Victoria Wood As Seen On TV showcased her talent for acute social observation and witty songwriting.

She also wrote and starred in the TV series Dinnerladies, which ran for two seasons from 1998. Wood always stood by the “life-affirming” value of comedy. “I think it’s perfectly valid to go out and get laughs,” she said. “I think it’s a lovely thing to do actually, it’s a lovely life-affirming job: you go out and you make people laugh. I think that’s great. Who wouldn’t want to do that? As long as you do it well, I don’t think there’s any problem.”

Wood continued writing and performing until late last year. In December she co-starred with Timothy Spall in a Sky adaptation of Fungus the Bogeyman, saying in an interview at the time: “It’s more to do with the work than the exposure, the fame or the money. Work is crucial to my life. My creativity is what defines me. I feel I can work as hard as I ever did.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Victoria Wood with two Bafta awards for Housewife, 49. Photograph: Max Nash/AP

Over four decades in television, Wood won numerous awards, including a Bafta in 1986 for her sketch show and again in 2006 for both writing and acting in Housewife, 49, based on the diaries of Nella Last.

Wood also wrote extensively for theatre. In 2005, she penned a musical, Acorn Antiques, based on the long-running feature in her sketch show, and her play The Day We Sang, about a famous recording of Purcell’s Nymphs and Shepherds made by Manchester Children’s Choir, debuted at Manchester international festival in 2011. She also wrote a stage version of Housewife, 49. Wood married the magician Geoffrey Durham – known on stage as the Great Soprendo – in March 1980, and the pair had two children before separating in 2002. She was made an OBE in 1997 and a CBE in 2008.

Her long-term manager and friend Phil McIntyre said: “Victoria has been a part of our lives as a friend, devoted mother and national treasure for 30 years. She was always modest, generous and undemanding. A super person and a super and unique talent. There will be an unfillable void left on all levels. We’ll miss her deeply.”



























