What to say if you liked it

An insight into what goes into making a West End musical (tea, flattery, camp men shouting things)

What to say if you liked it

An overlong advert for an overlong musical

What was good about it?

• Victoria Wood’s twee narration, as if she was showing her Super-8s of a weekend in Bognor to the WI

• The clips from the original Acorn Antiques sketches: Mr Clifford’s distinctive horn, rubbish camera angles, Mrs Overall’s tray etc

• Victoria Wood not suffering press fools gladly

• Sally Ann Triplett from Eurovision legends Bardo

• Julie Walters perspiring while Victoria Wood was busy being precious

• Celia Imrie being lustful

• Victoria Wood’s writing. You’ve got to admire someone who rhymes avocado with Brigitte Bardot, anaesthetic with apologetic, climax and Imax. Pity she can’t sing or act.

• Victoria’s comment on Haley O’Neil who has her own role in the show and is also understudy for six characters. “I think she also has a paper round and works in a charity shop.”

• The sight of Jeanette Krankie looking fit again after her tragic panto beanstalk disaster

What was bad about it?

• Too many shots of luvvies drinking tea and kissing (“Julie’s been kissing for nearly five hours now.”),

• Too much pseudo babble eg “She brings hundreds and hundreds of rainbows to what she’s doing,” said Victoria of Julie.

• Neil Morrissey. He admitted: “I can’t sing and I can’t dance.” He can shag the wives of TV quiz shows, though.