Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies

Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies is coming to Milton Keynes Theatre from 16 to 20 March 2027, a new stage adaptation of the sitcom Wood wrote and starred in. It's the first piece of her work commissioned by her estate, arriving more than 25 years after the show first aired on BBC One.

If you didn't catch it at the time, the original Dinnerladies ran for two series and 16 episodes between 1998 and 2000, set in the canteen of a fictional Manchester factory called HWD Components. Wood played Brenda Furlong, the canteen manager, and the show won the 2000 British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy, along with another British Comedy Award and a BAFTA nomination. It became one of the most loved comedies of that era, known for its sharp humour, warmth and the way it observed working-class characters.

This stage version is a new adaptation by Beth and Emma Kilcoyne, directed by Sean Foley. The cast brings back some familiar faces: Les Dennis as Stan, Sue Cleaver as Jean, Karen Henthorn as Dolly and Amy Drake as Bren. There's a bit of history there too — Les Dennis knew Wood personally; they both worked the comedy circuit in the 1970s and were both finalists on New Faces, which he describes as "Britain's Got Talent of its day."

It runs at Milton Keynes Theatre from 16 to 20 March 2027, so you've got a few days to choose from across that week.