‘Becoming Victoria Wood’ review: Tender doc celebrates talent and tenacity of pioneering UK comic

Dir: Catherine Abbott. UK. 2025. 90mins

A decade after her death at just 62, UK comedian Victoria Wood remains widely regarded as not only one of the funniest Brits – male or female – to ever appear on stage and screen, but also a trailblazer for women creatives in an industry that can still feel like a boys’ club. Catherine Abbott’s heartfelt, tender documentary largely focuses on Wood’s childhood and early career, up to her seminal 1984 series As Seen On TV, and – while it is clearly made by fans, for fans – it proves a timely reminder of Wood’s phenomenal talent, and a tribute to the doors she opened and the influence she continues to have.

A hugely enjoyable watch

A prolific writer and vivacious performer, Wood was a regular fixture on UK TV screens for over 30 years. She not only reshaped the British comedy landscape with her sell-out stand up shows and beloved TV hits like Acorn Antiques, but also turned out bittersweet dramas like Pat & Margaret (1994), Housewife, 49 (2006) – for which she won two Baftas for best actress and best single drama –  Eric & Ernie (2011) and That Day We Sang (2014).

Releasing in UK cinemas on January 9 via Dartmouth Films before heading to UK streaming platform U&Gold, Becoming Victoria Wood will hold few surprises for Wood’s legions of fans, particularly those who have read Jasper Rees’s excellent 2020 biography Let’s Do It. It also features the expected roster of talking heads, including Wood’s friends and contemporaries Joan Armatrading, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. But its access to previously unseen personal materials and its careful use of archive footage make it a hugely enjoyable watch.

That personal material comes in the form of photographs, scrapbooks and personal letters; extracts from the latter are read on screen, alongside snippets from Wood’s early work and various interviews, by UK actress Jessica Barden (The End Of The F***ing World, Dune: Prophecy). This gives a vivid, resonant voice to Wood’s candid thoughts and feelings as she struggled to make her mark as a young Northern woman in the 1970s.

Funny, self-deprecating and fiercely ambitious, Wood was determined to break out from her humble Bury beginnings to make a name for herself in comedy; an occupation which had then welcomed few women save the likes of Joyce Grenfell, who Wood saw on stage as a youngster and counted as a major inspiration. Well-chosen footage highlights the uphill battle Wood faced in following her dreams: the patronising tone of the presenter of TV talent show New Faces (who also got her name wrong); 1970s comedian Bernand Manning in full, frothy misogynistic flow; numerous media articles which focused primarily on Wood’s physical shape.

Nevertheless, she persisted. While she was famously shy, Wood knew she had a talent and something relevant to say – she just had to make people sit up and listen. Interviews with a variety of school and university friends detail a unique, reserved and obstinate figure who never quite fitted in but was dead-set on forging her own path. Talking heads with luminaries including French, Saunders and actress Maxine Peake – whose first job was starring in Wood’s hit 2000s sitcom Dinnnerladies – speak to how these qualities helped shaped her stellar career. Wood was uncompromising in both her material and approach; it’s easy to forget just how groundbreaking was her frank material on periods, pregnancy and sex, as was her unwavering attitude to maintaining complete control of her output – even as she balanced work and motherhood.

Wood always spoke openly about her challenging childhood in Bury with two self-absorbed parents, but her surviving family members, including her siblings and two children, are noticeably absent. There is also no sign of key members of Wood’s long-standing troupe of co-stars, including Julie Walters and Celia Imrie (although both appear in archive footage), nor of Wood’s husband Geoffrey Durham (aka TV magician The Great Soprendo), from whom Wood separated in 2002. Indeed, Becoming Victoria Wood’s focus is squarely on celebrating Wood’s talent and tenacity and, even if its tone occassionally sails close to the reverential, its incomparable subject is undeniably deserving of such praise.