Victoria Wood was born in Bury, Lancashire on May 19th 1953. She is considered to be Britain's best female comedy performer and nicknamed the queen of comedy although many would now debate this. Her mixture of stand up comedy and songs at the piano were a first for women when she took to the stage. The youngest of four children, she spent most of her youth alone, secretly playing the piano and wishing she was more popular.
Having attended Bury Grammar School for girls, she went on to study at Birmingham University gaining a degree in Performing Arts. Whilst there, she met her friend and omnipresent colleague Julie Walters who is found in most of Wood's television productions.
In 1973, whilst still studying she auditioned for New Faces, 'the' television talent show of the time. She went on to win this. Other winners of this show are, Lenny Henry and the late Marti Caine who Wood worked with on a New Faces special.
Despite winning, Wood did not find it easy to find work, claiming now that she didn't have the gumption to go out and do the working men's clubs and comedy circuit. She spent a long time on the dole until she was spotted by a producer who gave her a slot on That's Life the humour/consumer show popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
This led to the commission of her two plays, Good Fun and Talent which both starred Julie Walters. Wood and Walters soon after began their own self titled show shortly afterwards.
In 1982, Wood began her solo show As Seen on TV produced by Geoff Posner which won BAFTA awards for best comedy. She also won a BAFTA for best comedy for an Audience with Victoria Wood in 1987, a two hour stand up show where no one realised that she was eight months pregnant.
Married to Crackerjack favourite The Great Suprendo, real name Geoffrey Durham a regular on Channel 4's Countdown, she has two children, Grace and Henry.
At 25 October 2002, Wood and Durham announced they had split, after 22 years of being together.
Editor's note: Victoria Wood died April 20, 2016, after a brief bout with an unspecified type of cancer.