More than 25 years after it first aired on BBC One, Victoria Wood’s much-loved sitcom dinnerladies is heading to the stage, in the first piece of Victoria’s work to be produced by her estate.
Featuring a story inspired by the original TV series’, the show brings back all the characters audiences know and love from the Manchester canteen.
Originally written by and starring Victoria Wood, dinnerladies became one of Britain’s most adored comedies thanks to its sharp humour, warmth and brilliantly observed characters.
Now Stan, Bren, Tony, Dolly, Jean, Twinkle, Anita and the rest of the canteen crew are back for a fresh helping of laughs, chaos and classic Victoria Wood comedy.
Whether you’re revisiting an old favourite or discovering it for the first time, dinnerladies serves up a hilarious night out packed with heart, nostalgia and plenty of surprises.
“I’m so thrilled to be on board with this new production of Victoria Wood’s dinnerladies. I’m lucky enough to say I knew Victoria – she and I performed on the comedy circuit in the 1970s and were both finalists on New Faces (for those of you under the age of 45, it was Britain’s Got Talent of its day). I was always such a fan of her – both as a person, and as a comedic voice. Being part of this tour and seeing these beloved northern working-class characters brought to the stage is a perfect way to keep her legacy alive. I’m the first cast member to be announced as Stan, and I can’t wait to see which amazing actresses will be bringing these amazing dinnerladies characters to life – they’re all such fantastic roles. I think fans of Victoria will be in for a real treat after hearing director Sean Foley’s plans for this tour!”
Les Dennis
“I am beyond thrilled to be joining the cast of dinnerladies on tour: I was honoured to have a regular role on the show itself and to work alongside the legendary Victoria Wood many moons ago so it’s an absolute joy to be returning to play such a fantastic character as feisty Jean! I cannot wait to get out on the road and whip up a storm in the kitchen alongside such a stellar cast.”
Sue Cleaver
“This is a proper dream come true for me. I used to love watching dinnerladies as it was such a hilarious and heartwarming sitcom so I cannot wait to bring the snooty snipes from Dolly to life on stage and hear audiences laughing up and down the country.”
Karen Henthorn
“I’m so thrilled to be on board with this new production of Victoria Wood’s dinnerladies. I’m lucky enough to say I knew Victoria – she and I performed on the comedy circuit in the 1970s and were both finalists on New Faces (for those of you under the age of 45, it was Britain’s Got Talent of its day). I was always such a fan of her – both as a person, and as a comedic voice. Being part of this tour and seeing these beloved northern working-class characters brought to the stage is a perfect way to keep her legacy alive. I’m the first cast member to be announced as Stan, and I can’t wait to see which amazing actresses will be bringing these amazing dinnerladies characters to life – they’re all such fantastic roles. I think fans of Victoria will be in for a real treat after hearing director Sean Foley’s plans for this tour!”
Les Dennis
“I am beyond thrilled to be joining the cast of dinnerladies on tour: I was honoured to have a regular role on the show itself and to work alongside the legendary Victoria Wood many moons ago so it’s an absolute joy to be returning to play such a fantastic character as feisty Jean! I cannot wait to get out on the road and whip up a storm in the kitchen alongside such a stellar cast.”
Sue Cleaver
“This is a proper dream come true for me. I used to love watching dinnerladies as it was such a hilarious and heartwarming sitcom so I cannot wait to bring the snooty snipes from Dolly to life on stage and hear audiences laughing up and down the country.”
Karen Henthorn
TOUR DATES
2027
Starring
Sue is an actress best known for playing Eileen Grimshaw in the long-running ITV soap Coronation Street, leaving shortly after celebrating her 25th year on the cobbles.
Sue is a regular guest panellist on Loose Women, a regular guest presenter on BBC Radio Manchester and has also been seen in the jungle in I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! And in the most recent series of Celebrity Masterchef
Sue is also an author, publishing her part memoir and part self-help book about living fearlessly A Work in Progress in 2024.
Her other TV credits include City Central (BBC), dinnerladies (BBC), This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (Granada Television), Peak Practice (Central Independent Television), Casualty (BBC), Reckless: The Sequel (Granada Television), The Cops (BBC), King Girl (BBC), Band of Gold (Granada Television), Harry Enfield’s Brand Spanking New Show (Sky) and A Touch of Frost (ITV). Her film credits include The Man Who Cried and Girls’ Night.
Sue has won awards at the TV Now Awards and TV Choice Awards and has been nominated twice for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards and twice for Best Actress at The British Soap Awards.
Sue is also an accomplished theatre actress, performing at prestigious venues such as The Royal Exchange, Birmingham Hippodrome, Derby Theatre, Cork Opera House, Grand Opera House Belfast, King’s Theatre Glasgow, Grand Opera House York, Steven Joseph Theatre and the Octagon Theatre Bolton. Most recently she toured the country as Mother Superior in Sister Act The Musical, starred in the acclaimed revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s Snake In The Grass at Theatr Clwyd/Bolton Octagon and headlined the Christmas Panto at Hull New Theatre.
After appearing in the original TV show, she is delighted to be a part of the dinnerladies cast and can’t wait to whip up a storm in the kitchen!
Les Dennis is one of the UK’s best-known entertainers with a career in showbusiness spanning over 50 years.
Born in Liverpool, Les came to prominence as a comedian in the 1970s after honing his act on the northern Working Men’s Club circuit and turning pro after a winning set on New Faces. More success in TV comedies followed in the 1980s when he starred in The Russ Abbot Show and The Les Dennis Laughter Show. He formed a hugely popular double-act with comedy partner Dustin Gee, sadly cut-short by Dustin’s untimely death. Les cemented his place as a mainstay of Saturday night television as the host of ITV’s Family Fortunes between 1987 and 2002.
In recent years Les has enjoyed a thriving career as an actor, starring with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the English National Opera and in numerous hit plays and musicals in the West End and on tour, as well as a regular role on Coronation Street.
A dad of three, Les lives in Cheshire with his wife, his two youngest children, and their menagerie of pets.
Theatre includes: Waitress The Musical (Tour), Inside Number 9: Stage Fright (West End), Anna Karenina (Chichester Festival Theatre), Red Or Dead (Liverpool Royal Court), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare North Playhouse), 42nd Street (Sadlers Wells & Tour), Spring & Port Wine (Bolton Octagon), Only Fools & Horses The Musical (Theatre Royal Haymarket), HMS Pinafore (ENO, Coliseum), Hairspray (Coliseum), Venice Preserved and The Provoked Wife (RSC), End of the Pier (Park Theatre), The Miracle of Great Homer Street (Liverpool Royal Court), The Addams Family (Tour), She Loves Me (Menier Chocolate Factory), Down the Dock Road (Liverpool Royal Court), The Perfect Murder (Tour), Spamalot (West End), Hairspray (UK tour), Jigsy (Liverpool Royal Court – Best Actor, LPD Arts), When We Are Married (WYP), Eurobeat (No. 1 tour/West End), Certified Male (Edinburgh Festival), The Servant of Two Masters (Wales Theatre Company), Misery (Oldham Coliseum), Neville’s Island (Birmingham Rep), South Pacific (Birmingham Symphony), Art (UK tour), Cherished Disappointments in Love (Soho), Chicago (Adelphi), Just Between Ourselves (Theatre Royal Bath), Skylight (Watermill) Me and My Girl (Adelphi).
Film includes: Sideshow, Wounded (winner of Best Feature, Marbella Film Festival), Intimate Relations.
Television includes: Sister Boniface Mysteries, Death In Paradise, The Madame Blanc Mysteries, Moving On, Birds of a Feather, Coronation Street, Holby City, Midsomer Murders, Hotel Babylon, New Street Law, Extras, The Quest 2, Casualty, Mersey Beat, Doctors, Brookside, Les Dennis and Dustin Gee’s Laughter Show.
Theatre credits include: Mothers and Daughters (The Edge Theatre), Blithe Spirit (Hope Mill Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (RSC), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hope Mill Theatre), Loving the Bones of You (53two), Tinned Up (Oldham Coliseum), The Newspaper Boy (Dibby Theatre at 53two), Spring and Port Wine (Oldham Coliseum), Ockerbys on Ice (Dukes Playhouse Lancaster), Shirley (Hope Mill Theatre), War Horse (National Theatre UK Tour), Bintou (Arcola Theatre), Accrington Pals (Chichester Theatre), Straight & Narrow (Oldham Coliseum), Not Gods But Giants (Edinburgh Traverse), The Snow Queen (The Young Vic), A Taste of Honey (Nottingham Playhouse), The Crucible (Northampton Royal Theatre), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Manchester Contact Theatre), The Idiot (Manchester Contact Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (Swan Theatre Worcester), Animal Farm (Swan Theatre Worcester), Wuthering Heights (Oldham Coliseum), The Snow Queen (York Theatre Royal), Edward II (Manchester Royal Exchange), Zack (Manchester Royal Exchange).
Television credits include: EastEnders (BBC), The Girlfriend (Amazon), The Jury (Channel 4), The Listeners (BBC), Passenger (ITV), Time (Series 2) (BBC), The Good Ship Murder (Channel 5), Vera (ITV), The Rising (SKY), The Teacher (Channel 5), Viewpoint (ITV), The Trouble with Maggie Cole (ITV), Dark Heart (ITV), In the Flesh (BBC), Homefront (ITV), White Heat (ITV), Trollied (SKY), Casualty (BBC), Doctors (BBC), Young Dracula (CBBC), Coronation Street (ITV), The Street (BBC), Holby City (BBC), Pulling (BBC), Dalziel & Pascoe (BBC), No Angels (Channel 4), Shameless (Channel 4), Born & Bred (BBC), Heartbeat (Yorkshire Television), Booze Cruise (ITV), Sons & Lovers (ITV Television), The Bill (Thames Television), My Hero (Christmas Special) (BBC), Cops II (BBC), Silent Witness (BBC), Medics (ITV), Children’s Ward (ITV).
Feature film credits include: Fackham Hall (Archery Pictures), Raining Stones (Parallax Pictures).
Amy trained at The Academy of Live & Performing Arts (ALRA North).
Theatre credits include Macbeth (Oldham Coliseum), Classic! (Hope Mill Theatre/Pleasance), Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Peter Pan (Octagon Bolton), Animal Farm (Hull Truck/Derby/Octagon), A Christmas Carol (Theatr Clwyd).
Television credits include Brassic (Sky), Casualty (BBC), Malpractice (ITV), Wedding Season (Disney+), The Full Monty (Disney+), Alma’s Not Normal (BBC) and Coronation Street (ITV). She also works extensively in voiceover, audiobook narration and is a passionate accessibility advocate.
Amy feels incredibly lucky to be part of Victoria Wood’s iconic ‘dinnerladies’ legacy and to be stepping into Bren’s overalls.
Training: BA (Hons) Acting at The Central School of Speech and Drama
Credits include: Johanna in ‘Fawlty Towers’ West End and UK Tour; Judy Porter in ‘Call the Midwife’; Nina/Siobhan/Belinda in the original production of ‘Bindweed’ at The Mercury Theatre, New Wolsey and Arcola Theatre; Factory Girl in the West End production of ‘Les Misérables’; Spa Assistant in ‘Michael McIntyre’s Big Show’; Alison in ‘Mum’s The Word’ UK Tour; Tracey in the 25th Anniversary Production of ‘Made in Dagenham’ at The London Palladium; ‘The Emperor of Moon’ at the National Theatre Studio; Baba Yaga in ‘Hansel and Gretel’ with Iris Theatre, Flora in Tennessee Williams’ ‘27 Wagons Full of Cotton’; Peggy in ‘ The War of the Worlds’; Jane in ‘Gift Return’ at The Park Theatre; Eulampia Petrovna in ‘Black Snow’ at Moscow Art Theatre.
Alongside acting, Josie has a huge passion for teaching, writing and directing and runs her own Theatre School.
As a lifelong Wood and Walters fan, Josie is honoured to be appearing in ‘dinnerladies’ and wants to thank her loved ones for their ongoing support.
Originally from Leeds, Gemma wonBest Actress in a Playat The Stage Debut Awards andBest Supporting Performanceat the UK Theatre Awards for her critically acclaimed performance as Sue in Rita, Sue and Bob Too.
Her theatre credits include:A Taste of Honey (National Theatre Tour and West End); Rita, Sue and Bob Too(Out of Joint UK Tour and Royal Court Theatre); Plenty(Chichester Festival Theatre); A Thong for Europe(Liverpool Royal Court) andAs You Like It(Northern Broadsides UK Tour).
Television credits include:The Serpent Queen(Lionsgate for Starz);Care(LA Productions); Brief Encounters(CPL Productions & ITV) andIn the Club 2(Rollem Productions Ltd for BBC1).
Jimmy graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Television and film credits include: TRIAL BY JURY (WORKING TITLE) (Channel 4);DOCTORS (BBC); BRITANNIA (Vertigo Films); EMMERDALE (ITV); THE ROYALS (Lionsgate); TOPSY & TIM (CBEEBIES); DOCTORS (BBC) and PETERLOO (Thin Man Films Ltd).
Theatre credits include: BRASSED OFF (Derby Theatre), A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM (Shakespeare North Playhouse), TWO (New Vic Theatre); THE SOCIAL (Not Too Tame); CINDERELLA (Not Too Tame/Seabright); SEE HOW THEY RUN, LATITUDE FESTIVAL; ELECTRIC EDEN – TOUR OF CHINA 2017 (Not Too Tame); LOOK BACK IN ANGER (Derby/Bolton Octagon); BRASSED OFF (Derby); FLUXORAMA (Theatre 503); EARLY DOORS (Not Too Tame/ Edinburgh); KES (Derby); Gratiano in TIS PITY SHE’S A WHORE (Cheek By Jowl), Landry in OI FOR ENGLAND (Not Too Tame); KING LEAR, MARY STUART, FESTEN, PORNOGRAPHY, SUMMERFOLK, LONDON’S CUCKOLDS, TAMING OF THE SHREW and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama).
Jimmy is the Artistic Director of Not Too Tame Theatre Company.
Training: Birmingham School of Acting
Theatre credits: ROAD, ABIGAIL’S PARTY (Royal Exchange); TILL THE STARS COME DOWN (West End, National Theatre); JUNGLE BOOK (Bolton Octagon); GREATEST DAYS (National Tour); THE POSSIBILITY OF COLOUR (New Adelphi); MAMMA MIA! (Royal Caribbean); HOLY CRAP (King’s Head); HAPPY TO HELP (Park Theatre); GOOSEBUMPS ALIVE (The Vaults); BARKING IN ESSEX (West End); WARP (National Tour); FOUR DAYS OF GRACE, PUBLIC INTEREST (New Diorama); WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (Leicester Square Theatre); THE ODYSSEY (The Playground); THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHUAN (Birmingham Drum).
Television credits: NORTHUMBRIA MYSTERIES, WATERLOO ROAD (S 17); LAGGING (S 2); OVER TO BILL; DOCTORS; MY ALMOST FAMOUS FAMILY; TWO PINTS OF LAGER AND A PACKET OF CRISPS (all for BBC).
Film credits: WOODFALLS (Tales From The Motherland).
Rachel won a Funny Women Award for Defrosted, her self-penned short about the dark side of a Disney Princess. She also wrote the comedy web series Figg & Dates, playing Jessica Figg.
Theatre: Still Life (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Springwood (Hampstead
Theatre); Dear Liar (Jermyn St); Daughter of Time (Charing Cross); Twelfth Night & Still Life
(Mill at Sonning); The Tempest; The Odyssey; For Services Rendered (all Jermyn St); The
Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare’s Globe/NYC/ International Tour); London Assurance,
Dancing At Lughnasa, Airswimming; 3 by Beckett, (all Irish Repertory Theatre New York); 39
Steps (Criterion); Julius Caesar; Two Gentlemen Of Verona; Midsummer Nights Dream;
Troilus & Cressida; Paradox (all for RSC); Hamlet (Edinburgh / International tour); Private
Lives (Hartford Stage USA); Intelligence (NYTheatre Workshop); But It Still Goes On
(Finborough); Present Laughter (St James Broadway); Miss Julie (Rose Theatre);, Bedroom
Farce (St Martin’s Lane); King Lear (Old Vic, ETT); Fortune’s Fool; The Sea (both Chichester Festival Theatre); Twelfth Night (Theatr Clwyd); An Ideal Husband (Washington Shakespeare Theatre) and The Three Sisters (Birmingham Rep).
Film work includes Wonderwoman; Schadenfreude; Chronic (winner Un Certain Regard, Cannes); AKA and Basil.
Television work includes The Gilded Age (series 2 & 3); Sister Boniface Mysteries; The Beast
Must Die; Elementary; Grantchester; Madame Secretary; Dietland; 50 Ways To Kill Your Lover; Dogtown; Garrow’s Law; Small Island; Midsomer Murders; Rosemary and Thyme; Jeffrey Archer: The Truth; Relic Hunter; Victoria and Albert and No Bananas.
Rachel is co-founder of Wild Pursuit Theatre Company.
TRAINING – Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
TV/FILM credits include: Casualty
THEATRE credits include: Kailey (UK tour), Spitting Image: The Musical (Birmingham Rep/West End) , Abigail’s Party (Harrogate Theatre), Full English (UK tour/Royal Exchange)
VOICE credits include: Shirley’s Party (BBC Radio 4)
Sarah’s extensive theatre credits include A Tale of Two Cities – The Musical (Upstairs at the
Gatehouse), two UK tours of Hot Flush The Musical (Michael Harrison); Sweeney Todd (Mrs
Lovett), Into the Woods, A Little Night Music, Songs for a New World, Girlfriends and She
Loves Me (all for All Star Productions); The Rippers 5 (Teatro Technic); The Importance of
Being Earnest (Barons Court); My Big Gay Italian Wedding UK Tour (Paul Taylor-Mills); Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (The Tabard); and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice UK Tour, directed by Jim Cartwright.
Further credits include Sex in Suburbia UK Tour (Jamie Wilson); The Producers in China
(Selladoor Worldwide); two UK tours of Menopause The Musical (Robert C. Kelly); Keeping
Up Appearances for Swanage Rep; Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web UK Tour (Paul
Taylor-Mills); and three seasons of the Sidmouth Summer Play Festival. She has also toured in Housewives on Holiday and Mum’s the Word for Red Entertainment, and appeared in Boeing Boeing at Theatre Royal Windsor for Bill Kenwright Productions.
Sarah has performed regularly for Simply Theatre in Geneva and Zurich during their Christmas seasons, with credits including The Snow Queen, Hansel and Gretel and George’s Marvellous Medicine.
Sarah is delighted to be joining the cast of such an iconic Victoria Wood show.
Alex Frost is originally from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and is a graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
His screen credits include Doctors (BBC), The Reckoning (ITV Studios), Coronation Street (ITV), Doctor Who (BBC Wales), Silent Witness (BBC), Hanna (Amazon Prime), Bulletproof (Vertigo Films for Sky 1), Cucumber (Channel 4), Banana (E4) and Home from Home (BBC).
Alex theatre credits include the UK tour of The Full Monty, based on the hit film, the New Vic Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent production of Marvellous. Following two sold-out, five-star runs, Marvellous transferred to London’s West End, where it became the opening production at Nimax Theatres’ brand new @sohoplace.
Alongside his stage and screen work, Alex has featured in international advertising campaigns for brands including Currys, Aldi, TK Maxx, Specsavers, McDonald’s and Jaguar.
Trained at The Academy of Live & Recorded Arts (ALRA) North based in Wigan.
Theatre credits include: Fawlty Towers (Phil McIntyre Live); Tom Gates (Birmingham Stage Company); Macbeth & Waiting for Waiting for Godot (53Two); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (GB Theatre); Hamlet, King Lear & Macbeth (Cream-Faced Loons) & Rob & The Hoodies (Vienna’s English Theatre). Matthew also notably played the title role of Joe Spud in the West End/National tour of Billionaire Boy (Birmingham Stage Company).
Screen credits include: The Bee-Eaters (Foliate Head Films); Sweetly It Turns (Root Puller); Learn To Loathe Yourself (Introspective Productions) & Doctors (BBC).
Theatre credits include: Orsino in Twelfth Night (HER Productions); Mary in The Reckoning (OFF CUT); Ger in Bè Carna (The Arden Rep); Conrad in Much Ado About Nothing (HER Productions) & Sylvie in John’s Demons (Päi Productions), plus regular appearances on the Manchester Fringe scene.
Screen credits include: Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures); After the Flood (Quay St Productions); Coronation Street & Emmerdale (ITV); COBRA (New Pictures/Sky) & Shameless (Company Pictures).
Angela is absolutely thrilled to be joining the company of the UK Tour of Dinnerladies.
Tyne graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2020 and previously she trained in Musical Theatre at Millennium Performing Arts.
Theatre credits include Sleeping Beauty (Theatre Royal Stratford East), The Gunpowder Plot (Tower Vaults) and Heretics (The Union Theatre).
Credits whilst training include Amelia in Dirty Butterfly (Mountview), and Queen Elizabeth in Richard III (Mountview).
This marks her UK TOUR debut and she is delighted to join the cast of Dinnerladies.
