Actress Sue Cleaver has said Victoria Wood would be “over the moon” with a new stage adaptation of beloved sitcom Dinnerladies, which she hailed as “a celebration of her legacy”.
Best known as Eileen Grimshaw in ITV soap Coronation Street, Cleaver is among the famous faces joining the new production, which is the first to be commissioned by Wood’s estate since her death in 2016 at the age of 62.
The 63-year-old, who featured in the show as a recurring character, will take the stage as cynical canteen worker Jean, who was played by Anne Reid in the show.
She said the script it “blew her away” and that it had been “beautifully adapted” from Wood’s show.
The show, created, written and co-produced by Wood, aired on the from 1998 to 2000 and followed the workplace dramas of the staff and regulars in a canteen at a factory in Manchester.
More than 25 years on, Cleaver told Radio Manchester the sitcom, which ran for two series was “observational comedy at its finest”.
She said: “I’m thrilled to be doing it.
“It’s such a celebration of Vic’s work. It’s about the celebration of her and her legacy.
“I think she’d be over the moon and I’m very excited to be a part of it.”
Cleaver added: “There’s no way [the audience] are not going to be able to enjoy this show.
“It’s a British classic and nobody writes the way Vic writes.
“If you’ve never been in a theatre in your life, make this the one time that you do come because it won’t let you down.”