This week, I’m going to be discussing Audible’s production of Let’s Do It: The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood by Jasper Rees. Narration is from a large cast of her close friends – Julie Walters, Jasper Rees, Kate Robbins, Richenda Carey, Jane Wymark, Daniel Rigby, David Threlfall, Anne Reid, Susie Blake, Duncan Preston & Celia Imrie.
Let’s Do It
Warts and all
They say ‘never meet your heroes’. Your expectations of what they are like on stage will never match up to their real persona. It would seem especially true of comedians. They often seem to be mired with self-doubt and depression, when not in front of a responsive audience. When this Audible production of Let’s Do It first began, this phrase about never meeting them loomed large in my head.
Oliver Cromwell famously told his portrait artist to paint him ‘warts and all’. Cromwell apparently wanted to distance himself from the vanity of preceding monarchs, who had consistently ordered idealised paintings of themselves. Jasper Rees was clearly told something similar by Wood’s estate because he does not pull any punches.
Rees also opens Let’s Do It for an extraordinary cast of Wood’s friends, who provide the narration. It’s fair to say that it’s not an easy start. Indeed, the rather dour Rees is a bit of a contrast to the chirpier actors who follow. His introduction warns us that the portrait he will draw is considerably distanced from the warm-hearted stage character. I will admit that I feared a ‘hatchet job’ and almost stopped listening.
I am glad that I did not walk away, however, because Rees’ Let’s Do It is meticulously-researched. And it is, ultimately, an extremely moving portrait of a complex, comic genius. As such, I suppose that one has to consider what it is one really wants from a biography. Do you want the truth, or fawning fluff?
The Truth
Victoria Wood cared passionately for her writing. Having taken such time to craft it, she was defensive, wanting it to be used precisely. Cue various actors recounting her constant reprimands for being inaccurate. Some might see this as the writer being ‘difficult’, others might respect her right to be passionate about her work. Having read many of her scripts, I can attest to their brilliance on the page. As such, I think she had every right to want to protect them.
Let’s Do It is also a reminder that comedians have life problems, just like everyone else. If they do not seem as bubbly as you might wish them to be, you have to consider that they might be going though something. Families, illnesses and the usual stresses and strains of daily life throw up problems just as much for celebrities as for us ordinary folk! Wood also fiercely protected her privacy and did not want her health problems to become widely known. Thus, you begin to understand how some people who encountered her found it difficult to reconcile the public with the private.
A Life
Let’s Do It charts an extraordinary career. Wood became a star singing songs on programmes like New Faces and That’s Life. Her early struggles with the demands of a sketch show, partnered with the equally awesome Julie Walters are sobering. Wood & Walters was not a huge hit but Wood bounced back. Something which is testament to Wood’s steely determination.
One of the joys of the book is to hear just how many of her sketches were inspired by real-life events. Including, my personal favourite, Two Soups…
As Seen On TV
Let’s Do It covers the creation of Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV. This was undoubtedly Victoria Wood’s zenith. It contained multiple sketches and songs, which are now burned into the collective consciousness. I remember aching with pain at laughing so much the first time I saw the Two Soups sketch (see above). This sketch perfectly illustrates both the economy of Wood’s writing and Walters’ comic physicality.
Within Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV is the sublime Acorn Antiques and Walters’ masterpiece of a character, Mrs Overall. A fantastic excoriation of Crossroads, with its wobbly sets and bizarre storylines, I adored Acorn Antiques. It is fantastic to hear just how difficult the cast found it to keep a straight face. Particularly when Mrs Overall surprised them with her ‘work out’ leotard, when the antiques shop inexplicably became a leisure centre. Just watch Duncan Preston’s face to see how tough he found it!
What glorious songs there were too! Let’s Do It (see below) lent its name for the title of the book, and is perhaps her most famous, but there are many other classics.
Ending
Even though we know it is coming, the premature conclusion of Victoria Wood’s life is devastating. I am probably a bit emotional, a year into this tiresome lockdown, but I wept. Her final days are beautifully related. Anne Reid reads them sensitively, proving herself one of the more natural narrators in this production. It is an emotional coda to a wonderful life’s journey.
Mercifully, however, the Audible production does not end on this tragedy but upon Wood singing Let’s Do It. We are thus reminded how lucky we are to have her work to console us. The loss of Victoria Wood is terrible. Yet she blazed a glorious trail and this production does a decent job of exploring it. It is clear from listening to Let’s Do It, that it takes blood, sweat and toil to make us laugh this much. So, thank you, Victoria. Thank you.