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dinnerladies
Overview
Dinnerladies is a BBC sitcom written by and starring Victoria Wood that chronicles the antics of a group of workers in a canteen in the north of England. Bren tries to maintain a semblance of order in amongst the chaos, while dealing with the canteen supervisor, slightly sex-obsessed cancer sufferer Tony. Dolly and Jean are the bickering menopausal older women, always at odds but best friends beneath it all. Then there's thick-as-two-short-planks Anita, and the terminally uninterested Twinkle, more concerned with having a good time than anything else. Making up the motley crew are military man handyman Stan, all rules and regulations, and ditzy Philippa, who never seems to get anything right.
Status
Ended
Created By
Victoria Wood
Network
BBC Two
Seasons & Episodes
Season 2
Episodes
Catering
Friday 9th April 1999: The canteen is being painted over the weekend. But when the decorators arrive early, Bren has to cope with all manner of inconvenience.
Trouble
Monday 21st June 1999: A bad atmosphere hangs over the canteen as Jean is in a foul mood following her husband Keith's decision to leave her for a Welsh dental hygienist.
Holidays
Thursday 5th August 1999: Bren is excited by the prospect of going to Marbella with Tony. Meanwhile, Stan and Petula have less reason to be joyful.
Fog
Monday 1st November 1999: Tony's holiday photo, the visiting blood donor unit and an escaped prisoner are all contributing factors to Bren's bad day.
Gamble
Tuesday 21st December 1999: It's nearly Christmas and all Bren's festivities are currently amounting to are three Carry On films and some spaghetti hoops. Meanwhile, the other ladies indulge in a bit of a flutter, and Stan has a bone to pick with Philippa.
Christmas
Thursday 23rd December 1999: Bren's past has caught up with her and it looks as though she and Tony are off the menu as far as romance is concerned, causing her to contemplate handing her notice in.
Minnellium
Friday 31st December 1999: Philippa is getting in a flap over the factory's millennium dinner and transporting all the staff and equipment to the venue on time. But the discovery of something on the fire escape diverts everyone's attention.
Christine
Monday 10th January 2000: Anita's replacement, the terminally flatulent Christine, proves a hit with Dolly but falls foul of the other ladies.
Gravy
Monday 7th February 2000: The new self-clear system does not find favour with Bren, Petula delivers some shocking news, and Tony is making plans.
Toast
Tuesday 29th February 2000: Tony and Bren's future is riding on her success on Totally Trivial. Yet while she prepares for her big moment, Stan and the girls receive bad news regarding the canteen. Series Finale
Top Cast
Maxine Peake
Twinkle
Thelma Barlow
Dolly Bellfield
Anne Reid
Jean
Shobna Gulati
Anita
Duncan Preston
Stan Meadowcroft
Victoria Wood
Brenda
Celia Imrie
Philippa Moorcroft
Andrew Dunn
Tony Martin
