Star to host charity benefit

Victoria Wood is to perform her first stand-up in almost a decade.

She will host a charity night of female comedians in aid of the British Heart Foundation, which will be beamed live to 29 cinemas across the UK.

The benefit, called the Angina Monologues, will take place on Sunday December 5 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London, but also screened in Vue Cinemas.

It is part of a campaign alerting women to the dangers of heart disease, which kills three times more women than breast cancer.

Wood said: ‘Like most women, I thought heart disease was something that only affected men, like nose hair and not washing big dirty pans. We need to spread the word.

‘The Angina Monologues will bring together our most fantastically funny women for a night of stand-up, sketches and music. We all need a bit of hearty laughter.’

Jo Brand and Andi Osho will also be on the bill.<

Wood has just recorded her role as Eric Morecambe's mother Sadie in a BBC Two film about the early days of the Morecambe and Wise, which will be shown over Christmas. The 57-year-old recently complained she didn’t feel trusted or valued by the BBC despite her track record in comedy.

As a stand-up she toured for more than 20 years, and holds the record at the Royal Albert Hall for 15 consecutive sold-out shows. She returned to the venue to perform her last comedy gigs in 2001.

She is currently working on a screenplay about the classical pianist Joyce Hatto, who fraudulently released other people’s recordings under her own name. It will be filmed next year.

Click here for more details of the Angina Monologues.

Published: 22 Nov 2010