Victoria Wood's sitcom revived as a new stage show

Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies are heading back to the HWD Components canteen – with an new stage show.

The touring production, written by Beth and Emma Kilcoyne, is the first piece of new work based on Wood’s back catalogue to be commissioned by her estate.

It will star Les Dennis as Stan, the canteen's maintenance man, but the rest of the cast yet to be announced.

He said Wood’s fans would be ‘in for a treat’, adding: ‘I’m so thrilled to be on board…

‘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.  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 can’t wait to see which fantastic actresses will be bringing these amazing Dinnerladies characters to life – they're all such fantastic roles.’

A spokesperson for the Victoria Wood estate said the story was ‘inspired by the original TV series’, adding they hoped it ‘will take theatregoers straight back to the delights of the canteen and characters they grew to love.’

The director will be stage comedy expert Sean Foley – whose credits include The Play What I Wrote,  Dr Strangelove,  and Upstart Crow. It is being produced by Phil McIntyre Productions, with Foley's company Sustainable Entertainment

Twin sister Beth and Emma Kilcoyne are best known writing two series of the BBC Two sitcom Roger and Val Have Just Got In, starring Dawn French and Alfred Molina and previously performed on the live circuit as Live! Girls!, who had a 2006 BBC Three series, Dogtown.

Sixteen episodes of Dinnerladies aired over two series on BBC One from late 1998 to early 2000, attracting 15.3million viewers at its peak.

The play will open at the Opera House in Manchester in January 2027, before touring theatres around the UK until August. The first dates go on sale today.

Wood died in 2016 at the age of 62. The Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District was recently renamed in her honour. 

DINNERLADIES TOUR DATES 2027

January 22-23: Churchill Theatre, Bromley
January 26-February 6: Opera House, Manchester
February 9-13: Venue Cymru, Llandudno
February 16-20: Theatre Royal, Bath
February 23-27: Grand Opera House, York
March 2-6: Birmingham Hippodrome
March 9-13: Stockton Globe
March 16-20: Milton Keynes Theatre
March 23-27: Congress Theatre, Eastbourne
March 31-April 3: Blackpool Opera House
April 6-10: New Theatre, Cardiff
April 13-17: New Theatre, Hull
April 20-24: Theatre Royal, Nottingham
April 27-May 1: New Theatre, Wimbledon
May 4-8: Regent Theatre, Ipswich
May 11-15: Princess Theatre, Torquay
May 18-22: Hall for Cornwall, Truro
May 25-29: Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth
June 1-5: Royal & Derngate, Northampton
June 8-12: Regent Theatre, Stoke
June 15-19: G Live, Guildford
June 22-26: Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
June 29-July 3: Grand Theatre, Leeds
July 5: Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
July 13-17: Empire, Liverpool
July 20-24: Hexagon, Reading
July 27-31: City Hall, Sheffield
August 3-7: Cliffs Pavilion, Southend

Published: 29 Jun 2026