dinnerladies

"dinnerladies" is a British sitcom set in the canteen of a fictional factory in Manchester following the interactions of the staff as they go about their daily business. The main character is the ever dependable deputy manager Bren (Victoria Wood), who has an ongoing relationship with sarcastic canteen manager Tony (Andrew Dunn). They are joined by prim and prudish Dolly (Thelma Barlow) and her waspish friend Jean (Anne Reid), young slacker Twinkle (Maxine Peake) and dim-witted Anita (Shobna Gulati). Maintenance man Stan (Duncan Preston) likes to regale his colleagues with unlikely stories about his father's antics as a Desert Rat and cheery human resources manager Philippa (Celia Imrie) makes a number of well-meaning attempts to streamline the workplace but they usually end in disaster. Julie Walters pops in on occasion to steal the show as Bren's self-centred and delusional mother Petula (real name Brenda). Created by Wood, it premiered on BBC One in 1998 and ran for two series. Re-runs appear regularly on Gold.