Wood and Walters - Background

Background

Both women had first met at Manchester Polytechnic in 1970, Wood was hoping to enroll, and Walters was coming to the end of her course. They met again in 1978 when they both appeared in the same revue In At The Death at The Bush Theatre in London.

Wood had been initially spotted by Granada’s head of drama, Peter Eckersley, performing in her self-written play Talent at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, who asked her to recreate it for television (his widow is actress Anne Reid, who would appear as Jean in Wood’s 1998 sitcom dinnerladies). The TV version of Talent and its sequel Nearly A Happy Ending, would also co-star Walters.