A look back at the life and work of one of Britain's greatest comediennes, featuring interviews with those who worked alongside Victoria.

A documentary about how a Chinese laundryman’s daughter became an international star, a member of high society, an activist and an artist despite the racism and sexism of the day. Anna May Wong (1905-1961) was a premier Chinese American film star and stage actress who achieved worldwide fame and popularity in the 1920s and the 1930s.

A documentary about how a Chinese laundryman’s daughter became an international star, a member of high society, an activist and an artist despite the racism and sexism of the day. Anna May Wong (1905-1961) was a premier Chinese American film star and stage actress who achieved worldwide fame and popularity in the 1920s and the 1930s.

Victoria Wood was a series of six one-off situation comedies written by and starring Victoria Wood in 1989, who took a break from sketches, two years after her very successful and award winning series Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. Wood appeared as "Victoria", a fictionalised version of herself, in all six episodes - in The Library it was said that she "worked in TV" and in Over To Pam characters appeared to recognise her celebrity and in the final episode, Staying In, she was taken to a party to perform as a comedienne and was expected to go through her stand-up 'routine'. Her character often broke the 'fourth wall' of TV and spoke directly to the camera, but not in every episode.Bored with the sketch format and with a yearning to recapture previous success as a playwright, Wood came up with six individual sitcoms as a compromise. She admitted to finding the writing difficult. Though Wood was written as the central character, other lead parts were written with specific actresses in mind, like Julie Walters and Una Stubbs. "I want people to like me and the people who play my friends, and not everybody else" she said. Screenonline says of the shows "Modest in ambition and scale but rich in wit and acuity, the six playlets showcase Wood's eye for human foibles and her distinctively eccentric characters.".

Documenting the lives the most pivotal voices of the 20th century

A story about people who succeed in life thanks to nothing but their own efforts. Maria do Carmo is the main character of the telenovela; a mother of five who struggle to be successful in life, but whose most important will be recovering the love of her daughter who was kidnapped when she was just months old.

Back in 2009, Victoria wrote a list of her favourite moments from her seminal 80s series, intending to use it as a compilation show of self-selected best bits. The list remained locked away in her personal office until now. It features familiar favourites and often overlooked gems, but as these two programmes explore, the chosen sketches serve as a prediction of what was to come in an unparalleled career that crossed just about every genre of stage and screen.

British comedy legend Victoria Wood entertains a star-studded audience including Julie Walters, Judi Dench and Dawn French in this 1988 special. Watch her crack jokes, play the piano and answer light-hearted questions.