There were just 16 episodes of the Victoria Wood-penned comedy series that ran on BBC 1 from 1998-2000.

But ten years on, with the comedienne absent from the cast, David Graham’s skilful stage adaptation is a resounding success thanks to her sparkling writing - a real boon, no doubt, for this sterling cast.

Set in a fictional Manchester factory canteen, Wood took an ordinary setting and created something extraordinary. She portrays both comedy and tragedy with scenarios that are both comical and touching.

The canteen set, designed by Malvern Hostick, is extremely authentic and a surtitle device built into it tells us of the passing of time over an eight month period.

The set doesn’t change and there is very little physical drama but we find ourselves drawn to these richly drawn characters. We do, however, have to keep 100 per cent focused on the spoken word if we are not to miss the many witticisms and frequent sexual innuendos that make this show such a hoot.

The central story is the slowly blossoming romance between Bren (with Laura Sheppard playing Victoria Wood’s part to a tee) and Tony (the very believable original cast member Andrew Dunn), as their fellow workers have bets on whether they will get it together before Christmas.

This world premiere national tour also features the original TV actress Sue Devaney as Jane with the rest of the crew being dead ringers for the BBC cast.

Whether you were a follower of the TV series, or not, this is a feast of fun. It runs until Saturday.