THERE was only ever half-an-hour in total of the timeless spoof soap opera, Acorn Antiques, in the original BBC1 series of Victoria Wood As Seen On TV, but 21 years later those sketches have taken on legendary status, viewed as iconic moments in TV history.

Victoria's diehard fans, The Woodettes, often gather together to re-enact the antics of the hilariously rubbish cleaner Mrs Overall (Julie Walters), the impossibly posh shop-owner, Miss Babs (Celia Imrie), her loyal assistant, Miss Berta (Victoria Wood), and their forgetful friend Mr Clifford (Duncan Preston).

Acorn Antiques regularly tops polls of The Greatest Comedy Sketch of All Time.

So it was an inspired idea of Victoria's to draw on such well-loved material to create Acorn Antiques The Musical! which sold out its entire 16-week West End run last year.

Now Bournemouth audiences can see it as the equally successful UK tour - freshly directed by Wood herself - moves into the Pavilion Theatre for a week's run tonight.

Boasting a new cast, the show charts Miss Babs' desperate battle to keep her struggling antiques business alive as shop after shop in the Manchesterford high street is being closed to make way for faceless chain stores.

Acorn Antiques The Musical! is an all-singing, all-dancing show, which features such priceless moments as Mrs Overall singing about why she prefers a cup of tea to illegal drugs any day.

Can Miss Babs afford to reject an offer from The Guilty Bean? And if the anonymous retail corporation does take over, will it keep on the shop's ageless cleaner and tea-maker, Mrs Overall? Will Mr Clifford's memory return, and will he ever remember to whom he's engaged? And, most crucially of all, will Mrs Overall be able to tap-dance while holding onto her trademark tea-tray?

Reflecting on the lasting affection audiences feel towards Acorn Antiques, Victoria Wood said: "When I started thinking about turning it into a musical, what I didn't quite realise was quite how wedded people are to those characters.

"Why has Acorn Antiques proved so enduringly popular? It was the first spoof soap and the first send-up of all those wobbly cameras, shaky sets and actors forgetting their lines.

"In 1985, when Acorn Antiques started, everybody knew about how laughable Crossroads was, but no one had ever articulated it before. It just took off and became a bit of a phenomenon.

"They became a big hit with gay men. They used to play Acorn Antiques on big screens in gay clubs. I wasn't there, of course, but certain gentlemen told me that happened!"

She reckons that the scarcity of Acorn Antiques sketches only added to the attraction.

"They had energy and a certain style. It was one of those moments where everything just gelled. But there was only ever half an hour of material from the TV series all in all, and that left audiences wanting more.

"Before it opened in the West End, my only wish was to get people laughing. I just hoped the show would give audiences a fun night out.

"It's a joyous experience writing songs, and the thought of putting a lot of them together in a story and seeing them brought to life was really energising.

"There is nothing more uplifting than being in an auditorium when a musical is really flying. The sheer noise of the orchestra combines with the energy of the cast singing and dancing to create an exhilarating experience."