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

But, nearly 10 years on, with the star absent from the list of performers, David Graham’s skilful stage adaptation is a resounding success, mainly thanks to Wood’s sparkling writing – a real boon, no doubt, for this sterling cast.

Wood took an ordinary setting – a fictional Manchester factory canteen – and created something extraordinary.

She portrays comedy and tragedy with scenarios that are both amusing and touching.

The canteen set, designed by Malvern Hostick, is extremely authentic and a 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 believing in these richly drawn characters.

We do, however, have to keep 100 per cent focused on the spoken word so as not to miss the many witticisms and frequent 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.