Acorn Antiques

[DRW50]

With the passing of Victoria Wood, I had to start a topic for Acorn Antiques, her spoof soap. A direct spoof of Crossroads, which really was not this ridiculous in terms of errors and screwups, but still, it was good for chuckles. What makes these even more amusing to me is Duncan Preston went on to appear in various soaps, most notably Emmerdale. 

 

This is my favorite, as it is one long joke at the expense of the "new look Crossroads," which also had a new, outside opening credits shot, and added a health spa to the hotel. 

 

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This is another I enjoyed, especially the not-so-veiled poke at "Anyone Can Fall In Love" at the end. (actually this leads to a playlist - it's episode 2 on there)

 

 

Victoria Wood really loved soaps and talked about it in more than one interview. I don't know how she felt about modern soaps, but then the past is the best anyway. I remember her talking about how all the great soap matriarchs had big bosoms, and Annie Sugden could knock someone out with hers. It made me laugh.

[Bright Eyes]

I was going to say that in the Corrie clip the woman playing Martha Longhurst reminded me of Julie Walters, and thanks to the credits in the first clip my foolish self saw that it actually was. I should trust my instincts more. I love Julie Walters so much. Thanks for posting.

 

Is it wrong that I don't think Duncan Preston's character here is all that much different than Doug? A few tweaks are all that would be needed. That handkerchief was killing me.

[Vee]

That is the weirdest thing I've ever seen and I love it.

 

It's odd that my first experience with Celia Imrie was her random cameo as a fighter pilot in The Phantom Menace, of all things. I guess George Lucas had developed a yen for the Brits with all the time he spent over there doing the original SW films, but he used so many familiar British performers in strange ways.

[Adamski]

Such a shock to lose Victoria Wood. The Corrie sketch is genius, love it! 

[DRW50]

Apparently she auditioned for Anakin's mother. 

 

I mostly knew her from Doctor Who, where she had a disturbing turn on the generic RTD/Moffat-era female antagonist. I didn't realize for ages this was the same woman. 

 

If you haven't watched episode 12, you might enjoy it - it's a spoof of Crossroads firing several beloved, longtime cast members at this point and dispatching of the characters in rushed, random ways (one of them, Diane AKA "Miss Di," collapsed and died of a brain tumor in the space of one episode, with her memory being "honored" by having a donkey named after her).