Victoria Wood’s long-standing friendships, love of the Lake District and close connection to The Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness-on-Windermere comes full circle, as the intimate theatre is to be renamed THE VICTORIA WOOD THEATRE in honour of the much loved and talented star, who will continue to shine brightly, when the theatre is officially renamed in January 2026.
Victoria Wood’s friends, the husband-and-wife team, Charlotte Scott and Roger Glossop MBE, who run The Old Laundry Theatre could not have wished for a more joyous name change for their theatre. Victoria had opened the venue, was a Trustee of the theatre, performed there many times, produced and directed her own show Talent (2008) there, and in 2013 her television film Housewife 49 was adapted for the stage especially for The Old Laundry Theatre.
In 2026, it will be ten years since Victoria died, and to keep her name alive at the newly named, THE VICTORIA WOOD THEATRE, what could be more perfect than to bring her genius music and lyrics back to life, with a brand-new musical at the theatre, FOURTEEN AGAIN, using songs from her Victoria Wood Song Book Lucky Bag! With a book by Tom MacRae writer and lyricist of the global hit Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, all is set for a magical new musical, FOURTEEN AGAIN. Booking opens Sunday 9 November 2025. Previews from Friday 1 May 2026 (Press Night Thursday 7 May 2026); with a Gala Night on what would have been Victoria’s birthday, Tuesday 19 May 2026.
Victoria, Charlotte and Roger’s paths first crossed professionally in 1978, and they quickly became firm friends, living close to each other in Morecambe and Bowness-on-Windemere. They collaborated throughout their careers, starting with Roger designing Good Fun at the Crucible Theatre Sheffield. Roger and Charlotte bought a former Edwardian laundry in Bowness-on-Windemere, where the hoteliers of Bowness had once sent their sheets for washing, and there they opened The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction in 1991, and, of course, Victoria officially opened it on 28 July 1991 and the following year, the Old Laundry Theatre was opened by Alan Ayckbourn.
Charlotte says “With young families in tow (hers & ours) we followed Vic’s career as she toured up and down the country always returning to re-charge in the Lake District. By the time we opened the venue in 1991, followed by the theatre in 1992, Vic, together with Alan Rickman, Griff Rhys Jones, Andre Ptaszynski, Peter James, and Alan Ayckbourn all became Trustees and the journey began. Vic was always supportive - performing at The Old Laundry in her stand up, doing benefits in larger venues, and productions of her own shows Talent and Housewife 49 at the theatre. So now 10 years after her death it is a great delight to be putting on this show, and Vic’s name is on the theatre - we are set for the next 30+ years!”
The musical FOURTEEN AGAIN begins when Peggy is reunited with Lou at the local Slimming Club, her best friend from school, who she hasn’t seen since they were teenagers. As kids, no two friends were ever funnier or more fun, but here, now, today they are shadows of their younger selves - and a story unfolds of looking back to the future, full of comedy, love and pain, with Victoria’s amazing songs moving the musical fast forward. Casting to be announced.
Producer Charlotte Scott has brought together a top creative team for FOURTEEN AGAIN, with all roads somehow leading back to Victoria and/or The Old Laundry Theatre; to bring Victoria’s glorious talent through Tom MacRaes’ storytelling, to a whole new generation of fans.
Double BAFTA-nominated screenwriter, producer, Olivier-nominated playwright, author and songwriter Tom MacRae says, “I was honoured to write Victoria’s final TV show, we got to swap stories about working at The Crucible - a theatre where she had cut her teeth and where my first ever stage show, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, was about to open. Working with Vic again on a brand-new stage show feels like we’ve come full circle – and yes, creating Fourteen Again has felt very much like working with Vic, even though we sadly can’t collaborate in person anymore. Her joy and genius loom large over everything we’ve built. I wanted to create a show that is genuinely dramatic and surprising, with high stakes and real tension, as well as celebrating Vic’s innate sense of comedy and the warmth of her world, populated with loveable, relatable characters and celebrating friendship.
“My starting point was The Ballad Of Barry And Freda - what if my central character shared Vic’s love of telling hilarious stories about ordinary people. Also, Vic wrote several songs about being a child again, which got me thinking about adding a time travel element with a Scrooge-like opportunity to live your life again, but this time do it better. The one song that was tricky to place was Litter Bin about a teenage mum abandoning a child in a bin in a multistorey carpark. It was just so sad. How could I introduce that idea into a comedy? And then I had a brainwave – and that brainwave unlocked an idea that the entire show is now built around. Left to my own devices, I don’t know if I ever would have integrated such a tragic element into such an upbeat story. So, thanks Vic, my amazing and inspirational collaborator – I owe you one.”
Nigel Lilley, Victoria‘s Musical Director and close friend, will MD & Musical Supervise FOURTEEN AGAIN says “After having such a hit with Talent in 1978 it seems crazy that it took Vic over 25 years to venture back into the world of musicals with Acorn Antiques. By the time we worked on That Day We Sang in 2014 it felt like she was absolutely in her happy place, and I have no doubt that had she lived longer she would have had so many more glorious musicals to offer us. Vic's ability to flip between side-splitting comedy and devastating pathos in an instant remains unmatched for me. Going back to her songs in preparation for Fourteen Again I was struck again by the exquisite and meticulous skill in her writing - and yet the music and lyrics still feel so effortless on the ear. Vic was always on the search for new and original projects. I think she'd be cheering us on loudly with Tom's brilliant new script which honours her songs so beautifully.”
Award-winning Director Jonathan O’Boyle says “I am over the moon to be working on a new musical from Victoria Wood and Tom MacRae. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it’s a privilege to be able to work with Victoria’s fantastic songs and Tom’s extraordinary book. I grew up in Derby, watching Victoria Wood’s Dinner Ladies on TV. Her humour and joy spoke to me and inspired me to work in theatre. Tom has managed to somehow seamlessly write a new work whilst honouring Victoria and it feels so very human and relatable”.
FOURTEEN AGAIN
at
THE VICTORIA WOOD THEATRE
Friday 1 May 2026 – Saturday 23 May 2026
22 performances only.
Performances: 7.30pm - Tuesday - Saturday
Matinees: 2.30pm – Wednesdays & Saturdays + Thursdays (from 14/05)
Box Office: 015394 40872
Website: www.oldlaundrytheatre.co.uk
Press Night: Thursday 7 May 2026
Gala Night: Tuesday 19 May 2026
Picture by Catherine-Ashmore
