20 Best British TV Comedy Characters Of All Time
5. Mrs Overall - Acorn Antiques
Although it was only a series of five-minute sketches within Victoria Wood as Seen on TV, Acorn Antiques is one of the funniest spoofs ever produced, all thanks to the comic genius of the aforementioned Wood. The parody show was based on the soap opera Crossroads and radio series Waggoners’ Walk. The premise looked at the lives and loves of the staff at an antique shop. The storylines are implausible, the performances are ropey and the production values are blindingly low.
The series is laughable because the directing and acting made the show look like it was genuinely shambolic, as if it were a real soap opera. It was able to make subtle jabs at current series’ such as EastEnders and Coronation Street for their ridiculous plot points and corny acting. Recurring gags on the show included missed cues, visible filming equipment and mis-pronunciation of words.
Julie Walters as Mrs Overall, the elderly tea lady, truly embodies everything that made Acorn Antiques so funny. With her hunched posture and exaggerated mannerisms, Walters has perfect comical timing in how she delivers each line of dialogue. And one sight the viewers won’t forget – Mrs O in a revealing leotard.