She’s back! Victoria Wood’s smashed statue repaired and unveiled in her home town

The smashed bronze statue of the late Victoria Wood has finally been repaired and reinstated in her home town – after a car crashed into it last year. The cherished ‘Dinnerladies’ TV comedienne and mother-of-two tragically died aged 62 back in April 2016 after bravely battling terminal cancer.

A statue by artist Graham Ibbeson – who also created the Eric Morecambe monument in Lancashire – was unveiled in her hometown of Bury, Greater Manchester, in 2019 after a £20,000 Crowdfunding campaign. But on 3rd June 2024 Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Bury Council confirmed a taxi registered in Wolverhampton crashed into the bronze artwork and knocked it completely over.

No, after repair works were carried out, it was returned on Wednesday afternoon to its rightful spot at Church Gardens in Bury.

Her brother Chris Foote-Wood said: “Victoria died at the height of her powers, and she left a great legacy.

“As her elder brother I wanted to do something to make sure her legacy stayed alive and there was something to remember her by.

“I did get a shock when someone called me and said my sister had been knocked down! But I’m grateful to the council for sorting everything out, and at no cost to the taxpayer.

“The sculptor Graham Ibbeson and the people who worked on the statue have done a great job putting her back together again where she belongs.

“To amend the Sinatra song New York, New York – ‘Victoria Wood, so good, we unveiled her twice!’”

The memorial was put in place in the town following an initiative that included members of Victoria’s family, members of her literary estate, and the council.

The statue captures Victoria performing one of her stand-up comedy shows, holding a microphone and wearing her trade-mark long jacket.

Cllr Charlotte Morris, cabinet member for culture and economy, added: “I am delighted to see Victoria Wood’s statue return to the town centre in Bury.

“Victoria Wood was a national treasure, and we are proud to call her one of our own. She was much-loved across Bury and beyond for her comedy, talent, and positivity.

“I hope that the statue continues to provide inspiration to all our budding Bury comedians, and serve as a loving memorial for her family, friends, and fans.”

On Wednesday a brass band from Bury Music Service played songs before and after the unveiling and the statue was blessed by the Rev Kate Brady McKenna, minister of Bury Unitarian Church.

Photographs from just after the car crash incident showed the wrecked vehicle perched on top of the life-size statue, which was lying flat on the ground having been ripped from its base, and cordoned off.

At the time of the crash the comedian’s brother Chris said: “Victoria always was tough and her bronze statue even more so. She’ll be back good as new very soon.”

The statue of the Bafta award-winning comedian was commissioned after she died from cancer in 2016 at the age of 62.

Regarded as a comedy legend and one of TV’s most beloved stars in the 1980s, the BAFTA-winning actress and writer was born in Prestwich and brought up in Bury.

Wood began her career in the 1970s after appearing on television talent show, New Faces.

But she soared to stardom in the following decade with series include Wood and Walters, Victoria Wood As Seen on TV, and Acorn Antiques.

One of her most memorable shows was An Audience With… when she performed the “Let’s Do It” song entitled ‘The Ballad of Barry and Freda’ featuring the immortal line: “Not bleakly, Not meekly, Beat me on the bottom with the Woman’s weekly.”

The statue depicts Victoria performing one of her stand-up comedy shows, holding a microphone and wearing her trade-mark long jacket.

In May last year, a new plaque was unveiled at the statue which outlines her life and work.

It features several colour photographs of the multi-talented star including one with one of the several Baftas she won for her performing, writing and acting.