Victoria Wood Exhibition – Happy Birthday Victoria!

The 19^th May 2026 would have been Victoria Wood’s 73^rd birthday, and 2026 marks the 10^thanniversary of her passing.

To celebrate the life and achievements of Bury’s most famous daughter, Bury Art Museum is adding to its major new exhibition devoted to the much-loved entertainer, which opened in April this year.

On display will be the famous yellow beret worn by Victoria when she played the much-loved character Kimberley’s Friend. The beret has previously been on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Working in conjunction with the 'Victoria Wood Literary Estate', and her family members, Bury Art Museum is delighted to share original scripts, song sheets and photos all once belonging to Victoria, brought together in this exhibition to remember and celebrate her life.

Among the items featured are:

• Notebooks full of Victoria's ideas, and original lyrics for the song The Ballad of Barry and Freda (“Let's Do It”)
• Photos from her childhood in Bury, her teenage years and as a student at Birmingham University
• Scripts, some of which are handwritten and annotated by Victoria, including Talent, Victoria Wood Presents, Dinnerladies, As Seen on TV, Housewife 49 and Acorn Antiques the Musical
• Victoria's awards, including her OBE, CBE and her BAFTAs

The exhibition will also include a video montage, which shows behind the scenes footage of the filming of 'Victoria Wood's All Day Breakfast', which was broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day 1992, and a recording of a rehearsal of ' Dinnerladies ' before a live audience.

Characters from her stand-up routine, such as Kimberley's Friend and Hayley Bailey, the step aerobics instructor, can be seen, as can Victoria performing the song The Ballad of Barry & Freda (“Let's Do it”).

This exhibition also features the work of photographers Andy Hollingworth and Harry Borden, whose work shows many of Victoria’s collaborators. Manchester artist Stanley Chow has created a new artwork of Victoria for the exhibition.

Susan Lord, museum and exhibition curator, said: “We are thrilled to hold this exhibition in this most important year, and we are grateful to Victoria’s Literary Estate and her family for lending us so many items relating to Victoria’s award-winning career and her home life too.”

Bury Art Museum is open from 10am to 5pm (Tuesday to Friday) and from 10am to 4.30pm on Saturday. Admission is free.