Housewife, 49
Encyclopedia
Housewife, 49 was a 2006 television drama based on the wartime diaries of Nella Last
. Written by and starring English actress and comedian Victoria Wood
, it follows the experiences of an ordinary housewife and mother in the Northern English town of Barrow-in-Furness
, Cumbria
during the Second World War.
It was first broadcast in the UK by ITV
on 10 December 2006.
In some scenes, the staff of Mass Observation are seen reacting to, and sometimes visibly moved by, her letters. During the course of the programme, Last moves from being an introverted, isolated, and depressed individual in a difficult marriage, to become an outgoing character who, through her voluntary work during wartime, becomes a backbone of the local community. At the end of the programme it is explained that Nella continued to write to Mass Observation until her death in 1968. The original diary together with hundreds of other diaries and Mass Observation's other papers are available to the public at the Mass Observation Archive at the University of Sussex.
It also documents the lead character's changing relationships with those around her; standing up to her domineering husband (David Threlfall
), developing a close but sometimes strained friendship with Mrs Waite (Stephanie Cole
) the head of the Local Women's Voluntary Service, and her changing relationships with her eldest son Arthur (Ben Crompton
), and her younger son Cliff
(Christopher Harper) who is changed by his experiences of combat. It is also implied that Cliff, who in real life became a sculptor in Australia, was gay; although Nella does not realise this.
in 2007: "Best Single Drama", and Victoria Wood
won "Best Actress" for her portrayal of Nella Last.
Nella Last
Nella Last was a housewife who lived in Barrow-in-Furness, England. She wrote a diary for the Mass Observation Archive from 1939 until 1965 making it one of the most substantial diaries held by M-O...
. Written by and starring English actress and comedian Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
, it follows the experiences of an ordinary housewife and mother in the Northern English town of Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
during the Second World War.
It was first broadcast in the UK by ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
on 10 December 2006.
Plot
The Mass Observation project was a non-governmental scheme designed to document and examine the lives of ordinary people. Nella Last participated in the project and signed her weekly diaries "Housewife, 49", her age when she first began the correspondence. Her diaries to Mass Observation, often written in pencil, provide the narrative of the play as she documents her life. Edited versions of her diary have been published: Nella Last's War edited by Richard Broad and Suzy Fleming appeared first in 1981 and has been more recently re-published by Profile Books in 2007. Housewife, 49 is based on this book which covers the years 1939–45. Nella Last's Peace, which appeared in 2009, includes diary entries from her immediate post-war years. A third volume is planned for publication in 2010.In some scenes, the staff of Mass Observation are seen reacting to, and sometimes visibly moved by, her letters. During the course of the programme, Last moves from being an introverted, isolated, and depressed individual in a difficult marriage, to become an outgoing character who, through her voluntary work during wartime, becomes a backbone of the local community. At the end of the programme it is explained that Nella continued to write to Mass Observation until her death in 1968. The original diary together with hundreds of other diaries and Mass Observation's other papers are available to the public at the Mass Observation Archive at the University of Sussex.
It also documents the lead character's changing relationships with those around her; standing up to her domineering husband (David Threlfall
David Threlfall
David Threlfall is an English stage, film and television actor and director best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless. He has also directed several episodes of the show.-Early life:...
), developing a close but sometimes strained friendship with Mrs Waite (Stephanie Cole
Stephanie Cole
Stephanie Cole, OBE is an English stage, television, and film actress, best known for playing characters a great deal older than her actual age.-Early life:...
) the head of the Local Women's Voluntary Service, and her changing relationships with her eldest son Arthur (Ben Crompton
Ben Crompton
Ben Crompton is an English actor, best known as one of the stars of the BBC sketch show Man Stroke Woman. In addition he appears as Colin in the BBC Three sitcom Ideal with Johnny Vegas. He also appeared in the 2002 film All or Nothing , the TV series Clocking Off, and the TV movie Housewife, 49...
), and her younger son Cliff
Clifford Last
Clifford Frank Last was an English sculptor born in England, the son of Nella Last, British author of the war diary Housewife, 49.- Early life :...
(Christopher Harper) who is changed by his experiences of combat. It is also implied that Cliff, who in real life became a sculptor in Australia, was gay; although Nella does not realise this.
Awards
It won two British Academy Television AwardsBritish Academy Television Awards 2007
The 2007 British Academy Television Awards were held on Sunday 20 May at the London Palladium Theatre in London. They were broadcast live on BBC One in the UK...
in 2007: "Best Single Drama", and Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
won "Best Actress" for her portrayal of Nella Last.
External links
- Newspaper interview with Victoria Wood, Manchester Evening News, 2006-11.
- Filming the railway sequences in Housewife, 49.