A huge mural of comedy legend Victoria Wood has appeared in Prestwich

Multi BAFTA-winning writer, actor and comedian Victoria Wood sadly passed away in 2016 following a battle with cancer, but her legacy lives on.

A giant mural of the comedy legend has appeared on the side of the Sword and Sparrow Tattoo Company on Bury Old Road in Prestwich, not far from where she was born.

The mural is the work of acclaimed street artist AkseP19, who is known for his photorealistic portraits of pop culture icons, and has been created as part of Prestwich Arts Festival.

It follows the reveal of a lifesized statue of the comedian in Bury earlier this year.

Born in Prestwich and raised in Bury, Victoria Wood started her career whilst she was still an undergrad with an appearance on breakthrough showbiz tv show New Faces in 1974. 

She wrote her first sketch, performed with Julie Walters, for a show at the Bush theatre in London in 1978 and then wrote two series of Wood and Walters.

But she is probably best known for her BBC sketch Acorn Antiques with Julie Walters, the comedy series Dinnerladies and Victoria Wood as Seen On TV.

Known for her skill in satirising social class and observing culture as a whole, much of her humour was grounded in everyday experiences.

As a stand-up comedian, she toured the country many times. And in her later years, she wrote several dramas including That Day We Sang and Housewife 49.

“We’re thrilled that Akse P19 has returned to Prestwich to create another masterpiece,” said Jane Thomson, chair of Prestwich Arts Festival.

“The Victoria Wood Foundation have supported our ambitions to create a mural of our local legend from the start and it’s great to have a portrait of an incredibly talented woman to join our existing mural of Mark E Smith that has proved so popular.”