Review: Dinner Ladies - Second Helping, at Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton

They're back, with another healthy diet of humour and pathos from the dinner ladies who proved such a major hit with the armchair viewers during the BBC TV sitcom’s successful run.

The latest stage version is delivered as a second helping by a slick cast, some of whom appeared in the previous UK tour, and the story, or stories, are just the quality you would expect from Victoria Wood.

Laura Sheppard, playing Bren, top lady in the fictional components works canteen, looks and sounds like Victoria and even has the same mannerisms, while Andrew Dunn again brings his special quality to the part of Tony, the man in charge.

Dunn starred in the same role during the TV series, and he is clearly at home coping with the remarkable mixture of characters and their problems. Also from the telly show, Sue Devaney is a hoot as sex-mad, flatulence-troubled Petula, though it strains the imagination to believe she is Bren’s mum. In the female-dominated tale, Barrie Palmer, a face as cheerful as the economy, excels as caretaker Stan, and there are sound performances from Emily Houghton (Twink) and Krupa Pattani (Anita).

Dinner Ladies continues to serve up the laughter until tonight.

VERDICT: * * *