Comic Victoria gives thanks to career-launching theatre

Comedienne Victoria Wood last night gave a special performance in front of a host of celebrities to mark the 30th anniversary of the theatre that helped launch her career.

Around 300 people attended the fundraising gala for The Bush Theatre, which is based in Shepherd’s Bush, west London.

Among the guests at the event, held at the Royal College of Music in Knightsbridge, were Oscar winner Jim Broadbent and Richard Wilson, who have both worked at The Bush.

Victoria Wood wrote her first sketch on an old typewriter that she found backstage at the theatre, which has been a showcase for new writers since it opened in 1972.

Playwrights whose works have been performed at The Bush include Stephen Poliakoff and John Byrne, and the theatre has won more than a hundred awards.

Its plays have transferred to the West End and Broadway, and have been adapted for film and television.

Other actors who have worked at the theatre include Lindsay Duncan, Kate Beckinsale and Tim Roth.