The History of ‘Grumpy Old Women’

‘Grumpy Old Women’ is a television series in the U.K. shown on BBC Two. From a one-off Christmas special, the show evolved into a stage show.

It was in the spring of 2005 when Producer Judith Holder and Grumpy Contributor Jenny Éclair came up with the idea of making ‘Grumpy Old Women’ a live show. Then, casting started and rehearsals for the mini-tour in autumn of 2005 began. Chris George directed the original production, and the mini-tour started out in November 2005 and ended successfully. The Grumpies bring changes to the lives of those women who are often ignored and overlooked. The original cast of ‘Grumpy Old Women’ included Dillie Keane, Linda Robson and Jenny Éclair. They set off for a 40-date national tour in the spring of 2006, then went straight to West End for a four week run at Lyric Theatre. After that, two new Grumpies were recruited for the autumn tour, which lead them to their first international tour in Australia. Their successful tour in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney proved that they are a global phenomenon beyond any doubt. Another two new members signed up two years after their mini-tour. Britt and Denise went with Dillie for the Grumpies’ third nationwide complain-a-thon. The original cast members who are all middle-aged now, reunited and went on with their one-night only performance at the Richard Theatre; their show was filmed in DVD, and they proved once again that they were still grumpier than ever.