Victoria Wood. She stood alone.

I grew up in the 1980s and it was a wonderful time to be a comedy fan. Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers and Dad’s Army were being endlessly repeated. Comic Relief began. The Young Ones was on TV, just as Not the Nine O’Clock News was finishing. But nothing was quite as exciting as Saturday Live.

This ITV-produced variety show, which aired on Channel 4 on (naturally) Saturday nights was the most exciting, unpredictable, thrilling window into the world of comedy. It gave early TV appearances to talents including Julian Clary, Jo Brand, Patrick Marber and Hattie Hayridge, made stars of Fry and Laurie, Harry Enfield and Ben Elton and introduced UK viewers to American stand-ups like Judy Tenuta, Emo Philips, Rick Ducommum and Howie Mandel.

It was an intoxicating mix of sketch, stand-up, music and anarchy. Anything could happen, and although the format gradually settled down, we still talked of little else in the playground on Monday morning.

Here’s a sample line-up, from the first episode of the second series, with Ben Elton hosting.

· Ben Elton

· The Communards: You Are My World

· Fry and Laurie

· Harry Enfield as Stavros

· Meat Loaf: Blind Before I Stop

· Timbuk3: The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

· Phil Cornwell

· Meat Loaf, Stephen Fry sketch

· Julian Clary

· Ben Elton, Stephen Fry sketch

· The Communards: Heavens Above

· Charles Fleischer

· Hugh Laurie, Harry Enfield, Meat Loaf: Driving lesson sketch

· Ben Elton: Tampon ads stand-up

· Meat Loaf: Rock ‘n’ Roll Mercenaries

That’s pretty much the show as I remember it. Anything you notice?

It’s all dudes.

I think Timbuk3 might include a husband-and-wife duo, but this is awash with men, dominated by masculinity (of various kinds).

This is the world in which Victoria Wood began her career. The first episode of As Seen on TV went out in early 1985 – about two years before the edition of Saturday Live shown above. The first image after the titles is her standing behind a mic.

You could not see this on British television in 1985.

But Victoria Wood wasn’t fighting a tiny corner, establishing a niche audience of young-to-middle aged women from the north of England. As Seen on TV was a top-rated show, winning a clutch of BAFTAs. And she was followed by French and Saunders (whose sketch show started in 1987), Ruby Wax who joined French and Saunders for Girls on Top, Jenny Eclair and more besides. And these are all enormously talented people who stood a great chance of finding success regardless.

But I would argue that Victoria Wood – who I’m sure had no intention of being a pioneer – helped to clear the path for them just a little. And she deserves no small credit for that.