Hancock's Half Hour

Tony Hancock is widely thought of as one of the best comic talents ever produced and Hancock's Half Hour demonstrates why. Brilliantly written by Galton and Simpson, Hancock performed the scripts fantastically, both on the radio and in the television series. The tragedy, apart from Hancock's premature demise, is that a vast number of the television episodes are lost forever, meaning that younger viewers such as myself will never see the numerous other episodes that were produced. However, those episodes that do survive are a very good example of what this man could do, and many moments of comic genious thankfully still remain. Most people talk of classic ...  Read the complete review

I have been a fan of Tony Hancock since I first listened to the Reunion Party on my Dad's old cassette. My admiration of Hancock has just grown and grown. He was a comic genius. Born in 1924, he became an amateur commedian and broke into radio around 1950. His own half hour radio shows were so popular, that the country would virtually shut down while he was on air. Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, (who also wrote 'Steptoe and Son') wrote the scripts for Hancock's half hour and made Hancock a major star. The radio shows were transmitted from the early 50's through to the early 60's and had a superb cast, namely Sid James, Bill Kerr, ...  Read the complete review

Writing from a modern point of view (the first time I saw an episode was in about 1998), the most amazing thing about this show is the way Hancock creates an entirely new character every episode. Each episode, the character had a different job and a different background. They all have a similar personality, yet Hancock manages to bring subtle differences to each one in just half an hour. They say the most important thing in comedy is timing, and Hancock manages his timing perfectly. Scenes such as the one where he is giving blood are funny after all these years and after some people have seen them so many times because they are so well acted. ...  Read the complete review

In his prime, Tony Hancock's TV appearances caused Shopkeepers and Publicans to complain to the BBC about a noticeable fall in business. This is an indication of the popularity of Hancock's Half Hour between 1954 and 1961. Hancock's Half Hour was as the title suggests a half hour long television show which was adapted from the highly successful radio programme of the same name. Galton and Simpson scripted the sit-com which was based around Tony Hancock and his life in East Cheam. Each episode is based around some-event or non-event in true sitcom style. My favourite episodes include "Sunday Afternoon at Home" and "The ...  Read the complete review