BBC Television Productions Presents Tony Hancock In........ (Hancock's Half Hour)

Member Name: 00matdun

Product:	Hancock's Half Hour
Date:	27/05/09 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Classic comedy at its best.

Disadvantages: Many episodes lost forever

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 episodes such as 'The Blood Donor' or 'The Radio Ham' when you mention Tony Hancock to them, and while these are good episodes in their own right, I belive that many of the less celebrated episodes have a lot more to offer. In fact, I find The Blood Donor quite difficult to watch as this episode, following a car accident, was a turning point in Tony's battle with alcoholism. Other episodes such as 'The Missing Page', 'The Lift', and 'The Train Journey' are hilarious, and there are endless quotes that will live long in the memory, as well as Tony's trademark facial expressions.

Of course, it is impossible to talk about Hancock's Half Hour without talking about the other characters. Sid James, Bill Kerr, Kenneth Williams, Hugh Lloyd and John Le Mesurier also played a large part in the show and did so with great effect. Sid James in particular played a wonderful part in the show. Hancock and James made a wonderful double act, although of course, Hancock would have hated it to have been called a double act.

It is sad that as time went by, Hancock left the people who had helped to make him so successful. It could be argued that his decision to leave Galton and Simpson as well as the likes of Sid James was a bad one. I would suggest this is the case. I certainly look back on the episodes with Sid James and Co as being the truly great comic moments. Thats not to say that the later episodes lacked comedy however, but they weren't the same. Despite this, it is difficult to knock Hancock's decisions. He was a perfectionist who wanted to produce truly great comedy. He was all too aware of his short comings when perhaps he should have recognised his great success and popularity.

Overall, Hancock's Half Hour was a brilliant radio and TV show with some truly classic moments and excellent writing. It is a shame if Hancock is remembered for his problems later in his life rather than this massively successful series.

Summary: Timeless classic