Chapters
00:00:00 - S02E05 - 1955-05-15 - The Holiday Camp
00:27:28 - S02E06 - 1955-05-22 - The Chef That Died of Shame
00:55:04 - S02E08 - 1955-06-05 - The Rail Strike
01:24:35 - S02E09 - 1955-06-12 - The Television Set
01:54:19 - S02E11 - 1955-06-26 - The Marrow Contest

Series Details

Hancock's Half Hour was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sidney James; the radio version also co-starred, at various times, Moira Lister, Andrée Melly, Hattie Jacques, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams. The final television series, renamed simply Hancock, starred Hancock alone.

Comedian Tony Hancock starred in the show, playing an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own character and lifestyle, Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam.

The series was influential in the development of the situation comedy, with its move away from radio variety towards a focus on character development.

The radio version was produced by Dennis Main Wilson for most of its run. After Main Wilson departed for his television career, his role was taken by Tom Ronald. The television series was produced by Duncan Wood. The distinctive tuba-based theme tune was composed by Angela Morley.

Broadcast Copyright

The 50 year period of broadcast copyright under section 14(2) of the UK's Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/14) has expired for all items included in this collection.