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In this episode, Tim, James, Jon and Martin celebrate the 70th anniversary of Hancock’s Half Hour with a look at the first series episode The New Car.
The team consider how lucky we are that many of the first series survivebecause they were made available to overseas radio stations and how good a foil for Hancock Moira Lister was. The Gang of Four discuss how the episode provides a fascinating insight into 1950s life and how it showcases the brilliant writing of Galton & Simpson so early in the first series.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And if youhaven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society – full details of how to join are at www.tonyhancock.org.uk We have events planned – Steve Punt (subject to commitments) will be one of the guests at our event at Hancock’s local The Red Barn in the Spring and we are planning an event in Solihull in September 2025. In addition,screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back with a look at the radio episode The Expresso Barsoon. We hope that you will be able to join us then. -
In this special Summer edition of our podcast, we are delighted to welcome John Hewer, star of the upcoming theatre tour of lost television episodes to discuss his upcoming tour and what the audience can expect to see.
Most excitingly, the shows selected have not been seen or heard since first broadcast and it will be amazing to see these shows recreated with a full supporting cast and lovingly created sets which will include a recreation of the living room of 23 Railway Cuttings complete with picture of Queen Victoria and stuffed buzzard (well Eagles are very hard to come by!) The nationwide tour starts on the 17th September and tickets can be booked via the Hambledon Productions website: Hancock's Half Hour: The Lost TV Episodes - Hambledon Productions The shows being performed are The Bequest, The Auction and The Russian Prince.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society – full details of how to join are at www.tonyhancock.org.uk We have events planned – John Hewer will be one of the guests at our annual dinner in September and we are planning an event at Hancock’s old local, The Red Barn, in May 2025. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back in early November with another series of the podcast looking at more of Tony’s television and radio episodes. We look forward to your company then.
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Manglende episoder?
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In the final episode of this series Tim, Jon, James and Martin look at the recently found and rebroadcast series two episode A Visit to Swansea, from 1955. The episode features a cameo from Harry Secombe. The podcast team also hear from young member David Twydell at a recent THAS event and producer Dennis Main Wilson, recorded in the 1990s by Dave Miles. They also look at some of the differences between the newly discovered original episode and the 2017 Missing Hancocks re-make, including scripted lines cut from the episode and discuss the missing first two minutes of the recording.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at www. tonyhancock.org.uk. We have more events planned, our annual Reunion Dinner in September and screenings at Riverside; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back in the autumn after a Summer break; We look forward to getting our geek on in your ear-things again then. -
Tim, Jon, James and Martin have been on the road and this episode was recorded live at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith. In it, the team look at the colourised version of The Blood Donor in the company of their special guests Adam McLean and Clayton Hickman, producer, and colourisation lead for the episode.
The gang of four look at the excellent supporting cast in this episode and consider how many memorable lines continue to be repeated to this day! Adam and Clay discuss in detail the complexities of the colourisation process and how satisfied they are with the final result. An excellent Q&A session with the audience at the Riverside brings the podcast to a close. With huge thanks to Adam and Clay and to the Riverside Studios for hosting the event.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at www. tonyhancock.org.uk. We’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a review of the long-lost episode A Visit to Swansea (featuring a cameo role by Harry Secombe) from the second radio series. Hope to see you then.
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In this episode Tim, Jon, James and Martin look at the fourth television series episode The New Nose. The four look at the fantastic supporting cast, many of them regulars on the television series and hear from Anabelle Lee, recorded at a Society event around 1996.
The team also discuss how the episode was one of the earliest to be recorded in segments and take a look at the scenes deleted from the video and DVD releases of the episode.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at www. tonyhancock.org.uk We have regular events for members and it would be great to welcome you along. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with our very first podcast recorded live at Riverside Studios where we’ll be reviewing the colourised version of The Blood Donor. Hope to see you then. -
In this episode we look at the brilliant fifth radio series episode The Unexploded Bomb. Tim, James, Jon and Martin consider how brilliant Kenneth Williams is in this episode with his two contrasting voices of the vicar and the bomb disposal expert and also look at the excellent contribution from Hattie Jacques.The Gang of Four discuss the great characters played by Alan Simpson, the edits made to the earlier vinyl and cassette release and their views on the final scene. The four also discuss pyjama parties and how many they have been invited to and debate, in detail, how to cook a five course meal with just one saucepan.As always, the team get side tracked, this time by the Fawlty Towers vinyl box set, comedy records by Bernard Cribbins, Terry Scott, June Whitfield and Frankie Howerd and conclude with a look at the Hancock connection with The Wombles!Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at www. tonyhancock.org.uk We have an event planned to celebrate what would have Hancock’s 100th birthday in May 2024 and our annual reunion dinner in September; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a review of The New Nose from the fourth television series. Hope to see you then.
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Tim, Jon, James and Martin have come out of hibernation and, fortified with lots of black wine gums, have been getting ready to bring you the new series of Very Nearly an Armful.In this trailer the team give details of a special podcast being recorded at London’s Riverside Studios on the 6th April alongside a colourised version of The Blood Donor. -
In the final episode of this series of Very Nearly an Armful, James, Jon, Tim and Martin review Cinderella Hancock from the first radio series of Hancock’s Half Hour. They review the contribution of the enlarged cast, which included Dora Bryan and Paul Carpenter (as well as a role for the announcer Adrian Waller), and look at the huge number of stars of screen and TV that were name-checked during the episode.
The team consider how the episode is more variety and gag based than other Hancock’s Half Hours and how close to the mark many of the bawdy gags were. The episode was remade in the third series and the team consider the differences between the two versions. They also debate Hancock's actual shoe size.
The dynamic four get wildly distracted, as usual, this time by the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who, the recent Dad’s Army animations and a review of other podcasts. Most interestingly, the team reveal the replies to a post on social media about which episode contains Hancock’s best performance.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at www. tonyhancock.org.uk. We have an event planned to celebrate what would have Hancock’s 100th birthday in May 2024 and our annual reunion dinner in September; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. This was our last podcast of 2023 but we’ll be back in the Spring with a new series and we are currently planning to start with the brilliant fourth series episode The Wild Man of the Woods. May we wish all our listeners a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – enjoy your turkey feet and chips. We hope to see you when we return in the Spring.
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In this episode of Very Nearly an Armful, James, Jon, Tim and Martin review The Student Prince from the third radio series of Hancock’s Half Hour. They consider how this episode is a riotous ride from start to finish and how unusual it is to see Sid get his comeuppance!
The team look at the inspiration for the script, consider the three brilliant roles played by Alan Simpson, decipher the reference to Valentine tractors in this original longer version of the episode and finally spend some time trying to spot Bill in The Dam busters.
The four get distracted as usual and this time consider the discovery of lost episodes of The Complete and Utter History of Britain, Hugh and I and Sykes and a…, wonder if the new AI technology used to create the latest Beatles track could be used to enhance the Hancock’s Half Hour episodes Sid James’s Dad and The Diet where only poor quality copies exist and finally discuss Will Hay films and family trees in some detail.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at www. tonyhancock.org.uk We have an event planned to celebrate what would have Hancock’s 100th birthday in May 2024 and our annual reunion dinner in September; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a review of the festive radio episode, Cinderella Hancock from the first radio series. Hope to see you then. -
In this episode of Very Nearly an Armful, James, Jon, Tim and Martin review Fred’s Pie Stall from the final radio series of Hancock’s Half Hour. They consider how this episode, probably more than any other, provides a cultural commentary on societal changes in the late 1950s.
The team review the contribution of the brilliant guest cast, each of which has to play more than one role, discuss, in detail, the extended ‘guess what’ sequence compared to previously available edited versions of the show and exhibit their culinary expertise in a mouth-watering review of pies and pease puddings.
The Gang of Four discuss the recent amazing discovery of a lost Hancock’s Half Hour and reveal which would be their favourite lost episode that they would each like to see recovered.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at www. tonyhancock.org.uk.We have an event planned to celebrate what would have Hancock’s 100th birthday in May 2024 and our annual reunion dinner in September; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a review of the brilliant radio episode, The Student Prince from the third radio series. So, don your tin helmet, and hope to see you then.
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In this edition of Very Nearly an Armful, James. Jon, Tim and Martin look at the earliest surviving television episode of Hancock’s Half Hour, The Alpine Holiday, from Series 2.
The team look at the amazing supporting cast, including Richard Wattis in his only Hancock’s Half Hour role, John Vere, June Whitfield and, or course, Kenneth Williams in his only surviving televised appearance as Snide. They also consider how different this episode is without Sid James.
The four examine the technicalities of how the show was recorded, consider how easily Hancock switches from pomposity to sheer panic in a matter of seconds and debate, in detail, which of the gang is most suited to enter the yodelling championship of East Dulwich.
The team, of course, gets distracted, this time by the recent Punch and Judy Festival in Bournemouth and by the guest appearance of Diane Morgan at the Society’s annual dinner.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at www. tonyhancock.org.uk We have an event planned to celebrate what would have Hancock’s 100th birthday in May 2024 and our annual reunion dinner in September; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with, guess what, a review of the brilliant radio episode, Fred’s Pie Stall from the final radio series. Hope that you’ll be able to join us then. -
In this episode of Very Nearly an Armful, Tim, James, Jon and Martin discuss the Apollo Theatre Company nationwide tour of their Hancock’s Half Hour show and are delighted to welcome John Hewer and Colin Elmer (who play Tony Hancock and Kenneth Williams respectively) to the podcast.
The tour features performances of three lost Hancock’s Half Hour episodes from a selection of The Matador, The New Neighbour, The Winter Holiday and The Red Planet. The team discuss how John and Colin each discovered Hancock, how they approach playing the characters and how Hancock’s Half Hour being so accessible these days is opening Hancock up to a younger generation. John and Colin are also pleased to introduce the rest of the cast: Alice Osmanski (Andree Melly), Ben Craze (Sid James), Callum Hale (Bill Kerr) and Clive Greenwood (Announcer and foley artist). Full details of the tour are available at www.Apollo theatre company.comIncluded in the podcast are extracts from original Hancock's Half Hour soundtracks, The Missing Hancocks soundtracks, Hambledon Productions stage performance of The Winter Holiday starring John Hewer as Hancock and The Apollo Theatre Company's performance of Hancock in the Police from their previous tour, starring James Hurn as Hancock.
The Gang of Four get sidetracked as usual, this time into the origin on the term ‘coalboxed’, the latest Vivian Stanshall CD release and the upcoming Punch and Judy Man festival in Bognor.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at www. tonyhancock.org.uk We have an event planned to celebrate what would have Hancock’s 100th birthday in May 2024 and our annual reunion dinner in September; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back in November with a review of the oldest surviving television episode and the only surviving episode to feature Kenneth Williams in his Snide character, The Alpine Holiday. Hope that you’ll be able to join us then. -
In this final episode of the current series, Tim, Jon, James and Martin take a look at the brilliant radio episode Hancock’s Car from the golden fifth radio series.The gang consider how all the cast deliver a masterclass in acting and comic timing and how the opening scene of Hancock, Bill and Sid just cleaning the car is a fantastic example of Galton & Simpson’s uncanny ability to create comedy out of nothing.The team look at the differences between the various edits of this programme against the original script, consider how well this episode showcases Hancock’s focus on his social standing and finally the team discuss, in detail, recipes for stuffed marrow.In other discussions, the Gang of Four reveal a couple of fascinating items found at our recent visit to the BBC Archives at Caversham, look at the recording techniques used in Lucille Ball’s programmes and celebrate the 102nd anniversary of the birth of Hancock’s Half Hour regular Peggy Anne Clifford.Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at tonyhancock.org.uk We have events planned at Hancock’s old local The Red Barn in May and our annual Reunion Dinner in September; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back after a Summer break; Hope that you’ll be able to join us then.
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This episode in the trilogy of three so far this Spring is the third one in the series. In this podcast James, Tim, Jon and Martin look at the brilliant fifth series episode The East Cheam Drama Festival and consider how the episode, being a play within a play, was quite revolutionary at the time.
The gang consider how the second playlet is quite Pythonesque in its lack of a punchline, review how the episode would have sounded with cut lines reinstated and look at sections of the show where Hancock doesn’t have any lines! The four take a deep dive into all of the characters called Dolly throughout Hancock’s career and debate if this episode is the first ever appearance of a character called Cravatte!
Of course the team get distracted, this time by a book on celebrities and their cars, Philomena Cunk’s Soviet Onion and the brilliant Laurie Webb’s visit to the Riverside Studios.
Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at tonyhancock.org.uk In the final episode of the series we’ll review the excellent radio episode Hancock’s Car. Hope that you’ll be able to join us then. -
In this episode, the team celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Punch and Judy Man with a detailed look at Hancock’s final film in a starring role.The four consider how the film is deeply biographical not only in its depiction of a failing marriage but also in its link to Tony's childhood days in Bournemouth. They discuss how many of the regular players in Hancock’s Half Hour have roles in the film; most notably Hugh LLoyd, John Le Mesurier and Mario Fabrizi and the mentor from Hancock's early years, George Fairweather.The Gang of Four also look in detail at the gestation of the film and consider how Hancock not playing a character called Hancock may have impacted the public reception the film received. The team get distracted as usual and get sidetracked by the Carry On films, Sykes, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End and they also spend some time discussing the intricacies of the Pinner left hand down feather reverse turn!Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at Tonyhancock.org.uk. In the next episode of the series we’ll review the brilliant radio episode The East Cheam Drama Festival. Hope that you’ll be able to join us then. -
Welcome back to all our listeners as we start our new series of the podcast with a look at the brilliant fifth television series episode The Economy Drive, which is often quoted as a fan favourite.The team look at the brilliant support played by the East Cheam Repertory Company and consider how the episode provides a brilliant social representation of the period through the self service cafeteria sequence. They also discuss the recording techniques of the day, with this being the first ever Hancock’s Half Hour to be recorded in segments, and the many topical references scattered throughout the show.The gang also look back at the recent UKTV documentary and colourised episodes and reveal the results of a Twitter poll as to which episode fans would like colourised next if a further colourisation were to happen. In an exclusive moment, the team also reveal the winner of the ‘brightest shirt in a documentary’ award!Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at Tonyhancock.org.uk. In the next episode of the series we’ll review Hancock’s second starring film The Punch and Judy Man on the 60th anniversary of its premiere. Hope that you’ll be able to join us then. -
In this episode, we continue our festive theme when James, Tom Tim and Martin conclude their review of the radio episode Hancock’s Happy Christmas in the company of a glass of Baileys and a mince pie!
This time, the team look at the career of Dorothy Marks, the many cultural references sprinkled throughout the show and, once again, consider the sparkling performances all the cast put in to make this one of the great festive Hancock episodes. They also look at Snide’s appearance at the almost obligatory 25 minute point in the episode and his hilarious interaction with the children.
In Hancock updates, the team look at the recent Network DVD release of Hancock’s The Blackpool Show and the upcoming Gold documentary Very Nearly an Armful. They also consider the merits or otherwise of the colourisation of black and white photos and television, debate the origins of Hancock wearing an eye patch and reveal the outcome of a Twitter poll of whether folk prefer the radio or television series.
Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at Tonyhancock.org.uk. We’ll be back in 2023 for Series 5 when we will be looking at the television episode The Economy Drive – hope to see you then! In the meantime, we wish our listeners a merry Christmas and a happy New Year – enjoy your turkey feet and chips! Now, all together, Good King Wenceslas…!
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In this episode, James, Tom Tim and Martin don Christmas jumpers, put on reindeer antlers and start their review of the great festive radio episode Hancock’s Happy Christmas.
The team consider how the performance from Hancock is in the very best traditions of Scrooge and are delighted to share memories of making the show received from Michael Anderson Junior, who played the role of orphan Michael in the episode. They also look at the excellent performances of both Michael and Dorothy and how well they fitted into the cast and debate in detail just how far south the Christmas Pudding was likely to fly!
The gang of four reflect on the BBC’s 100th anniversary documentary How the BBC Began, consider the book Jack Hylton Presents by Pamela Logan and get side-tracked once again, this time by the new Stephen Moffat BBC drama Inside Man.
Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at Tonyhancock.org.uk. In the final episode of the series we’ll conclude our review of the fantastic Christmas episode Hancock’s Happy Christmas. Hope that you’ll be able to join us then.
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In this our longest episode yet, James, Jon, Tim and Martin review the brilliantly surreal radio episode The 13th of the Series and its transcription services remake The 13th of the Month. The team consider how joyous the performances of all the cast are in this episode and how the script sparkles throughout. They also consider Ken’s fantastic performance as Snide (arguably his best appearance in this role) and consider, in detail, the practicalities of taking the Stonehenge stones home each night on a bike!
The Fab Four look at the recent BBC radio documentary on the Norwegian version of Hancock’s Half Hour and compare this to the less successful German version; they also celebrate the return of Hancock’s Half Hour to BBC TV as part of their 100th anniversary celebrations. The team get distracted by the role of Arnold’s Ridley in Dad’s Army and his connection with Bath and discuss in detail recent reel to reel tapes received by the Society and the chance of these containing a lost episode.
Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at Tonyhancock.org.uk. In the next episode of the series we’ll start our review of the brilliant Christmas episode Hancock’s Happy Christmas. Hope that you’ll be able to join us then. -
In this episode, James, Jon, Tim and Martin review the brilliant television episode Lord Byron Lived Here. They consider the role the excellent supporting cast play in making this a firm favourite for many Hancock fans, including John Le Mesurier, Hugh Lloyd and Robert Dorning in particular. We catch up again with Julian Dutton and feature a brief extract from an interview with Hugh Lloyd himself.
The team look at the Sid penned Lord Byron poems and compare these with the poems in the radio episode The Wild Man of the Woods. They also look in detail at plastering techniques and consider just how deep the hole in Hancock’s wall actually is!
The dynamic four look at the new Network DVD release of Hancock’s Blackpool Show in a release entitled ABC Night In: Set Your Minds Free and get side-tracked once again into the world of Gerry Anderson, this time with Space Patrol, Supercar and Twizzle!
Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at Tonyhancock.org.uk. In the next episode of the series we’ll be reviewing the excellent radio episode The 13th of the Series. Hope that you’ll be able to join us for that. - Vis mere
