Hancock's Half Hour

Hancock's Half Hour was a ground-breaking and influential BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy, series of the 1950s. It starred Tony Hancock, with Sid James; the radio version also co-starring Hattie Jacques, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams.

Comedian Tony Hancock starred in the show, playing an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own character and lifestyle, as a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam. The comedy actor Sid James played a criminally-inclined confidant of Hancock, who usually succeeded in conning him each week; Bill Kerr appeared as Hancock's Australian lodger, a character who became noticeably dim-witted in the later shows. A young Kenneth Williams, taking his first job in comedy, provided the funny voices for all the minor characters in the show each week. Moira Lister appeared in the first series, before being replaced by Andrée Melly for the next two; both women played love interest for Hancock's character, in essentially 'straight' roles. In the fourth and fifth series a comedienne, Hattie Jacques, provided comedy in the female role as the harridan Grizelda Pugh, who was Hancock's secretary and Sid's occasional girlfriend.

The series broke with the variety tradition which was then dominant in British radio comedy, highlighting a new genre: the sitcom or situation comedy. Instead of the traditional variety mix of sketches, guest stars and musical interludes, the show's humour derived from characters and situations developed in a half-hour storyline. This then relatively novel format, of what was in effect a single sketch each week lasting the entire half-hour (though in the radio version James and the others sometimes played different roles), was reflected in the show's title, which aptly described the series as Hancock's "half-hour".

Series 1

Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E01 - The First Night Party
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E02 - The Diamond Ring (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E03 - The Idol
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E04 - The Boxing Champion
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E05 - The Hancock Festival (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E06 - The New Car
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E07 - The Department Store Santa (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E08 - Christmas At Aldershot (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E09 - The Christmas Eve Party (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E10 - Cinderella Hancock
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E11 - A Trip To France
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E12 - The Monte Carlo Rally
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E13 - A House On The Cliff
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E14 - The Sheik
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E15 - The Marriage Bureau (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S01 - E16 - The End Of The Series


Series 2

Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E01 - A Holiday In France (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E02 - The Crown Jewels (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E03 - The Racehorse (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E04 - A Visit To Swansea (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E05 - The Holiday Camp
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E06 - The Chef That Died Of Shame
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E07 - Prime Minister Hancock (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E08 - The Rail Strike
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E09 - The Television Set
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E10 - The Three Sons (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E11 - The Marrow Contest
Hancock's Half Hour - S02 - E12 - The Matador (Lost Episode)


Series 3

Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E01 - The Pet Dog
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E02 - The Jewel Robbery
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E03 - The Bequest
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E04 - The New Neighbour (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E05 - The Winter Holiday (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E06 - The Blackboard Jungle
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E07 - The Red Planet (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E08 - The Diet (Poor Quality)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E09 - A Visit To Russia (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E10 - The Trial Of Father Christmas (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E11 - Cinderella Hancock......Re-Recording of S01 - E10
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E12 - The New Year Resolutions (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E13 - Hancock's Hair
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E14 - The Student Prince
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E15 - The Breakfast Cereal (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E16 - How Hancock Won The War (Poor Quality)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E17 - The Newspaper (Lost Episode)
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E18 - The Greyhound Track
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E19 - The Conjurer
Hancock's Half Hour - S03 - E20 - The Test Match


Series 4

Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E01 - Back From Holiday
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E02 - The Bolshoi Ballet
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E03 - Sid James's Dad (Poor Quality)
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E04 - The Income Tax Demand
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E05 - The New Secretary
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E06 - Michelangelo 'Ancock
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E07 - Anna And The King Of Siam
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E08 - Cyrano De Hancock
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E09 - The Stolen Petrol
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E10 - The Espresso Bar
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E11 - Hancock's Happy Christmas
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E12 - The Diary
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E13 - The 13th Of The Series
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E14 - Almost A Gentleman
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E15 - The Old School Reunion
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E16 - The Wild Man Of The Woods
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E17 - Agricultural 'Ancock
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E18 - Hancock In The Police
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E19 - The Emigrant
Hancock's Half Hour - S04 - E20 - The Last Of The McHancocks

Series 5

Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E01 - The New Radio Series
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E02 - The Scandal Magazine
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E03 - The Male Suffragettes
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E04 - The Insurance Policy
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E05 - The Publicity Photograph
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E06 - The Unexploded Bomb
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E07 - Hancock's School
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E08 - Around The World In 80 Days
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E09 - The Americans Hit Town
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E10 - The Election Candidate
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E11 - Hancock's Car
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E12 - East Cheam Drama Festival
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E13 - The Foreign Legion
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E14 - Sunday Afternoon At Home
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E15 - The Grappling Game
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E16 - The Junk Man
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E17 - Hancock's War
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E18 - The Prize Money
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E19 - The Threatening Letters
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E20 - The Sleepless Night
Hancock's Half Hour - S05 - E21 - Bill And Father Christmas


Series 6

Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E01 - The Smugglers
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E02 - The Childhood Sweetheart
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E03 - The Last Bus Home
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E04 - The Picnic
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E05 - The Gourmet
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E06 - The Elopement
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E07 - Fred's Pie Stall
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E08 - The Waxwork
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E09 - Sid's Mystery Tours
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E10 - The Fête
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E11 - The Poetry Society
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E12 - Hancock In Hospital
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E13 - The Christmas Club
Hancock's Half Hour - S06 - E14 - The Impersonator

Series 7 (This series was originally made for T.V but was re-recorded for overseas distribution)

Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E01 - The Ballet Visit (Re-Recording of S04 - E02)
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E02 - The Election (Re-Recording of S05 - E10)
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E03 - 13th Of The Month (Re-Recording of S04 - E13)
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E04 - The Blood Donor
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E05 - The Radio Ham
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E06 - The Economy Drive
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E07 - The Emigrant
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E08 - The Missing Page
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E09 - The Poison Pen Letters
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E10 - The Succession - Son And Heir
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E11 - Lord Byron Lived Here
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E12 - The Baby-Sitters
Hancock's Half Hour - S07 - E13 - The Cold


Extras

Hancock's Half Hour - Happy Birthday Hancock
Hancock's Half Hour - Hancock At The Festival Hall
Hancock's Half Hour - Ancock's Anthology
Hancock's Half Hour - Turns Of The Century