Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.com

Included 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.

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, 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…!

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.

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.

In this first episode of series 4, Tim, Jon, James and Martin are privileged to be able to review the recently recovered radio episode The Marriage Bureau.   Not heard since first broadcast in 1955, the episode was discovered on a reel to reel tape by Richard Harrison of The Radio Circle and was rebroadcast by Radio 4 on the 18th October 2022.

The episode is the only one to feature Peter Sellers who stepped in at the last minute to replace Kenneth Williams who was unavailable. The team review Peter’s contribution, compare the episode to The Missing Hancock’s re-recording and consider, in detail, Hancock’s contribution to the Tooting School of Dancing and how he got his moniker  ‘Hot Lips Hancock’!The Gang of four get distracted, this time by Robert Newton in the film Treasure Island and, consider how, in the television series The Prisoner, Hancock would have perfect for the role of No 2 in the episode "The Girl Who Was Death". They also delve into Spotify and uncover the brilliant series I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again.

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 brilliant television episode Lord Byron Lived Here – hope to see you then.

Ahead of the start of the fourth series of Very Nearly An Armful, our intrepid four head to Solihull for the annual Tony Hancock Appreciation Society knees up.

There we were delighted to meet Mr. Kevin McNally, hear his wonderful Hancock reminisces and, more importantly, we are able to reveal his exact drink count for the evening.  We were also pleased to hear extracts from Julian Dutton’s brilliant one man show ‘Do You Think That’s Wise’ where Julian took on the guise of John Le Mesurier. Julian also took time out to share his Hancock stories with us.

We took the chance to meet many fans of Tony’s work and were regaled by their stories and memories of the lad himself whilst in Hancock updates, the team reveal some very exciting news! 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 with series 4
soon when we will be reviewing the recently found radio episode - The Marriage Bureau.  Hope to see you then!

In this episode, Tim, Jon, Martin and James start their review of the classic radio episode a Sunday Afternoon at home. At approximately 16 minutes into the podcast, the team kick off with the main subject and consider how revolutionary the episode was in its use of pauses and silence and also in the fact that it is a virtually plotless half hour.

The team look at sections of the original script that didn’t make it to the final edit, discuss Kenneth Williams’ brilliant characterisation of Clark and consider, in detail, just how loud Williams’ first ‘moo’ actually was!

In Hancock updates, the four review two brilliant events at The Riverside Studios, where many TV Hancock’s Half Hours were made, as well as the new theatre production of The Lad Himself. We are delighted to include an interview with the star of this brilliant show, Mark Brailsford, in this podcast.

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 two
weeks when we will continue our review of A Sunday Afternoon at Home - hope to see you then!

In this episode, Tim, Jon, Martin and Nick (in James’s absence) are delighted to introduce the brilliant Kevin McNally as our guest to review The New Neighbour and The Missing Hancocks more generally.  Kevin was most generous with his time and our chat with Kevin has been split over two editions of this podcast, so there’s more to come!

In Part 1 Kevin talks about how he first discovered Hancock and the first EP he added to his collection.  He recalls how The Missing Hancock’s received the green light for recording and how he felt when coming on stage for the recording of the very first episode.

Kevin translates for us what ‘just me hammer’ and ‘buckshee sweep’ means and recalls how he came to play the part of The Paper Boy in the episode The Crown Jewels which starred Andy Secombe as his Dad, Harry Secombe.

In Hancock updates, the team reveal the fantastic news that audio recordings of Hancock’s entire 1967 series (called Hancocks) are to be included as extras on the DVD of his 1963 series which is scheduled for a July release.

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 a few weeks when we will pick up our chat with Kevin McNally once again in The New Neighbour Part 2 - hope to see you then!

In this episode, James, Tim, Jon and Martin join the beatnik movement to review the brilliant radio episode The Poetry Society, from the final radio series.The team consider the extra dynamic that using guest actors such as Warren Mitchell and Fenella Fielding bring to the episode and how this episode which is a satire on modern art, the coffee bar culture and Hancock’s own passion of philosophy, paved the way for Hancock’s first film The Rebel.  They also review in detail the avant garde poems featured in the episode and carefully consider whether turquoise vibrations are the ideal colour.The podcast also includes a rarely heard recording of Hancock’s friend Damaris Hayman’s reading of Plato which was intended for Hancock to take to Australia with him.The four musketeers, of course, get distracted and this time discuss how the early episodes of Steptoe and Son feature many of the same cast as Hancock’s Half Hour and consider the only appearance of the infamous Dolly Clackett on screen.  In Hancock updates, the team reveal the fantastic news that his 1963 series is scheduled for a DVD release in the Summer 2022.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 two weeks when we will be looking at something completely different – the final episode of Hancock’s 1956 television series The Tony Hancock Show which is out now on DVD - hope to see you then!

In this episode, James, Tim, Jon and Martin look  at the brilliant radio episode Hancock in the Police.

The episode is a frenetic half hour of classic comedy and the team consider the  incredible contribution of Kenneth Williams, who played no less than five parts in this episode, including arguably his best performance in the character of Snide.  They also look at Hattie Jacques’ vocal dexterity, consider Hancock’s performances in drag as part of his time in the Gang Shows and consider, in detail, how tall you have to be to be six foot two.

The podcast also includes rarely heard extracts from the Apollo Theatre Company’s stage production of this episode where the complete uncut script was used.

As usual, the dynamic four get side tracked, this time with two brilliant events taking place in London in April and the derivation of the term a Charlie!

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 two weeks when we will be looking at the radio episode The Poetry Society - Hope to see you then!

In this final episode in the second series, we are pleased to join in with the Christmas festivities and look at the final radio episode to be recorded: The Christmas Club.

In James’s absence, Tim, Jon and Martin discuss the realism provided by the supporting cast in this episode and consider how much the final series delivered the realistic settings envisaged by Hancock as well as Galton & Simpson when the series first started.

Ray and Alan were always generous with their time in undertaking interviews and the team are pleased to introduce extracts from unbroadcast interviews undertaken by the Society and others over the years.

In addition, Tim solves the problem of which episode the Kenneth Williams character first appeared in whilst the team get sidetracked by Monty Python’s Book Shop sketch and try to track down a copy of Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying.

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 the Spring with a new series when we will be looking at the TV episode Twelve Angry Men - 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!

In this episode, Tim, James, Jon and Martin discuss the television episode The Lift from the 1961 BBC Series ‘Hancock’ and consider how quickly this final series had moved The Lad Himself away from East Cheam with this episode set in BBC Television Centre.

The team also look at the wonderful supporting cast including the brilliant Hugh Lloyd (as the lift man) and briefly reflect on Jose Reed’s (the secretary) memories of the programme given to the THAS as recently as 2019 before she, sadly, passed away.  The four fans are also delighted to be able to introduce Julian Dutton (who performs on stage as John Le Mesurier in ‘Do You Think That’s Wise’) for his thoughts on the episode.

 The team  also consider a scene cut from the programme and how this scene would have completed the story; they also discuss the answers to some queries from listeners and briefly look at the upcoming BBC Audio release: Hancock’s Half Hour Selected TV Episodes and More.

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 two weeks’ time with the final edition of this series of Very Nearly an Armful - a Christmas special. Hope to see you then!

In this episode, Tim, James, Jon and Martin discuss the episode The Reunion Party from the excellent sixth television series.

As this episode takes place 15 years after the Second World War ended, the four fans consider the likelihood that the episode reflected real life events with similar reunions happening between former pals who hadn’t seen each other for years at the time.  They also consider the strength of the supporting cast in this episode and are delighted to introduce a guest:  Laurie Webb, who appeared in the first scene in this episode.

The team discuss comments received from listeners and launch an appeal for a good quality recording of the radio episode Sid James’s Dad and any other lost episode.

They are pleased to announce the publication by BBC Audio of 18 hours of the forces show Calling All Forces from 1951 / 1952 and also discuss a strategy to enable Jon to tell his local landlord that there’s more water out there than there is his beer.

Very Nearly an Armful makes a welcome return for a second series.  In this episode Martin, Tim, James and Jon discuss the well known television episode The Missing Page as well as the later re-recording of the same episode which was released on vinyl.

The four fans assess the merits of the two versions of this episode, consider whether Hancock’s mime sequence is one of the best moments in all of the television half hours and wax lyrical about the how the quality of the supporting cast is so important to this episode.  The team also get sidetracked into a detailed look at the seamier side of life through the pulp fiction novels of Ben Sarto and Darcy Glinto.

They also look at the recent generous archive donation from the estate of the late Alec Bregonzi and briefly attempt to decide which of the team most needs to undertake the body building advertised in ‘Men Are You Skinny’!

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 Tony Hancock.org.uk.  We’ll be back in two weeks’ time with another edition of Very Nearly an Armful.  Hope to see you then!

In this final episode of the first series, Martin, Tim and Jon talk about Tony’s infamous live episode There’s An Airfield At The Bottom of the Garden where the set didn’t quite perform as expected!

The four fans discuss how the issues with the set led to changes to how Hancock’s Half Hour was broadcast with the gradual move to recorded episodes, consider in detail how the BBC used Ampex quadruplex 2 inch tape and take it in turns to test drive Sid’s motor torpedo boat.

They also attempt to answer questions sent in by listeners on edited versions of radio shows, briefly consider BBC Transcription Services and, rather surprisingly, issue an appeal for a morse code expert!

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 on how to join are at tonyhancock.org.uk. We’ll be back in the Autumn with Series 2; the team of four will have six more opportunities to get sidetracked whilst they are discussing their favourite topic of Hancock’s Half Hour.  Hope to see you then!

In this episode Martin, Tim and Jon talk about how the audio soundtracks from two lost television episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour were discovered on reel to reel tape in 2016. Neither of the episodes had been broadcast since they were repeated in 1959 so this was a brilliant discovery.

The four fans talk about The Horror Serial, which was a pastiche of Quatermass and the Pit, and consider in detail whether a Martian has a bracket that can be punched up; and in The Italian Maid they discover why making tea out of Best Navy Shag tobacco has never caught on!

They also attempt to answer questions sent in by listeners on the changing character of Bill Kerr, how none of the original episodes were named and the difficulty this poses when trying to identify episodes on archive reel to reel tapes where episode names have been invented. As always, our intrepid four get side-tracked, this time into the brilliant One Foot in the Grave Podcast and they briefly consider the film The Ladykillers and how this reflects 1950s Britain.

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 on how to join are at tonyhancock.org.uk

In this episode, Martin, Tim, Jon and James natter on about Hancock’s first major film, The Rebel. Celebrating its 60th anniversary and recently digitally remastered for DVD and Blu-ray, the film has achieved cult status with Hancock’s brilliant performance as a wannabe artist and a superb first film script by legendary writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

The four Hancock fans pretend to understand what an existentialist is, discuss the merits of Aphrodite at the Water Hole, and wonder why a coffee with no froth isn’t just a flat white. They also take time to attempt to answer questions sent in by listeners of previous podcasts on such intellectually stimulating subjects as who was responsible for the annoying laugh in the audience on the TV episode The Train Journey, and who’s idea was it for Hancock to have the stuttering H-H-H.

Sit back and enjoy but don’t forget to rate and subscribe. Oh yes, and if you haven’t done so already, do join us at the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society! We’ll be celebrating our 45th anniversary at our annual reunion dinner on 11 September with special guests and rare screenings just a few miles from Hancock’s birthplace in Birmingham. Full details on how to join at tonyhancock.org.uk

We chat about our week including finds for the THAS archives; photo’s of Tony playing Cricket and an original script for an episode of HHH which has been offered to us.

In Hancock news, Martin discusses the donation from the estate of the late Alec Bregonzi who appeared in HHH and tapes sent to the society which we check over for lost or unedited recordings of episodes. James talks about the wolf whistle heard on tapes of Hancock in the Police, and James Hurn’s stage performance of this episode in 2019, which can be found on YouTube… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47YFc7MUE88

We introduce The First Night Party and we talk over the episode and creation of the show, edited lines from the original script, which runs to 10 pages longer than the episode. The Chef ‘Iggins is mentioned along with Alan Simpson’s cameo’s in HHH, how the cast came to work together and how Tony met Galton & Simpson. Jon continues to ‘channel’ Kenneth Williams with his daft impressions and brings up how satirical this episode is and its use of sound, whilst Tim mentions how unique the programme was with its use of timing and we talk about the excellent lines cut from existing recording of the show.

Other topics include Angela Morley’s composition of the music and Adrian Waller; the original Announcer of the show.

This episode also features clips from Hancock in the Police, Star Bill, Calling All Forces, The Sleepless Night, Hancock’s School, The Boxing Champion,

Script readings of cut lines from the original script are performed by James Mickley, Helen Bridge and Andrew Swan.

We start this episode with Tim having purchased a new Microphone and Martin having technical difficulties and how Galton & Simpson disliked the episode Ericson The Viking compared to the other shows due to the location filming. We mention Tony’s Spitting Image Puppet and the Hancock News of the release of ‘The Missing Hancock’s on CD in March.

We talk bout our main subject of The Blood Donor and the quality of the Telerecording and how it appears on todays modern HD screens, how the script is Circular and Galton & Simpson had thought of the ending before they started writing it, and how Videotape’s were wiped after use.

In terms of performance, we chat about the now well-known use of Tele-Prompters in this show and watch along with it in real-time, so shove your DVD on to watch along with us.

We talk about this episode’s supporting cast including June Whitfield and Frank Thornton, Peggy Ann Clifford, Patrick Cargill & Hugh Lloyd. Jon mentions the lost pilot re-make of The Economy Drive ‘Bunclarke with an E’ starring Arthur Lowe & James Beck, Tim praises the makeup artist Elizabeth Anderson and how the writers wrote differently for the visual medium.

We also discuss some of the differences to the PYE LP recording of this episode and how that release came about.

The restoration test we watched of this episode is available on YouTube… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niHr5jXEpNE

We all introduce ourselves and how we each got into Hancock’s Half Hour. We discuss the video releases in the 1980’s, and the exorbitant cost of videotape back in the day. We mention Paul Merton’s 1990’s recreations briefly along with Dad’s Army and repeats of shows, borrowing tapes from the old THAS VHS library, our quarterly magazine, ‘The Missing Page’.

We discuss an overview of our upcoming topics:

The Blood Donor, The First Night Party, The Rebel, TV: The 1950’s Revolution, Lost TV Soundtracks and There’s an Airfield at the Bottom of My Garden.

We also chat about Tony’s relationship with Kenneth Williams and Ken’s casting in HHH and Snide’s catchphrase. Brief mentions include Fred’s Pie Stall and the ‘Hancock Collectibles’ and ‘Missing Hancocks’ CD releases.

James also explains how we came to meet up virtually via Zoom and embark upon creating the podcast.

With kind thanks to Robin Sebastian of ‘The Missing Hancocks’ for sportingly being our Announcer.