Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast

In this podcast, we look at The Publicity Photograph from the fifth radio series. The sepia-tinted triumvirate consider how this is another episode starting round the breakfast table and discuss Kenneth Williams’s brilliant portrayal of Hillary St. Clair. The team discuss the rest of the cast and, in particular, Bill’s excellent portrayal of his more witless character. The guys revel how much the £50 photograph would cost in today’s money and debate, at length, which of them should really have had their leg cut down the middle in their own fan photograph. 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 are holding our annual dinner in Solihull in September, and we’d love to see you there. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith and we‘ll be back there on the 27th June when we’ll be showing three more episodes. This was the last episode in the series; we’ll be back in the Autumn. We hope to see you then.

In this podcast, we look at The Lawyer, from the third television series. 'Rumpole', 'Kavanagh' and 'Perry Mason’ don their wigs and discuss the brilliant supporting cast with a special call out for Bill Fraser in his role as the police sergeant. enjoy the fluffs from the cast that come with this programme being broadcast live and consider how many different ‘jobs’ Hancock had during these early television series. Finally, the team look at Sid’s brilliant reactions to Hancock’s impassioned plea for his innocence and consider, in detail, how Hancock managed to put his car in the car park so quickly. 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 are holding an event in London in May where we will be talking to Richard Harrison who discovered two lost Hancock’s Half Hour episodes and our annual dinner will be held in Solihull in September; we’d love to see you at one of our events as a member. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith and we ‘ll be back there on the 27th June when we’ll be showing three more episodes. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks when we’ll be looking at the fifth radio series episode The Publicity Photograph as suggested by Richard Brown. We hope to see you then.

In this podcast, we look at The Idol, the third episode of the very first radio series. The three Bobby-soxer’s consider the quality of this early script, which is more like a three-act play, discuss the brilliant support provided by both Moira and Bill and reflect on how Hancock’s previous series Star Bill provided the genesis for this episode. The team review a number of sequences in the original script which were not included in the programme and debate, at length, alternative preferable destinations to Chalk Farm. 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 are holding an event in London in May where we will be talking to Richard Harrison who discovered two lost Hancock’s Half Hour episodes and our annual dinner will be held in Solihull in September; we’d love to see you at one of our events as a member. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith and we ‘ll be back there on the 27th June when we’ll be showing three more episodes. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks when we’ll be looking at the third television series episode, The Lawyer. We hope to see you then.

In this first podcast of our Spring series, we look at Sid’s Mystery Tours from the 6th and final radio series. The three amigos discuss the level of realism in this final radio series, look at the brilliant supporting cast, and the added depth that these additional cast members provide. and consider the number of episodes which commence with a scene around the breakfast table. Finally, the team review the superb tortoise sequence and debate, in detail, how to tell the age of a tortoise. 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 are holding an event in London in May where we will be talking to Richard Harrison who discovered two lost Hancock’s Half Hour episodes and our annual dinner will be held in Solihull in September; we’d love to see you at one of our events as a member. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith and we expect to be back there in June when we’ll be showing three more episodes. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks when we’ll be looking at the first series episode, The Idol. We hope to see you then.

In this podcast, we are delighted to chat with our special guest Ted Kendall. Ted is a sound restorer and a mastering engineer who worked for BBC Transcription services before going freelance and setting up his own mastering studio. Ted was instrumental in the production of the original box sets of the radio Hancock’s Half Hour and in the four volumes of Hancock’s Half Hour Collectibles. Ted also compiled and restored all of the material in the Goon Show Compendia, the series’ box sets of The Navy Lark and much more, in a career spanning over thirty years. Ted talks about how he got into audio restoration, the work that he undertook on the episodes in the Hancock’s Half Hour CDs and answers questions sent by listeners including the most difficult restoration that he has undertaken and many more. 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 are holding an event in London in May where we will be talking to Richard Harrison who discovered two lost Hancock’s Half Hour episodes and our annual dinner will be held in Solihull in September; we’d love to see you at one of events as a member. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith and we expect to be back there in June when we’ll be showing three more episodes. We’ll be back in a few weeks with our next series when we’ll be looking at the sixth series episode Sid’s Mystery Tours as requested by Mark McGuigan. We hope to see you then.

In this podcast, we look at Hancock’s first television Christmas special from the third series, Hancock’s 43 Minutes. The three musketeers discuss this unusual variety style episode and consider the similarity between the show and much of Hancock’s stage act, look at how Hancock has the audience in stitches whilst doing nothing other than reacting to everything going on around him and consider whether this episode may have proved an inspiration for the Morecambe & Wise shows of the 1970s. Finally, the gang compete to see who shows the most promise for a career dancing on plate glass. 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 are already planning events for 2026, and we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, with the next event to be held on January 31st. We’ll be back with a Winter special. We hope to see you then.

In this third podcast of our series, we look at The Scandal Magazine from the 5th radio series. The three amigos consider this to be one of the finest of the radio half hours, discuss the unusual appearance of guest star John Vere in this fifth series episode and consider the brilliant voices provided by Hattie Jacques who is in top form in this episode as both Miss Pugh and ‘Mabel under the table’. The trio also look at the roles of Kenneth Williams, and his excellent portrayal of both the taxi driver and the judge and consider how risqué this episode must have been in the 1950s. Finally, the team consider, in detail, which edition of Blabbermouth publications they will be in if they visit the Bag of Nuts after recording 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 are already planning events for 2026, and we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, with the next event expected to be held in January. In our next festive podcast we look at the TV episode Hancock’s 43 Minutes or The East Cheam Repertory Company. We hope to see you then.

In this episode, we look at the brilliant parody episode The Blackboard Jungle from the third radio series. Lost for decades and only recovered as recently as 2005, the triumvirate of Hancock fans consider how fortunate we are to be able to review an original recording of this episode. The team review how closely the episode follows the plotline of the film on which it is based, look at the brilliant roles played by both Bill Kerr and Andree Melly and debate, in detail, whether Hancock is wearing a light mac or a brown overcoat. 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 are already planning events for 2026, and we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, with the next event due to be held on 31st January 2026. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a look at the radio episode, The Scandal Magazine. We hope to see you then.

In this first podcast of the new series, we look at The Radio Ham from Hancock’s final series for the BBC. The three amigos discuss how this is almost a Hancock solo episode, look at the brilliant supporting cast and compare the various versions of the programme, including the TV show, the LP version, the Fleksnes and Paul Merton re-makes. Finally, the gang of three consider, in detail, how best to package a bread pudding for sending to Kular Lumpa 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 are already planning events for 2026, and we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, with the next event expected to be held in January. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a look at the radio episode, The Blackboard Jungle. We hope to see you then.

In this Summer Special, the three amigos are delighted to welcome comedy historian Robert Ross, following the publication of his book 'Best Sellers – Peter Sellers A Life in Comedy', to chat about all things Peter Sellers and his close connection with Tony Hancock. In particular, we look at the films Orders are Orders and The Wrong Box and the Hancock’s Half Hour radio episode The Marriage Bureau. 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 for Solihull in September 2025 and an on-line Quiz event planned for November. More events will be added to the calendar over the coming months. We’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith with the next one scheduled for November. We’ll be back in the Autumn for a new series when we’ll be starting with a review of The Radio Ham from Hancock’s final series with the BBC. We hope you’ll be able to join us then.

In the last podcast for this series, we look at the final television episode of Hancock’s Half Hour: The Poison Pen Letters. The gang of three look at the poignancy of this episode, being the final one with Tony and Sid, consider the brilliant supporting cast and, debate in detail, how froate should really be spelt. The team discuss how good the lighting is in this episode and what inspired Ray and Alan to use Studholme Berkeley as the location for Hancock’s aunt’s farm. 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 for Solihull in September 2025 and more events will be added to the calendar over the coming months. We’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. We’ll be back in a couple of months with a summer special. We hope to see you then.

In this podcast we look at the radio episode The Chef That Died of Shame from the second radio series. The team consider how much of a departure from the usual format this episode represents, look at how, with hindsight, the episode can be seen as a reflection of Tony’s own life story and discuss the recurring character of Higgins in Hancock’s Half Hour. The gang of three go on to consider how brilliant the cast are in their different-from-usual roles and go on to compete to determine who can cook the best winkles’ feet on toast! 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 for Solihull in September 2025 and more events will be added to the calendar over the coming months. We’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. We’ll be back in two weeks time with a review of the sixth television series episode The Poison Pen Letters. We hope to see you then.

In this podcast, we look at the episode Around the World in Eighty Days from the fifth radio series The episode, which was lost for many years, is a brilliant parody of Jules Verne’s 1872 novel. The gang of three consider how the show encapsulates the atmosphere of 1950s Britain in the middle of the Cold War, discuss Kenneth Williams’s incredible nine different roles and Hattie Jacques’s six roles, and discuss in detail, how best to spend two and half months in Southend! 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 for Solihull in September 2025 and more events will be added to the calendar over the coming months. We’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith with the next one on the 7th June. We’ll be back in two weeks with a review of the second radio series episode The Chef That Died of Shame.

In the first of our new series of podcasts, we look at the radio episode The Wild Man of the Woods from the fourth radio series. The episode, which was released on Hancock’s first LP This is Hancock, is considered by the Team as one of best of the radio episodes. The gang look at the number of roles played by Kenneth Williams, discuss the great performances from all of the cast, consider the beautiful language used by Galton and Simpson in this episode and review probably the most well known fluff in all of the radio episodes! 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 for Solihull in September 2025 and more events will be added to the calendar over the coming months. We’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. We’ll be back in two weeks with a review of the fifth radio series Around the World in Eighty Days. We hope to see you then.

In our Christmas podcast this year we look at the radio episode Bill and Father Christmas which was broadcast between the fifth and sixth radio series. The gang consider the roles of Hattie, Sid and Hancock in this episode and how they all appear in a role reversal of their usual characterisations. They discuss the fantastic performance from Hattie Jacques in this, her final Hancock’s Half Hour and look at the brilliant contribution from Warren Mitchell. The team consider the deep philosophical references in this episode and discuss, in detail, the use of duck sound effects in Hancock’s Half Hour! 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 – 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. We’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. We’ll be back in the Spring with more Hancock reviews and special guest stars. In the meantime, we wish all our listeners a merry Christmas and Happy New Year – do enjoy your turkey feet and chips. We hope that you will be able to join us again next year.

In this episode, Tim, Jon and Martin look at the fifth television series episode The Two Murderers. The team consider how this episode takes on the feel of a film noir, especially with regards to the lighting, look at the quality of Sid and Tony’s acting throughout this episode and discuss the palpable sense of fear that both Hancock and James manage to portray. In a moment of light relief, the gang go on to practice how to eat egg and bacon with a spoon. Tim, Jon and Martin are delighted to welcome Dick Fiddy, consultant with the British Film Institute (BFI) who discusses Hancock’s legacy, BFI’s Missing Believed Wiped campaign and considers what programmes have been influenced by Hancock, and the superb writing partnership of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. 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 – 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 our festive edition with a look at the radio episode Bill and Father Christmas soon. We hope that you will be able to join us then.

In this episode, Tim, Jon, James and Martin review the fourth series radio episode The Expresso Bar. The team consider how coffee shops provided a theme for many of the radio episodes and how this theme reflected contemporary developments in the High Street. The Gang of Four explore all of the many topical references in this episode, debate how the episode title should be spelt and consider the brilliant contribution of Kenneth Williams over his five different roles. 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 - 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. We’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. We’ll be back with a look at the television episode The Two Murderers with our guest Dick Fiddy from the BFI. We hope that you will be able to join us then.

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 survive because 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 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 – 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 Bar soon. 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.

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.