Comedian Tony Hancock stars, in this BBC situation comedy TV series, as Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian living in East Cheam.Comedian Tony Hancock stars, in this BBC situation comedy TV series, as Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian living in East Cheam.Comedian Tony Hancock stars, in this BBC situation comedy TV series, as Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian living in East Cheam.
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- TriviaTony Hancock was notoriously undisciplined about learning his lines and needed all the available rehearsal time to get them down. During preparation for "The Blood Donor" he was involved in a car accident and missed several days' rehearsal, but it was decided that the performance could go ahead if his lines were written out for him on "idiot boards" so that he could read them. His delivery remains as good as ever (reading the lines from a script was nothing new to him - having been on radio) but he is obviously always looking somewhere just off camera. He was so pleased to have found a way of not having to learn his lines that he continued to press to make further shows in the same way.
- ConnectionsFeatured in My Hero: Ben Miller on Tony Hancock (2013)
Featured review
By 1961, Tony Hancock was one of the most recognisable British comedians on radio and television and rightly so. He played a considerable role in creating what would be known as the sitcom. The comedian made a final series for British television and the episodes are a testament to his comic genius. It has been stated that Hancock could be quite ruthless in matters of business. A case in point: Hancock decided to axe Sid James from the series as he felt they were becoming a double act and this wasn't what Hancock was striving for in his career. Sid James was reported as feeling rather upset and disappointed by this decision. I could understand his feelings on this as he provided exceptional support for Hancock. Comedy-wise, they suited each other brilliantly. It could be argued that it was the wrong move by Hancock in dispensing with James's services. Be that as it may, Hancock proved he could adapt to some change. For the 1961 series, the opening episode is Hancock entirely on his own for 25 minutes. All he needed was a damn good script, a few basic props, a streamlined set and his performance. The results are outstanding. Titled "The Bedsitter," Hancock is spending his afternoon in his flat (now based in Earl's Court) and is bored stiff. The ways and means in which he attempts to occupy himself are very funny. "The Lift" has Hancock being stuck inside a lift at the BBC along with other people. He has some right nasty characters to deal with here! "The Blood Donor" is the episode from this series that everyone talks about and I agree. Everything came together seamlessly. It was a shame that the comedian suffered that head injury after a car accident as his reading his lines tended to interfere with the timing of the other actors. However, this doesn't turn out to be a problem. Heaven only knows why Hancock chose not to have Ray Galton and Alan Simpson write for him any more or to dispense with the services of the BBC altogether. It seems to be that he was trying to achieve or obtain the unachievable or that he had grown tired of playing "The Lad Himself." He didn't know a good thing when he had it. Tony Hancock has long been acknowledged as being one of the greatest comedians of all time in British comedy. His legacy has long been assured and I shall always enjoy his work.
- alexanderdavies-99382
- Jul 15, 2017
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- Runtime25 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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