The Missing Hancocks Page 4

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 14th November 2014, 10:09 PM GMT

Well that was an odd one this week - The Hancock Festival.

Inspired by Somerset Maugham's pay packet, Tony becomes a writer. His friends are recruited to bring his dramatic offerings to life.

McNally superb again sounding more like The Lad Himself each week, but no "Kenneth Williams" or "Andree Melee" who is replaced by "Moira Lister".
"Bill Kerr" slightly better I thought, but "Sid" lacking again.

Three playlets by Tony Stafford Hancock, and as if to add to the oddity Eccles from The Goon Show appears very briefly in the third one.

Very enjoyable.

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I did enjoy it still but I didn't really like the characters taken out of their 'normal surroundings'.

Quote: Will Cam @ 16th November 2014, 11:58 PM GMT

I did enjoy it still but I didn't really like the characters taken out of their 'normal surroundings'.

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Agree, the best ones are when they are in , or start out from Railway Cuttings.

The Breakfast Cereal

Hummm, for me one of my least favourites so far. Weak plot with some good gags.
McNally as always perfect as TH with a vast improvement in "Kenneth Williams" both as the snide and old fart judge.

I enjoyed it. Laugh out loud stuff (while I was driving!)

Full marks to Robin Sebastian. He's nailed all the Kenneth Williams incarnations.

The New Neighbour

Enjoyable last episode, with McNally in fine form as always - I find it uncanny, it is like Tony has come back to life and has some other actors to play the parts of the rest of the crew.

"Kenneth Williams" was good again but it is a pity that the rest don't really come up to scratch.

I think we might be concentrating a bit too much on the performances when we should be hailing some wonderful G&S scripts.

That is a given I think and what was required a review of what was new.

A great end to the series. Nice to hear Robin Sebastian getting a round of applause for 'Kens' overacting!

I had a moment of blinding realisation today !

My book The Missing Episodes has ten reconstructed scripts and the series had five episodes so, series two anyone?

Reconstructed?

Quote: Oldrocker @ 1st December 2014, 8:48 PM GMT

I had a moment of blinding realisation today !

My book The Missing Episodes has ten reconstructed scripts and the series had five episodes so, series two anyone?

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Yeah, I don't think it's any secret that there are other scripts out there...?

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 1st December 2014, 9:24 PM GMT

Reconstructed?

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By Galton and Simpson.

Interestingly the BBC website says 102 episodes whereas the book says 103.

Should they ever decide to do more, they stick to the book scripts, then they would be TV scripts with a lot more characters.

"Harry Secombe's son to play his roles in The Missing Hancocks"

Excellent news!! Andrew was brilliant in Goon Again (broadcast 15 years ago in celebration of The Goon Show's 50th anniversary) sounding so much like a young version of his father, which was only to be expected I suppose.
I have often wondered over the years what these ones with Harry in instead of TH sounded like, and with Kevin McNally playing The Lad again in the fourth one these are going to be brilliant!

Secombe, best known for his parts in The Goon Show, covered for Hancock for three episodes, before Hancock resurfaced in time to record the fourth episode. Writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson changed the script of this episode so that, as part of the show, Tony Hancock went to Wales to thank Harry Secombe for filling in, with Harry appearing as himself.

Can't wait!

Kenneth Williams reckoned Harry better than Tony but I think he was a bit miffed with him at the time.

Quote: wigwam willy @ 4th December 2016, 5:24 PM

Kenneth Williams reckoned Harry better than Tony but I think he was a bit miffed with him at the time.

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Quite, as there was no love lost between them and when Hancock died KW would never be drawn into any conversation or opinion of Tony.
Initially it was KW who set Tony on a path of going it alone as he didn't like the amount of laughs Williams was getting, especially with his snide voice, which Hancock was totally against, not wanting the use of funny voices on his show.