British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide
Hancock's Half Hour. Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock (Tony Hancock). Copyright: BBC
Tony Hancock

Tony Hancock

  • English
  • Actor and comedian

Tony Hancock features

The Likely Lads. Image shows from L to R: Terry Collier (James Bolam), Bob Ferris (Rodney Bewes) Features

Comedy Rewind: A likely story - The Likely Lads

Sunday 15th December 2024

As it celebrates its sixtieth anniversary we pay tribute to The Likely Lads, a pioneering series that helped popularise realism in television comedy.

Hancock. Image shows left to right: Tony Hancock (Tony Hancock), Nurse Rawlings (Judith Stott) TV

Hancock and The Girl

Sunday 12th May 2024

Whilst the 1963 Hancock series is not well-known today, one episode in particular has stand-out quality to it that offers a tantalising glimpse of Tony Hancock's genius.

Hancock's Half Hour. Image shows left to right: Sidney Balmoral James (Sid James), Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock (Tony Hancock). Credit: BBC Live

Hancock's Half Hour on the stage at 70

Thursday 9th May 2024

Ahead of comedian Tony Hancock's centenary and the 70th anniversary of sitcom Hancock's Half Hour on radio, actor and producer John Hewer discusses his new stage production of three scripts from lost television episodes.

The Gnomes Of Dulwich. Image shows from L to R: Small (Hugh Lloyd), Big (Terry Scott). Copyright: BBC Features

Three shows missing from the archives

Monday 1st April 2024

A look back at three lost shows: Morecambe & Wise's Running Wild; Tony Hancock performing H.G. Wells; and Hugh Lloyd and Terry Scott in Jimmy Perry's sitcom The Gnomes Of Dulwich.

Educating Archie. Peter Brough. Copyright: BBC Radio

Steam radio: a Baby Boomer's personal memory of post-war wireless comedy

Thursday 7th March 2024

With ever-more BBC radio archival treats now available to buy and enjoy again, self-identified Baby Boomer Hercules Grytpype-Thynne shares his personal memories and pays tribute to some of the biggest shows of the post-war era in this ode to brilliant comedy on the wireless.

Film Fun: Tony Hancock Features

Comics in comics

Sunday 17th September 2023

Julian Dutton looks at the comic strips that have featured comedians. Tony Hancock, Terry-Thomas, Harry Secombe and Ken Dodd were amongst those featured in publications like Film Fun - it's a rich history of how comedians were perceived.

Hancock. Tony Hancock (Tony Hancock) Quiz

Tony Hancock Quiz

Wednesday 10th May 2023

To link in with the 12th May birthday of Tony Hancock, here is a set of questions about the star of many a Half Hour.

Water Rats Features

Comedy Chronicles: Fraternally Yours - The Brotherhood of British comedy

Sunday 9th April 2023

Graham McCann looks at the formation and membership of show business clubs The Grand Order of Water Rats and Masonic Chelsea Lodge No 3098.

The Tony Hancock Show. Tony Hancock. Copyright: Jack Hylton Productions Features

Comedy Rewind: Enter the surreal with The Tony Hancock Show

Saturday 13th August 2022

Tony Hancock, with his deadpan, hang-dog expression, is rarely a comedian associated with the word 'surreal'. Yet surreal he was, and his earliest television series - sketch show The Tony Hancock Show - has recently been released on DVD, proving testament to exactly that fact.

Sid James Features

Comedy Chronicles: The ITV Job - The day when the BBC almost lost British comedy

Sunday 26th June 2022

Graham McCann's column charts a fascinating 'what if' moment in British television comedy history: a fork in the road that had consequences of epic proportions in either direction.

The Undiscovered Tony Hancock. Tony Hancock. Copyright: Getty Images Features

Comedy Chronicles: Tony don't fall backwards - Hancock at the Royal Festival Hall

Sunday 19th September 2021

Tony Hancock was one of the most successful comedians of his generation, but a combination of personal problems and increasingly erratic professional decisions turned his 1966 'comeback' at the Royal Festival Hall into an unfortunate night to forget...

The Undiscovered Tony Hancock. Tony Hancock. Copyright: Getty Images Features

Novelty Jukebox: Tony Hancock - From East Cheam to the Pop Charts

Monday 6th September 2021

Tony Hancock's work is much-celebrated amongst comedy aficionados, but long before complete CD releases were ever dreamt of, a series of re-recorded episodes of his and Galton & Simpson's iconic series were released on vinyl.

Steptoe And Son. Image shows from L to R: Albert Steptoe (Wilfrid Brambell), Harold Steptoe (Harry H. Corbett). Copyright: BBC Features

Comedy Chronicles: When Hancock met Steptoe

Sunday 22nd March 2020

Graham McCann reveals the fascinating true story of a very unlikely meeting between Tony Hancock and Harold & Albert Steptoe.

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