S8 -E5 -Very Nearly an Armful - Bill and Father Christmas
Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock PodcastShow Notes
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.
More from 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.