S4 - E5 - Very Nearly an Armful - Hancocks Happy Christmas - P2 2
Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock PodcastShow Notes
In this episode, we continue our festive theme when James, Tom Tim and Martin conclude their review of the radio episode Hancock’s Happy Christmas in the company of a glass of Baileys and a mince pie!
This time, the team look at the career of Dorothy Marks, the many cultural references sprinkled throughout the show and, once again, consider the sparkling performances all the cast put in to make this one of the great festive Hancock episodes. They also look at Snide’s appearance at the almost obligatory 25 minute point in the episode and his hilarious interaction with the children.
In Hancock updates, the team look at the recent Network DVD release of Hancock’s The Blackpool Show and the upcoming Gold documentary Very Nearly an Armful. They also consider the merits or otherwise of the colourisation of black and white photos and television, debate the origins of Hancock wearing an eye patch and reveal the outcome of a Twitter poll of whether folk prefer the radio or television series.
Don’t forget to rate us 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 Tonyhancock.org.uk. We’ll be back in 2023 for Series 5 when we will be looking at the television episode The Economy Drive – hope to see you then! In the meantime, we wish our listeners a merry Christmas and a happy New Year – enjoy your turkey feet and chips! Now, all together, Good King Wenceslas…!
More from Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast
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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.