Show Notes
And now for something completely different. In this episode, James, Tim, Jon and Martin review The Death of a Duchess, the final episode in the 1956 ATV Series The Tony Hancock Show and are delighted to welcome Hancock’s great niece, Lucy Hancock to the podcast as our guest; Lucy gave permission for the entire series of the Tony Hancock Show to be released on DVD and this was made available commercially for the first time earlier this year.The team look at how the programme showcased the physical side of Hancock’s comedy and consider the brilliant performance by Hattie Jacques and her onscreen chemistry with Hancock which ultimately led to her role in Hancock’s Half Hour. They also consider the similarity of Death of a Duchess with the Morecambe and Wise ‘play what I wrote’ sketches including how forward looking the series is in that it frequently breaks the fourth wall. The team reflects on the frenetic pace of the episode and how much fun everyone seems to be having.The gang of four get distracted as usual; this week they revert to their boyhood days and wax lyrical about Thunderbirds, Stingray, UFO, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet and all things Gerry Anderson. In Hancock updates, the team reveal the fantastic news that a new Hancock book: Tony Hancock: inside His Life in Words and Pictures, written by Lucy, Tim and Martin, is due for publication in Summer 2022.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 two weeks when we will be looking at The Missing Hanccocks remake of The New Neighbour both on radio and TV with our very special guest, the Lad Himself, Kevin McNally - hope to see you then.
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.