Hancock's Half Hour

Complete Series One & Two

By: Ray Galton, Alan Simpson

Narrated by: Tony Hancock, Sid James, Full Cast

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Tony Hancock stars with Sid James and Kenneth Williams in the legendary BBC Radio comedy series. Created by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson in 1954, Hancock’s Half Hour was the radio vehicle that made Tony Hancock a household name. Each week listeners would be admitted to the sometimes fantastical, sometimes mundane life of “the lad ‘imself”. Aided and abetted by Sid James, Andrée Melly, Bill Kerr, and Kenneth Williams, Hancock would enter into the spirit of each episode with characteristic dolefulness. This collection of 15 episodes represents the surviving archive from the first two radio series.

The episodes included are:

• "The First-Night Party"
• "The Idol"
• "The Boxing Champion"
• "The New Car"
• "Cinderella Hancock"
• "A Trip to France"
• "The Monte Carlo Rally"
• "A House on the Cliff"
• "The Sheikh"
• "The End of the Series"
• "The Holiday Camp"
• "The Chef That Died of Shame"
• "The Rail Strike"
• "The Television Set"
• "The Marrow Contest"

©2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Classic Hancock

One of the all time comedy greats, great value (especially if you use your audible credits) . I think I prefer it when Hattie Jaques and Kenneth Williams were in it, that would be what I regard as the peak of the program, but every episodic is classic British comedy. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Still one of the greatest comedy teams

If you're interested in comedy, and sitcoms in particular, then you have to listen to this. You'll hear how it influenced so many comedians and writers. Galton and Simpson were the true geniuses here, but Hancock, Sid James, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams deliver the lines perfectly.

Nostalgic old school comedy.

Not a great deal to say, apart from I loved every episode of these timeless classic British comedy greats. It takes me back to (through rose coloured glasses) when times were happy.

Great script writers and great comedians like Hancock, Sid James and Kenneth Williams were at their peak. What’s not to like?

Brilliant but you need to be over 50 ....!

This was an absolute classic to listen to. I was laughing my head off whilst driving my car – not dangerously I hope!. Many of the jokes refer to previous times but quite honestly it is some of the best comedy ever produced in my view.

Classic British Radio Comedy

Tony Hancock, was and still is an enigma of comedy. it's clearly evident to be as good as he is that comes at a price. His own tortued personal life was a paradox of these timeless radii performances. Superlative and without equal. Hancock, Curr and James are perfection.

Don’t believe the hype

Well what can I say, returned very shortly after sitting through just two episodes of this self absorbed mans show. It’s no wonder his supporting cast moved on to so many better things.

Not as good as the TV series, but enjoyable on the whole.

I have always enjoyed watching Hancock’s Half Hour on TV, and this audiobook was my first foray into the radio show. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the TV shows, in fact I found some of the radio shows in this series to be quite unfunny, such as the train strike episode. However, the acting was great from all involved, and on the whole the show was good, I have read in other reviews that the radio series improved as the progressed, and so I will be buying series 3.

Timeless comedy

Great old comedy with stars such as Sid James and Kenneth Williams. Timeless. on to the next season

great scripts

prefer later series bit disappointed not going to order any more episodes to listen to