Hancock's Half Hour: Series 4

By: Ray Galton, Alan Simpson

Narrated by: full cast, Sid James, Tony Hancock

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

The fourth series of the legendary BBC Radio comedy series starring Tony Hancock.

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, Bill Kerr Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques, Hancock would enter into the spirit of each episode with characteristic dolefulness.

This volume contains all 20 episodes from the fourth radio series, collected together for the first time. In these hilarious Half Hours, Hancock moves from 23 Railway Cuttings to the dosshouse to a Scottish castle; acquires a secretary; visits the ballet; and tries his hand at a multitude of professions including agricultural labourer, coffee bar owner and policeman....

The episodes included are: 'Back from Holiday', 'The Bolshoi Ballet', 'Sid James' Dad', 'The Income Tax Demand', 'The New Secretary', 'Michelangelo 'Ancock', 'Anna and the King of Siam', 'Cyrano de Hancock', 'The Stolen Petrol', 'The Expresso Bar', 'Hancock's Happy Christmas', 'The Diary', 'The 13th of the Series', 'Almost a Gentleman', 'The Old School Reunion', 'The Wild Man of the Woods', 'Agricultural 'Ancock', 'Hancock in the Police', 'The Emigrant' and 'The Last of the McHancocks'.

©2015 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2015 BBC Worldwide Ltd

Classic comedy

The 1950s radio comedy classic is thought by some to be the birth of modern sitcom. A great listen

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Sound issue on a few episodes

Which otherwise spoils a good series. Would recommend as you can still hear if fuzzy compared with the others.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Classic Hancock

Any additional comments?

Classic Hancock. The series was well into it's stride now, with regulars Sid James, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams supporting 'the lad 'imself'. The writing is classic Galton & Simpson. The quality of some episodes is 'vintage' (usually episodes recovered from off-air recordings), but it doesn't detract too much from the enjoyment to be had from these episodes. Hancock still stands as a landmark series of radio comedy and is rightly considered a classic.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Awful audio quality on several episodes

Not please that I could barely hear several episodes due to the age and quality of original recordings

Improving as the Series Progresses

I have series 1-3 as well as this one, and I found the first 3 series not to be as good I had hoped, though still enjoyable. This 4th series, however, is getting to the Hancock I know from the TV. This series also introduces us to a new character - the wonderful Hattie Jacques, my favourite Carry On member. I really enjoyed this series very much. The stories are well written and fantastically performed. I do feel though, that Kenneth Williams’ role relies heavily on his catchphrase “Stop messing about”, and how his voice sounds. The series, I feel, has improved with the arrival of Hattie, and better scripts. I love how, when the actors make a mistake, they laugh aloud, and try again.

One thing, as another reviewer pointed out, this series is advertised as containing 20 episodes, but it actually has 21 - the 21st being a repeat of the 20th. Not sure what happened there. Now purchasing series 5.

classic

classic entertainment from a classic era
with some of the funniest people and comedy stars involved

Fabulous classic radio comedy

Can't ignore the similarities - cast and gags - with the 'Carry On' films of my childhood. Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques.

A fantastic radio series.

Note error - the final episode, 'The Last of the McHancocks' is repeated at the end
(20 episodes @ 30minutes = 10 hours)

Just class.

Not only funny but a social history of Britain and attitudes in the late 1950s and early sixties.