Hancock's Half Hour

[Port Said Red]

Not a reference to the besotted Tory MP but this......

I love these old comedy series and spend too much of my time catching up with them on Radio 4 extra. It always amazes me when these old episodes get found, whether it's HHH or Dads Army or Round the Horne, I love to hear them. So Tony Hancock and Peter Sellers together, this should be fun.  

[B1ackbird]

My parents had the album with the radio ham on one side and the blood donor on the other...

 

Hhhhhhhandcocks...hour 

[freezer]

6 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

Not a reference to the besotted Tory MP but this......

I love these old comedy series and spend too much of my time catching up with them on Radio 4 extra. It always amazes me when these old episodes get found, whether it's HHH or Dads Army or Round the Horne, I love to hear them. So Tony Hancock and Peter Sellers together, this should be fun.  

Will tune in for that thank you. Radio 4 extra does have some great listening on. They don't make them like that anymore.

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

I listened to a few of the lost episode remakes on R4.

Kevin McNally was a very convincing Tony Hancock...the Sid James was a bit off, as he sounded Australian. 

They were pretty good efforts, I thought.

Edited October 5, 2022 by Mike Hunt-Hertz

[Markman]

2 hours ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

I listened to a few of the lost episode remakes on R4.

Kevin McNally was a very convincing Tony Hancock...the Sid James was a bit off, as he sounded Australian. 

They were pretty good efforts, I thought.

agree with you - Hancock is wonderful imo - I listen to the show on Radio 4 Extra all the time - never fails to make me laugh - looking forward to this "discovered" episode thanks to Port Said for sharing

[richwwtk]

I quite enjoy HHH and some of the others on R4Extra, but the one that many people seem to regard as the creme de la creme, but I cannot stand, is The Goon Show. it's bloody awful, I just don't get it.

[Port Said Red]

29 minutes ago, richwwtk said:

I quite enjoy HHH and some of the others on R4Extra, but the one that many people seem to regard as the creme de la creme, but I cannot stand, is The Goon Show. it's bloody awful, I just don't get it.

I agree, I think it's maybe one of those that you have to try and put yourself in the mindset of the time, it must have seemed incredibly anarchic compared to everything else that was happening around that time. 

It's a bit like rock n roll, some of those tracks can seem so tame now, but must have been a complete shock to people growing up on Crosby and Sinatra, etc 

[Markman]

38 minutes ago, richwwtk said:

I quite enjoy HHH and some of the others on R4Extra, but the one that many people seem to regard as the creme de la creme, but I cannot stand, is The Goon Show. it's bloody awful, I just don't get it.

agree - tried it many times - just simply cannot get it

[Port Said Red]

One thing I do find interesting by the way is that some of the old TV stalwarts like Dad's Army or Steptoe and Son can be equally funny on radio. They are very dialogue heavy and it's easy to paint your own pictures in your head of what's happening.

Mind you a couple of the Steptoe episodes have some very questionable subject matter even for their time. I remember listening to one about a guy they had met who was probably homosexual and it was cringeworthy. After the show even the announcer said something like. "That's was S and S from 1969.......... which probably explains a lot really".

Whereas the characters of Julian and Sandy in Round the Horne are beautifully realised. With their euphemisms and use of "Polari" there's no hiding what they are, but their is no malice in their portrayal either. I know that Williams and Paddick were gay so maybe that's why they had a better treatment of the subject.

[richwwtk]

34 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

It's a bit like rock n roll, some of those tracks can seem so tame now, but must have been a complete shock to people growing up on Crosby and Sinatra, etc 

Very true, though a lot of those tracks can still be appreciated and enjoyed, even more so when you are aware of their history and place in the grand scheme of things. Trouble with the Goon Show is, even with that knowledge, it's almost unlistenable.

I guess the TV Comedy equivalent would be the Young Ones? That is still funny.

BTW, if you are at all interested in Rock n Roll, how it came about, just how revolutionary it was etc. then can I recommend 'A History Of Rock Music in 500 Songs' podcast? It's currently on episodes in the 150's which has brought the story up towards the end of the 1960's, but I would most certainly suggest you listen from the beginning (if you have time). Interesting and knowledgable from the beginning. A must listen in my mind.

[Marvin]

3 hours ago, Markman said:

agree with you - Hancock is wonderful imo - I listen to the show on Radio 4 Extra all the time - never fails to make me laugh - looking forward to this "discovered" episode thanks to Port Said for sharing

There's over a hundred episodes available on BBC Sounds (including the Kevin McNally remakes). I've timed my drive into work on a Wednesday morning to coincide with an episode on 4 Extra.

[Midred]

5 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

One thing I do find interesting by the way is that some of the old TV stalwarts like Dad's Army or Steptoe and Son can be equally funny on radio. They are very dialogue heavy and it's easy to paint your own pictures in your head of what's happening.

Mind you a couple of the Steptoe episodes have some very questionable subject matter even for their time. I remember listening to one about a guy they had met who was probably homosexual and it was cringeworthy. After the show even the announcer said something like. "That's was S and S from 1969.......... which probably explains a lot really".

Whereas the characters of Julian and Sandy in Round the Horne are beautifully realised. With their euphemisms and use of "Polari" there's no hiding what they are, but their is no malice in their portrayal either. I know that Williams and Paddick were gay so maybe that's why they had a better treatment of the subject.

When we used to listen to Round the Horne I hazard a guess that like the BBC we were blissfully unaware of what was being broadcast. Listening to them again it beggars belief that the BBC could broadcast Jules and Sandy yet ban several songs in the 70's and 80's!

[Port Said Red]

8 minutes ago, Midred said:

When we used to listen to Round the Horne I hazard a guess that like the BBC we were blissfully unaware of what was being broadcast. Listening to them again it beggars belief that the BBC could broadcast Jules and Sandy yet ban several songs in the 70's and 80's!

That's where the Polari comes in, it was/is a secret language that allowed them to have a lot of "in" jokes which many were unaware of.

[BS5_RED]

10 hours ago, richwwtk said:

I quite enjoy HHH and some of the others on R4Extra, but the one that many people seem to regard as the creme de la creme, but I cannot stand, is The Goon Show. it's bloody awful, I just don't get it.

I love Milligan and Sellars individual stuff. Even yer man Secombe was good on Highway

But I agree - it just sounds like teenagers doing silly voices into their tape player!

 

[Lanterne Rouge]

3 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

That's where the Polari comes in, it was/is a secret language that allowed them to have a lot of "in" jokes which many were unaware of.

`We`re extremely busy with our criminal practice`. Makes me roar every time I hear it.

The old stuff on 4extra is great but there is a lot of very good modern(ish) stuff on there too - North By Northamptonshire, The Break, The Unbelievable Truth, Thanks A Lot Milton Jones, Double Science, The Wilsons Save The World, Shhhhh, It`s A Fair Cop, Chambers and loads more.

I love all the old Poirots and Sherlock Holmes stuff too and some of the serials (Micah Clarke & Lorna Doone have been two excellent recent ones). Apart from when the cricket`s on I`ve got it on in the car all day.