A lost episode of the classic radio comedy & more

Hancock’s Half Hour: The Marriage Bureau

The first ever publication of a long-lost episode of Hancock's Half Hour, featuring Peter Sellers - plus bonus material 
 
Legendary sitcom Hancock's Half Hour ran for 102 episodes on BBC Radio between 1954 and 1959. Over 20 shows were subsequently lost - but now one of the funniest and most sought-after, 'The Marriage Bureau', has been rediscovered. The penultimate episode of Series 1, it features a unique appearance from Peter Sellers, standing in for Kenneth Williams. Available for the first time since its original broadcast in 1955, it sees Hancock looking for a job - and a wife... 
 
Alongside it is a fascinating documentary, Raiders of the Lost Archive, in which Keith Wickham - the Indiana Jones of archiving - and fellow treasure-hunters discuss the thrilling, complex work of locating and restoring missing radio classics. Plus, there's a surviving extract from the lost Hancock's Half Hour episode, 'The New Year Resolutions', and a previously unreleased documentary, H-H-H-Happy Birthday Hancock, in which Andrew Sachs presents an affectionate tribute to The Lad Himself with contributions from Denis Norden, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, John Freeman and Sid James. 
 
Credits 
Hancock's Half Hour written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson 
Produced by Dennis Main Wilson 
Thanks to Tessa Le Bars, Martin Gibbons, Keith Wickham, Richard Harrison, the Radio Circle and the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society. 
 
'The Marriage Bureau' 
Starring Tony Hancock, Bill Kerr, Moira Lister, Sidney James and Peter Sellers 
Announcer: Adrian Waller 
Theme and incidental music composed by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz 
Sound restoration by Keith Wickham 
First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 8 February 1955 
 
Raiders of the Lost Archive 
Presented by Keith Wickham 
Written and edited by Keith Wickham and James Peak 
With special thanks to the Radio Circle, Richard Harrison, Roger Bickerton, Mark Ayres, Steve Arnold, Tom Hercock, Hannah Ratford and all at BBC Archives in Caversham 
Produced by James Peak 
An Essential Radio production for BBC Radio 4 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 October 2022 
 
Extract from 'The New Year Resolutions' 
Starring Tony Hancock, Bill Kerr, Sidney James and Kenneth Williams 
Sound restoration by Jon Street 
First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 4 January 1956 
NB: Due to the age and off-air nature of this recording, the sound quality may vary 
 
H-H-H Happy Birthday Hancock 
Presented by Andrew Sachs 
With contributions from Denis Norden, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, John Freeman and Sid James, and excerpts from Hancock's Half Hour 
Produced by Richard Edis 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 11 May 1999 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Hancock's Half Hour Collectibles: Volume 4

Volume 4 of the Collectibles series, featuring rare and re-mastered material starring Tony Hancock, Sid James and others

Ray Galton (Author) 
 Ray Galton and Alan Simpson met in a sanatorium in Surrey, where they were both being treated for TB. Ray Galton remembers noticing the six-foot-four Simpson and thinking he looked surprisingly large - ‘you expect everyone in a sanatorium to be thin and weedy, and he was the biggest guy I’d ever seen’. During two years in the same ward, they listened to comedy shows together and also wrote a series of their own, creating a radio room in a linen cupboard. Having left the sanatorium within a few months of each other, they decided to get a professional opinion of their work and sent a sketch they had written called The Pirate Sketch to the BBC. They were asked to go in for an interview, and soon found themselves writing for the sketch show Happy Go Lucky. Over the next two years they continued to write sketches for a number of big names, before coming up with the idea for Hancock’s Half Hour. Although the BBC took some persuading, eventually the show was scheduled, initially for radio but later as a television series. A phenomenally successful ten years later, Galton and Simpson were themselves very well known names. After Hancock’s Half Hour they wrote Comedy Playhouse for the BBC, out of which came their second huge television and radio hit, Steptoe &amp; Son. In 1977 they wrote The Galton &amp; Simpson Playhouse, produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV.

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio &amp; TV material starring Tony Hancock 
 
In this fourth treasury of rare archive material, our irrepressible hero forms an association to save Fred’s Pie Stall, in a newly restored 1959 radio episode of Hancock’s Half Hour. From the BBC TV series comes The Italian Maid (1959) in which Tony and Sid are bowled over by the lovely Silvano. 
 
Two 1952 editions of Calling All Forces line up alongside a 1953 edition of Star Bill, and an extract from The National Radio Awards 1951 features Hancock in a rare Educating Archie sketch. 
 
In Hancock’s Helpers, from 2004, Russell Davies looks at Tony Hancock’s on-air and off-air relationship with his co-stars, whilst a 2009 edition of Great Lives examines the legacy of the lad ‘imself. Hancock and Son, from 1998, traces the writing partnership of Galton &amp; Simpson. 
 
In Briers on Hancock (1984) Richard Briers presents an affectionate tribute to Tony’s memory, with contributions from Dennis Main Wilson, Denis Norden, George Fairweather, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, John Lloyd, John Freeman, Sid James and Bill Kerr. 
 
Also included in this treasury are interviews with Paul Merton, Roger Wilmut and Freddie Hancock, who all talk about the life and career of Tony Hancock. A bonus PDF booklet looks at each item in the context 
of Hancock’s broadcasting career, with insights into how many of these lost or rare items were discovered. 
 
Marking the legacy of one of our greatest comedy entertainers, this collection is a must for fans of Tony Hancock and Hancock’s Half Hour. 
 
Produced by Tom Ronald 
A BBC Studios production

Hancock's Half Hour Collectibles: Volume 3

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio &amp; TV material starring Tony Hancock

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio &amp; TV material starring Tony Hancock 
 
This third treasury of rare archive material presents another four newly restored radio episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour: ‘The 13th of the Series’ (1957), ‘The Male Suffragettes’ (1958), ‘The Sleepless Night’ (1958) and ‘The Last Bus Home’ (1959). Starring once again alongside Tony Hancock are Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams. 
 
Three further editions of the radio hit Calling All Forces, from 1952, feature Hancock as co-compere with Charlie Chester, with a bill featuring Robb Wilton and many other light entertainment stars of the day. 
 
Hancock’s Other Half’s Hour, from 1997, sets Tony’s widow Freddie Hancock centre stage, from where she invites many of his former colleagues to reminisce about the man. Among them are Harry Secombe, Peter Goodwright, Liz Fraser, Bill Kerr, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, Stirling Moss, Sylvia Sims, Larry Gelbart, Patricia Hayes, Jim Dale, Bill Cotton Jnr and Frank Thornton. 
 
The lad speaks for 'imself in two rarely heard Tony Hancock interviews, first broadcast on Open House (1964) and Late Night Line-Up (1965). Elsewhere Robert Cushman and Denis Norden survey Hancock’s life and career in Turns of the Century (1995) and Stone Me, What a Life! (2004) respectively. 
 
A bonus PDF booklet looks at each item in the context of Hancock’s broadcasting career, with insights into how many of these lost or rare items were discovered. 
 
Marking the legacy of one of our greatest comedy entertainers, this collection is a must for fans of Tony Hancock and Hancock's Half Hour.

Hancock's Half Hour Collectibles: Volume 2

An exclusive collection of rare and re-mastered radio material starring Tony Hancock, Sid James and others

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio &amp; TV material starring Tony Hancock 
 
This second treasury of rare archive material is spearheaded by four newly-restored radio episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour, all from 1956: ‘The New Secretary’, ‘Anna and the King of Siam’, ‘The Stolen Petrol’ and ‘The Expresso Bar’. Starring alongside Tony Hancock are Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams. 
 
A number of fascinating extracts from the long-running 1950s variety show Calling All Forces feature Hancock performing alongside Charlie Chester and others, whilst the famous Budgerigar Sketch - with Hancock as the eponymous bird - is featured here from 1958’s Christmas Night With the Stars on BBC TV. 
 
In What Happened to Hancock? from 1971, Philip Oakes reflects upon the complex personality of his friend, and elicits personal recollections from those who knew him, including Ralph Reader, Beryl Vertue, Sylvia Sims, Sid James, Duncan Wood, Michael Wale, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Heroes for a Time, from 1978, considers Hancock’s legacy ten years after his death, with contributions from Lyn Took, Barry Took, Arthur Askey and Billy Marsh. Freddie Ross Hancock recollects life as Tony’s second wife in a Woman’s Hour interview from 1979. 
 
Barry Cryer introduces Six Characters in Search of an Answer: Tony Hancock from 2003 and examines the man behind the character, with the help of Galton &amp; Simpson, Dennis Main Wilson and Richard Briers. Finally, in two editions of The Essay from 2015, Simon Heffer examines and compares the careers of both Tony Hancock and his stalwart co-star Sid James. 
 
Marking the legacy of one of our greatest comedy entertainers, this collection is a must for fans of Tony Hancock and Hancock's Half Hour. 
 
This release features a bonus PDF booklet alongside the audio, which looks at each item in the context of Hancock’s broadcasting career with insights into how many of these lost or rare items were discovered.

Rarities from the BBC radio archive

Hancock's Half Hour Collectibles: Volume 1

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio &amp; TV material starring Tony Hancock 
 
Tony Hancock’s broadcasting career began in the early 1950s with appearances in BBC radio programmes such as Variety Bandbox and Calling All Forces. Rare archive extracts of both are presented in this collection, along with an edition of Educating Archie, the radio comedy in which Hancock was a regular guest star. 
 
Soon he had his own radio series, Hancock’s Half Hour, which transferred to BBC television in 1956. This volume features four complete episodes: the recently discovered TV soundtrack of 'The Horror Serial', plus remastered and restored versions of 'The Blackboard Jungle', 'The Student Prince' and 'The Test Match’ from the radio series. 
 
Also rarely heard since first broadcast are soundtrack interviews with Tony Hancock - including the notorious edition of Face to Face from 1960 - and interviews with writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. A bonus PDF booklet looks at each item in the context of Hancock’s broadcasting career, with insights into how many of these lost or rare items were discovered. 
 
Marking the legacy of one our greatest comedy entertainers, this collection is a must for fans of Tony Hancock and Hancock's Half Hour.

15 episodes of the classic BBC radio sitcom

Steptoe & Son: Series 5 & 6

Collected together for the first time, 14 episodes of the radio episodes based on the TV series.

Ray Galton and Alan Simpson met in a sanatorium in Surrey, where they were both being treated for TB. Ray Galton remembers noticing the six-foot-four Simpson and thinking he looked surprisingly large - ‘you expect everyone in a sanatorium to be thin and weedy, and he was the biggest guy I’d ever seen’. During two years in the same ward, they listened to comedy shows together and also wrote a series of their own, creating a radio room in a linen cupboard. Having left the sanatorium within a few months of each other, they decided to get a professional opinion of their work and sent a sketch they had written called The Pirate Sketch to the BBC. They were asked to go in for an interview, and soon found themselves writing for the sketch show Happy Go Lucky. Over the next two years they continued to write sketches for a number of big names, before coming up with the idea for Hancock’s Half Hour. Although the BBC took some persuading, eventually the show was scheduled, initially for radio but later as a television series. A phenomenally successful ten years later, Galton and Simpson were themselves very well known names. After Hancock’s Half Hour they wrote Comedy Playhouse for the BBC, out of which came their second huge television and radio hit, Steptoe &amp; Son. In 1977 they wrote The Galton &amp; Simpson Playhouse, produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV.

Series 5 and 6 of the vintage radio sitcom starring Harry H Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell, adapted from the much-loved TV series. 
 
Steptoe and Son was hugely successful, with eight series broadcast on BBC TV and two spin-off feature films. So popular was the show that many episodes were subsequently recorded for BBC radio. 
 
Collected together for the first time, here are all the episodes from the fifth and sixth radio series, scripted and adapted for radio by Hancock's Half Hour creators Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. In these classic episodes, Harold conquers his fear of ballroom dancing; falls for his drama society’s leading lady; plans a solo holiday and pens an article for the church magazine. Plus, Albert is startled by his son’s sleepwalking; tangles with the tax inspector; tackles some extortionists (with the help of his kung fu club) and becomes involved in spiritualism. 
 
The episodes included are The Desperate Hours; Come Dancing; A Star is Born; A Winter's Tale; Men of Property; Men of Letters; Loathe Story; Oh, What a Beautiful Mourning; Live Now, PAYE Later; Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs, Downstairs; And So To Bed; Porn Yesterday; The Seven Steptoerai; Seance in a Wet Rag and Bone Yard; and a Christmas special, first broadcast as part of David Jacobs' Crackers in 1976. Also included are two bonus Steptoe and Son sketches: Scotch on the Rocks, from the 1978 Radio 2 show Good Luck, Scotland and a special insert from BBC1’s Christmas Night with the Stars from 1967. Duration: 8 hours approx.

Ray Galton

Alan Simpson

Tony Hancock

Harry Secombe

Sidney James

Steve Punt

Bill Kerr

Andrée Melly

The very first publication of a legendary lost episode of Hancock’s Half Hour, featuring Harry Secombe – plus bonus materialOne of the most popular comedies of all time, Hancock’s Half Hour ran for 5 years on BBC Radio from 1954-1959. Sadly, many of the 102 shows were lost, including ‘A Visit to Swansea’ – but now, this piece of radio history has been rediscovered and gloriously restored.The show – Episode 4 from Series 2 – is the only one to feature both Tony Hancock and Harry Secombe. For the previous three episodes, Secombe had replaced Hancock while the latter took an unscheduled trip to Rome. Here, Tony returns, to begrudgingly make ‘A Visit to Swansea’ and thank Harry for filling his shoes.Also included is an interview with Harry Secombe’s son Andy, in which he chats to Colin Murray about his father, his memories of Tony Hancock, and the story behind ‘A Visit to Swansea’. And in Tony Hancock – From Bournemouth to East Cheam, comedian Steve Punt recounts how The Lad Himself became the first true sitcom star.Production creditsHancock’s Half Hour written by Ray Galton and Alan SimpsonProduced by Dennis Main WilsonThanks to Tessa Le Bars, Martin Gibbons, Keith Wickham, Richard Harrison, The Radio Circle and the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society‘A Visit to Swansea’Starring Tony HancockWith Harry Secombe, Bill Kerr, Sidney James, Andree Melly and Kenneth WilliamsTheme and incidental music composed by Wally StottRediscovered by Richard Harrison of The Radio Circle, with an introduction by Keith WickhamFirst broadcast BBC Light Programme, 10 May 1955NB: Due to the age and off-air nature of this recording, the sound quality may varyInterview with Andy Secombe from the Colin Murray ShowPresented by Colin MurrayWith Andy SecombeFirst broadcast BBC Radio 5 Live, 28 November 2022Tony Hancock – From Bournemouth To East CheamPresented by Steve PuntWith contributions from Ken Robins, Stephen Petty, Marjorie Dawson, Bruce Barnes, George Fairweather, Ray Galton and Alan SimpsonProduced by Richard LattoFirst broadcast BBC Radio Solent, 27 May 2013© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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