Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast

In this episode, Tim, Jon and Martin look at the fifth television series episode The Two Murderers. The team consider how this episode takes on the feel of a film noir, especially with regards to the lighting, look at the quality of Sid and Tony’s acting throughout this episode and discuss the palpable sense of fear that both Hancock and James manage to portray. In a moment of light relief, the gang go on to practice how to eat egg and bacon with a spoon.   Tim, Jon and Martin are delighted to welcome Dick Fiddy, consultant with the British Film Institute (BFI) who discusses Hancock’s legacy, BFI’s Missing Believed Wiped campaign and considers what programmes have been influenced by Hancock, and the superb writing partnership of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Don’t forget to rate 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 www.tonyhancock.org.uk   We have events planned – Steve Punt (subject to commitments) will be one of the guests at our event at Hancock’s local The Red Barn in the Spring and we are planning an event in Solihull in September 2025.   In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back with our festive edition with a look at the radio episode Bill and Father Christmas soon.  We hope that you will be able to join us then.  

In this episode, Tim, Jon, James and Martin review the fourth series radio episode The Expresso Bar. The team consider how coffee shops provided a theme for many of the radio episodes and how this theme reflected contemporary developments in the High Street. The Gang of Four explore all of the many topical references in this episode, debate how the episode title should be spelt and consider the brilliant contribution of Kenneth Williams over his five different roles. Don’t forget to rate 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 www.tonyhancock.org.uk We have events planned - Steve Punt (subject to commitments) will be one of the guests at our event at Hancock’s local The Red Barn in the Spring and we are planning an event in Solihull in September 2025. We’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. We’ll be back with a look at the television episode The Two Murderers with our guest Dick Fiddy from the BFI. We hope that you will be able to join us then.

In this episode, Tim, James, Jon and Martin celebrate the 70th anniversary of Hancock’s Half Hour with a look at the first series episode The New Car. The team consider how lucky we are that many of the first series survive because they were made available to overseas radio stations and how good a foil for Hancock Moira Lister was. The Gang of Four discuss how the episode provides a fascinating insight into 1950s life and how it showcases the brilliant writing of Galton & Simpson so early in the first series. Don’t forget to rate 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 www.tonyhancock.org.uk  We have events planned – Steve Punt (subject to commitments) will be one of the guests at our event at Hancock’s local The Red Barn in the Spring and we are planning an event in Solihull in September 2025.   In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back with a look at the radio episode The Expresso Bar soon.  We hope that you will be able to join us then.

In this special Summer edition of our podcast, we are delighted to welcome John Hewer, star of the upcoming theatre tour of lost television episodes to discuss his upcoming tour and what the audience can expect to see.   Most excitingly, the shows selected have not been seen or heard since first broadcast and it will be amazing to see these shows recreated with a full supporting cast and lovingly created sets which will include a recreation of the living room of 23 Railway Cuttings complete with picture of Queen Victoria and stuffed buzzard (well Eagles are very hard to come by!)  The nationwide tour starts on the 17th September and tickets can be booked via the Hambledon Productions website: Hancock's Half Hour: The Lost TV Episodes - Hambledon Productions  The shows being performed are The Bequest, The Auction and The Russian Prince.   Don’t forget to rate 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 www.tonyhancock.org.uk  We have events planned – John Hewer will be one of the guests at our annual dinner in September and we are planning an event at Hancock’s old local, The Red Barn, in May 2025.   In addition, screenings of Hancock’s TV episodes on the big screen continue at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith; we’d love to welcome you as a member and see you at our events. We’ll be back in early November with another series of the podcast looking at more of Tony’s television and radio episodes. We look forward to your company then.