Hancock's Half-Hour

Image: Kenneth Williams, Tony Hancock, Bill Kerr and Sidney James in 1956.

Hancock's Half-Hour started on 2 November 1954 with "The First Night Party". The series ran on radio and later on television until 1961.

Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, Tony Hancock was Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock "the lad himself". Hancock was surrounded by a cast of supporting players, chiefly Bill Kerr as his best friend, Sid James as a questionable friend, and Moira Lister as his girlfriend. Also in the first episode were Gerald Campion as Coatsleeves Charlie and Kenneth Williams as Lord Dockyard.

Hancock was already known to radio listeners from Educating Archie and Star Bill. Galton and Simpson took Hancock's character as it appeared in Star Bill and developed a more subtle, reactive style of comedy that put the curmudgeonly man at the centre of the action. Together with Hancock and producer Dennis Main Wilson they helped to popularise the situation comedy format.

Galton and Simpson went on to create Steptoe and Son and Main Wilson continued to produce comedies including Till Death Us Do Part and Citizen Smith. Sid James and regular guest star Kenneth Williams became some of the regulars in the Carry On film series.

Hancock never recaptured the success of Hancock's Half-Hour, and died in 1968. However, such was its influence that 40 years after the last original episode was transmitted, Tony Hancock was voted the greatest British comedian of all time.