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Heathcote Williams - Hancock's Last Half Hour

Richard Briers stars as Tony Hancock - alone, far from home and whose only audience by 1968 is press clippings and bottles of vodka.

An imagining of the comedy legend alone in a Sydney hotel room on the day he died, with a book of newspaper cuttings, a telephone and a bottle of vodka for company. In a tour de force performance Richard Briers plays his great comedy hero, Tony Hancock, looking back over the highs and lows of his career. Heathcote Williams's play reveals a comedy genius, tormented by his own desire to improve himself. A desire which overwhelmed him, when he tragically took his own life in June 1968.

Produced by Ned Chaillet for BBC Radio 3 in 1988.

45 minutes

Last on

Wed 29 Oct 201404:15
BBC Radio 4 Extra

Broadcasts

  • Fri 27 Apr 201211:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Fri 27 Apr 201221:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Sat 28 Apr 201204:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Wed 6 Feb 201311:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Wed 6 Feb 201321:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Thu 7 Feb 201304:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Christmas Day 201321:20
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Tue 28 Oct 201411:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Tue 28 Oct 201421:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Wed 29 Oct 201404:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra

Featured in...

Classic Hancock Clips

Classic Hancock Clips

A selection of memorable moments from the surviving episodes of Hancock's Half Hour.