Hancocks half hour..

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For Visgirl, and that "everything he did was written by Galton and Simpson. Don't think he was particularly funny without a script." -- well, I'll take a wild guess, having watched sitcoms dating right back to Steptoe, Alf Garnett, and Hancock (etc), that IF you really study the titles, they'll mention who the WRITERS are. Have you actually been thinking that the actors made it up as they went along?!

I loved Radio Ham

We always listened to the Blood Donor & Radio Ham when visiting one of our Aunts & Uncles as they had them on records.
As a child I also loved The Clitheroe Kid which I listened to with my Dad (who was very naughty as a child). We didn’t have a TV until I was 11 so radio (a big old Grundig) was really important. The other one I liked was Fire 999, if I remember it right. I couldn’t stand Sing Something Simple though.

I live near the house Tony Hancock was born in, in Hall Green in Birmingham, it’s in a sorry state now. And used to live near Jimmy Clitheroe’s when growing up.

My favourite is "Sunday Afternoon at Home" - just comic genuis!

I can remember The Navy Lark, Clitheroe Kid and Round the Horn on the radio from Sundays waiting for Sunday dinner to be served up. Happy memories...

TiggyW There’s quite a few Mike Harding clips on YouTube, including the 14 and a Half Pound Budgie 😂

My late father’s favourite comedian alongside the guy who used to wear a fez?

When I was a child we had an LP of the Blood Donor and the Radio Ham - I know the scripts by heart!
I agree that most contemporary comedians are just not funny - they rely on swearing and sex for laughs. That’s not talent. The only one I would forgive is Billy Connolly - he was brilliant. 🤣 Bill Bailey is multi-talented and doesn’t need to swear to get laughs.
Peter Kay stands head and shoulders above the rest - his facial expressions make me laugh even before he speaks!
Does anyone remember Mike Harding? He had an incredible talent for story-telling and song-writing. 😎

Labradora,

Thank you, didn't realise I could find them on there. Just listening to one now.

Jimmy Clitheroe , I had forgotten all about him..
Whacko with Jimmy Edward’s ..
Billy Bunter (totally cringeworthy now)

I've been listening to repeats of Hancock's Half Hour lately on Radio 4 in the mornings and love them! Remember them from days of old and always thought them incredibly funny. A great blast from the past.

Nanol 14

It was the radio show that I really liked and have just re-listened on BBC Sounds.

I thought he was really funny, no smut. I do not find today's comedians funny at all, swearing and sex.

Loved Hancock's half hour on the radio (1954-1959) but not that keen when it transferred to television.
Other 50s radio shows, that I really enjoyed, were The Clitheroe kid, The Navy Lark, The Al Read Show, Beyond Our Ken and Take It From Here, featuring The Glums. Lovely memories.

You’ve mad me think of the clitheroe kid which I absolutely loved listening too. I am going to see if I can find it anywhere now! Thank you for the prompt.

Anniebach,

Yes, tragically, he did , he seemed to have lived quite a troubled life. I often wonder if artistic people feel things more deeply than "ordinary" people ?
To bring it up to date, obviously we all only know what is reported in the Press but I was astonished to hear that the late Caroline Flack had killed herself because she feared a possible police conviction for striking her then boyfriend would ruin her career. If I recall correctly this beautiful, vital , popular , talented young woman with an apparently loving family hung herself........????

Tony Hancock took his life, age 44

Thanks for flagging this up. Loved this programme. Will defo be tuning in.

I used to love Tony Hancock with Sid James when I was a child, I giggled my socks off. I watched some a few years back and it didn't have the same effect. I do love one of his films though, The Rebel. I believe he wrote it.

Aveline

I just never found him in the least bit funny. I did try.

me too along with The Goons and Monty Python.

"I'm Julian, and this is my friend Sandy......" Loved it! Think they only got away with a lot of it because they used palare (polare?) which concealed some of the double entendre.

I was never really taken with Hancock. Round the Horne was comedy genius. We used to take the CDs in the car and we laughed so much it was dangerous. Thankfully no CD players in cars now, but I still play them from time to time.

I once found in the library published copies of the scripts for Hancocks Half hour, everything he did was written by Galton and Simpson. Don't think he was particularly funny without a scrip.

Not sure what exactly happened with Tony Hancock but they ended up leaving him and wrote Steptoe and Son.