• click here to return to the homepage •
Home > Categories > Entertainment > Television > Hancock's Half Hour - Volume Three review
Hancock's Half Hour could be described as the yardstick against which all subsequent British sitcoms have been measured. Based on his famous radio show of the same name, the TV show made Tony Hancock Britain's leading comic of the day.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, regular guests on the show included comic greats like Sid James, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams and his fans included comedy greats and famous Goons Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe. Hancock's performing days started when he volunteered for the RAF and became part of the Gang Shows who were sent round to the many war zones to entertain the troops. After the war, his first real break was at the infamous Windmill Theatre where comedians were hired to entertain the audience between the nude reviews. Eventually his stage work came to the attention of the BBC and he was given a spot on Variety Bandbox in 1949. From then on, his career steadily grew and his successful radio and television shows spoke for themselves.
Hancock's Half Hour - Volume One
Hancock's Half Hour - Volume Two
Hancock's Half Hour - Volume Four
EltonJoel
Yes, Prime Minister : Series 1
Splash!
Doctor Who - The Complete Third Series
Naked Science - Surviving Nature's Fury
Stargate: Universe - Extended Pilot
Africa - Eye to Eye with the Unknown
Grand Designs Revisits: By Request
The Royals
Charmed: Season 1Product reviews...
Review by: diogenes (Rob)
Dated: 1st of May, 2007
Hancock fans everywhere will be rejoicing that the BBC have decided to release yet another volume of Hancock.
But wait - in the last two volumes, you got a single disk; in this volume, you have two. Clearly the BBC have been under pressure to release more and more of the comic genius that is Hancock, and the sharp comic scripts of Galton and Simpson, that they have given in to keep us in stitches for a while yet.
The unique feature of the scripts of Galton and Simpson is that they are timeless. They are almost as topical today as they were when first written, and just as funny. For fans of Galton and Simpson, do read Spike and Co for more insight into the comic pair, and the soon to be reviewed "Steptoe and Son". You will not be disappointed with either acquisition.
Back to Hancock. He is one of the reasons this series is so funny. Paul Merton tried to replicate Hancock's success in a recent remake of some of the Galton and Simpson scripts - but failed miserably in his delivery. Hancock (accompanied by Sid James and many other top comedians and actors of the day) had perfect comic timing. Also, written the 1940s and 1950s meant all the humour was good clean fun. Not even a swearword in any form would have got past the censors and to be honest, the scripts are funnier without the smutty humour. Only a slight innuendo is present and that just sails well above the kids' heads. If only more comedy today could be this well-written and appeal to the whole family.
But when, I ask, can we see volumes four, five and six? Ok, so I am greedy - but who can blame me?
Random listing from 'Entertainment'...
MacGyver is no ordinary secret agent. He never carries a gun. His drinks aren't shaken or stirred. And he fights for justice using the most dangerous weapon of all: his intelligence.
Richard Dean Anderson stars as television's favourite boy scout-turned-action hero: Angus MacGyver. When an American pilot is shot down over Central America or a top-secret missile is stolen, the authorities call on MacGyver, a former Special Forces agent, to save the day.
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"The man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
