Product Description

Regarded as the best radio and TV comic of his era, Tony Hancock was a man whose star burned brightly in the eyes and ears of millions before his untimely death in 1968. Now, forty years on, critically acclaimed biographer John Fisher brings the first fully authorised account of his life. Tony Hancock was one of post-war Britain's most popular comedians -- his radio show 'Hancock's Half Hour' would clear the streets as whole families tuned in to listen. His peerless timing and subtle changes in intonation marked Hancock out as a comic genius. His character 'Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock' was an amplification of his own persona, a pompous prat whose dreams of success are constantly thwarted. The original British loser that we recognise in Victor Meldrew and Alan Partridge. Wonderfully supported by a cast including Sid James, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams, and working with scripts from Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, Hancock became a huge star. The show was commisioned for TV, showcasing his talent for hilarious facial expression, and he became the first British comedian to earn a thousand pounds a week.Behind Tony Hancock's success however hid the self-destructive behaviour that plagued him all his life. Prone to self-doubt, and wanting to be the star of his own show, he got rid of James, and finally dismissed Galton and Simpson who had created the platform for his success. His private life was wracked by his ever increasing alcoholism and bouts of depression, and his relationships shattered by his capacity for violence. His ratings fell and, feeling washed up and alone after divorcing his second wife, he committed suicide in an Australian hotel room in 1968. Now, forty years after his death John Fisher explores the turbulent life of a man regarded by his peers as one of the greatest British comics to have ever lived.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #110525 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 480 pages

Review
`What John Fisher doesn't know about traditional British comedy probably isn't worth knowing.' --The Guardian.

From the Inside Flap
Without Hancock there would have been no Steptoe, no Alf Garrett, no Alan Partridge, no David Brent.

One of Britain's most innovative comedians and arguably its most popular, he united the nation in laughter with `Hancock's Half Hour,' the show that established the situation comedy.

But behind Hancock's success lurked a tendency to self destruction that would compromise his later years. Prone to professional insecurity and a quest for perfection, he gradually detached himself from the writers, agents and actors who had played an essential role in his success. Now forty years later after Hancock's death, John Fisher explores his turbulent life and tragic death of a still revered performer.

In this first full appraisal of both his life and work, Fisher sheds new light on Hancock's fall from grace, examining with sensitivity what went wrong and questioning whether his suicide was inevitable. At the same time, his unprecedented access to the Hancock family and its archives - together with interviews with friends and colleagues, several of whom have spoken for publication for the first time - add to the celebration of this comedy hero.

`What kind of Fool?' will redefine the Hancock legacy, reaffirming Hancock's body of work on stage, radio and television, as unsurpassed by a single British comedian.

About the Author
John Fisher has a long and distinguished career as a TV producer working in light entertainment with such giants of comedy as Bob Monkhouse, Spike Milligan, Bruce Forsyth & Tommy Cooper. His most recent work includes Channel 4's Heroes of Comedy, and the critically acclaimed biography Tommy Cooper: Always Leave Them Laughing.

Customer Reviews

Probably the last word on "the lad"
This isn't the first account of Tony Hancock's life. Variously his agent/wife Freddie, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams among others have covered his story to one degree or another. The previous "full" account - When the Wind Changed - concentrated more on the scurrilous allegations of Tony's life -but, as John Fisher effectively says in hs preface here, you need to take some of that with a pinch of salt.

I guess we're not likely to have a more definitive biography than this one looking at the wealth of contributions to it. Fisher clearly knows his British comedy, as he pompously keeps telling us, but you are left with a very clear idea of where Hancock's humour came from, the contribution he made and the footprint he left. I'm tempted to say he left a huge shadow but it is clear that it was exactly those sort of puns which represented his dislike - if not loathing - of his self image.

The truth is that he was the best British comic actor of our time but he was fatally unable to simply recopgnise that and luxuriate in the genuine love his audience and colleagues had for him (Sid James comes out of this particularly sympathetically). Fisher brings out very well Hancock's huge intellectual pretensions and the negative impact his ever growing quest for perfection had on his comedy and those around him.

Hancock's alcoholism, mental illness and lapses into violence and abuse are well and responsibly handled by Fisher. Ultimately it leaves you with a real sense of sadness for what Hancock did to himself and what we lost. But there is a huge amount of good to remember and this long (very long)and exhaustive view of the lad and his times is rewarding at all times.

I finished the book and watched a couple of old TV shows straightaway, Brilliance.

Revealing insight
I grew up during the radio heyday of Tony Hancock - his "Hancock's Half Hour" persona was legendary when I was at grammar school, every episode being discussed at length at both break times and between lessons; every laugh being relived in the process. This biography of the flawed genius that was Hancock has given me so many insights into the man, his times and his character. He may not have been what I thought he was, but then few of us are, and my debt of gratitude to Hancock, as well as the author, is undiminished. I particularly liked the early chapters on radio comedy of the 1950s. A brilliant book, thoroughly recommended.

Hancock (and His Fans) Deserves Better Than This
One of the problems of shopping via the Internet especially for someone like me who has little access to English-language bookshops, is that you don't get a chance to dip into the book. I know Amazon allows some online dipping but I think it would be an idea to give Internet purchasers a larger sample. I make this preamable because within a few pages of reading this book I realized I had made a big mistake in buying it. Had I picked up in a shop and leafed through it, I would have put it back on the shelf and moved on.

To call it a biography is misleading as it does not give an in-depth chronological account of Hancock's life but consists of lots of padding and dozens of pages of quotes and dialogue from scripts plus descriptions of sketches which might have been hilarious on the radio or television but lie dead on the printed page. The style is painfully bad.

I admit I gave up halfway through. Perhaps the book suddenly takes off towards the end but I simply did not have the patience to wait and find out.

Pity because I always found Hancock a very interesting character and would like to have learned more about him. It's also a pity that Hancock did not keep a diary or write letters as his one-time partner Kenneth Williams did. Hancock through Hancock's eyes would have been much more edifying than Hancock through Fisher's eyes.

Incidentally, Williams mentions Hancock in his Diary and Letters which are edited by Russell Davies and make highly recommended reading.