Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1424 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-10-22
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Black & White
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 8

Amazon.co.uk Review
The label ‘comedy legend’ is, sadly, banded about with frequent abandon now, often rewarding those whose body of work hasn’t yet earned such words (if at all). Yet there’s little doubting the pedigree of Tony Hancock, one of Britain’s greatest comedy talents. And there’s no better place to enjoy his work than in The Tony Hancock BBC Collection.

The set brings together a goldmine of Hancock’s television work, with the 39 episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour still in existence brought together. 17, sadly, are seemingly lost forever, although PDF files of the scripts of these episodes are included in the box, which proves to be a very welcome inclusion.

When it comes to the surviving content itself, though, what else can be said? Some of the material here is simply peerless, a splendid marriage of its superb leading star, blistering writing from Galton and Simpson, and a supporting cast that includes the likes of Sid James and Hattie Jacques. Backed up with fresh supplemental material, Hancock’s Half Hour is a British comedy iconic, and there’s plenty of evidence why in this set.

It should be stated that The Tony Hancock BBC Collection has little extra to entice those who have bought all the previously released Hancock DVDs. But for those with just a handful of those, or looking to start their collection, then this set is simply superb. A treat for fans of classic comedy young and old. --Simon Brew

DVD Description
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first television broadcast, this collection brings together all 39 surviving episodes (from the original canon of 56) of Hancock’s Half Hour and Hancock, from 1956 to 1961. This classic sitcom was written by Galton and Simpson and featured, of course, East Cheam's most famous resident, Tony Hancock.

DVD extras:
The Succession - Son & Heir
Face to Face: Tony Hancock Interview
Missing Scripts PDFs
3 Audio Commentaries with Ray Galton, Alan Simpson and Paul Merton

Customer Reviews

No hard feelings then? Yes, 8s 6d worth.
The beeb commerical department neglected to include a programme listing on the outer cover of this boxset (where no doubt it would have been seen and could inform a buyer's decision). Ironically this change from their earlier practice of including episode names and descriptions is one of few original things about this collection, which contains only one episode (The Succession: Son and Heir) not yet released to DVD. As with everything by Hancock/Galton/Simpson the episodes themselves are worthy of 5 stars, but as others have noted, if you've already bought previous releases you are paying a lot for a single episode. However, for anyone who doesn't already own this material, here is the programme list:

Disc 1: `The Alpine Holiday', `Air Steward Hancock, The Last Of The Many', `The Lawyer: The Crown vs Sidney James', 'Competitions: How To Win Money And Influence People' ,'There's An Airfield At The Bottom Of My Garden', 'Hancock's Forty-Three Minutes: The East Cheam Repertory Company: The Christmas Special'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL.1'

Disc 2: `Ericson the Viking', `The Set That Failed', `The New Nose', `The Oak Tree', `The Knighthood'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 2

Disc 3: `The Economy Drive', `The Two Murderers', `Lord Byron Lived Here', `Twelve Angry Men', `The Train Journey'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 3' (DISC 1).

Disc 4: `The Cruise', `The Big Night', `The Tycoon', `Spanish Interlude', `Football Pools'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 3' (DISC 2).

Disc 5: 'The Cold', 'The Missing Page', 'The Emigrant', 'The Reunion Party', 'Sid In Love'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 4' (DISC 1).

Disc 6: 'The Baby Sitters', 'The Ladies Man', 'The Photographer', The East Cheam Centenary' and 'The Poison Pen Letters'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 4' (DISC 2).

Disc 7: `The Bedsitter', `The Bowmans', `The Radio Ham', `The Lift', `The Blood Donor'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `THE VERY BEST OF HANCOCK'.

Disc 8: `The Succession: Son and Heir', `Face to Face: Tony Hancock Interview', PDF's of missing scripts.

Jumping the Gun...
Stone me, it seems a few reviewers on this page have jumped the gun in their criticisms of this set. For a start, the 'Face to Face' interview will be included in this release and a number of episodes have newly recorded commentaries with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Whereas the original DVD releases sometimes featured 1980s edits of some of the episodes, I'm led to believe that the original, uncut versions of some or all of the episodes have made it onto this set. Having sold my copies of the original discs online I now have more than enough money to purchase this superb collection. £40 for all Hancock's BBC shows, 'Face to Face' and commentaries to boot? Sounds like a bargain to me.

The BBC might be ripping us off, but Hancock isn't....
He's the lad himself, for my money the greatest comedy actor (I can't go with him a a comedian, as this is more than just a comedian at work) this country has produced. A man, who in his pauses, made not saying something on the radio funnier than any wisecrack...but this is his television work and although I think his best work was sound only, you have to go a long way to get comedy as fresh as most of Galton and Simpson's scripts on display here....I love these programmes as well as the man, he was searching for truth in comedy and he found it, if only he'd realised it. Yes, this package is ripping us off, but Hancock didn't, he always gave us his everything, and much of it that exists is here and it's life changing...50 years ago and now.....So, eyes down for a full house....