ATV TV Series 2

The second series for ATV was also entitled 'Jack Hylton Presents The Tony Hancock Show'. Broadcast between November 1956 and January 1957 at fortnightly intervals, the show was written by Eric Sykes (episodes one to four) and Ray Galton and Alan Simpson (episodes five and six, although they were uncredited). None of the shows have survived and little information exists about the cast details. The Society has obtained scripts for episodes one to three and five to six, so at least we have some details for these episodes.

TV BBC TV Series 1 BBC TV Series 2 BBC TV Series 3 BBC TV Series 4 BBC TV Series 5 BBC TV Series 6 BBC TV Series 7 ATV TV Series 1 ATV TV Series 2

The only regular cast member was Tony Hancock. Details of the other cast members, where known, are shown against each episode.

First broadcast 16.11.56 Live.

With Bill Shine

Hancock, the British Railways porter, is tasked with coming up with ideas as to how to make British Railways profitable again.  He decides that running British Railways as an airline but all in a military style would be the best approach. Unsurprisingly, the whole scheme is a disaster whilst Hancock’s petty pilfering knows no bounds and is hugely successful!

First broadcast 30.11.56 Live

With Hattie Jacques and Charles Heslop

Hancock is the unfavoured son in an aristocratic family and is told that his father won’t favour him again until his long lost brother is found.  Believing his brother is in the Foreign Legion, Hancock promptly goes to Africa in search of him but accidently manages to enrol in the Foreign Legion himself.  On completing his time in the Legion, Hancock returns home only to discover his brother has returned…from his stage act where he plays a legionnaire.

First broadcast 14.12.56 Live

With Bill Fraser and Helen Boult

Hancock is living with his aunt; they are so skint  that they have to take in a lodger.  Enter a policeman as a lodger who determines that Hancock is breaking the law on a regular basis.  When the policeman captures a hardened criminal, he brings him home for the night and the criminal proceeds to threaten Hancock with violence.  Hancock survives and the local prison is so impressed with Hancock’s handling of the hardened criminal that the next morning, rather than taking the criminal to the prison, the warders bring over several more criminals for Hancock to look after.

First broadcast 28.12.56 Live

The society does not have a copy of the script for this episode and, consequently, does not have any information about the plot line of this episode or the cast members that took part.

 

 

First broadcast 11.1.57 Live

With Sam Kydd, John Vere, Dennis Bowen, Terence Alexander and Betty Huntley-Wright.

This episode comprised three sketches:

Napoleon and Josephine: In which Hancock (as Napoleon) attempts to woo his beau, Josephine, but is somewhat hampered by his heavy cold.

The Tailor: In which Hancock the tailor tries to sell a suit made of unsuitable cloth.  The customer isn’t impressed but decides to purchase a suit in an alternative cloth.  Hancock measures the customer by asking him to lay down with his arms and legs outstretched and drawing round the man in chalk.  Whilst trying on the new suit, Hancock takes payment for the new one from the customer’s wallet in his old suit and sends the customer on his way, now wearing a very ill-fitting suit.  The sketch includes the often used character ‘Higgins’ as the tailor’s assistant.

The Fireman: In which Hancock the fireman refuses to fight a fire because it might damage his uniform until he spots a pretty lady at a high window and decides that she needs rescuing.  After rescuing her, the camera tracks back to show that the window was really at ground level and he really hadn’t rescued the lady from such a high window and wasn’t the hero he hoped everyone thought that he was.

First broadcast 25.1.57 Live

This episode once again comprised three sketches:

The Odd Job Man: In which Hancock is the odd job man for the show.  He saws a plank of wood, shortens a cast member’s costume and paints the scenery.  Once he has completed these tasks, the producer appears and tells Hancock that he is going to dock his pay because he hasn’t done any acting yet.  It is at this point that Hancock discovers that he will earn more as the odd job man!

The Woolwich Ferry: In which Hancock, as the captain of the Woolwich Ferry, is interviewed by a reporter.  It turns out that he is not a very experienced captain having never travelled further than Southend.  The sketch ends with Higgins as the fog horn and the ferry running aground.  This is a fascinating sketch as Hancock had performed the sketch twice before, albeit in edited form.  This first time in the fifth episode of the second series of Star Bill, first broadcast on the 28th March 1954.    A great deal of this sketch was also used in the tenth episode of the second series of Hancock’s Half Hour called The Three Sons in the sequence involving the son Rodney Hancock. This was first broadcast on the 21st June 1955.

The Court Jester: The King has executed five jesters in the last fortnight and it’s now Hancock’s turn to take on the role.  But all to no avail; the King is not amused and issues a warrant for Hancock’s execution.  And who is the executioner?  It’s Jack Hylton, the show’s producer.

Cast List for the Opening Sketch

Cast List for the Ship Sketch

Cast list for the Court Jester Sketch

 

 

Episode Guide

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