Early Radio Series

Happy-Go-Lucky was a variety show hosted by a major star of the time, Derek Roy and was written by a number of different writers.

Hancock’s role was to play a scout master Ponsonby in a regular spot known as the Eager Beavers sketch, which was written by Australian writers Ralph Peterson and E. K. Smith. The members of the scout troupe were played by Peter Butterworth (who played Creep), Graham Stark (who played Botterell) and, for four episodes, Bill Kerr (who played Dilberry), who would later star in almost every radio episode of Hancock’s Half Hour.

The show was not a success and, in an attempt to rescue the show, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson were drafted in to write the last six episodes, their first professional series.  It was during rehearsals for one of these shows that Galton and Simpson met Hancock and history was made.

The show was broadcast weekly on a Thursday from 2.8.51 (Hancock was absent from the 13.9.51 edition) and then fortnightly from 1.10.51 through to 10.12.51.  Hancock was absent from the 29.10.51 edition and the Eager Beavers sketch was dropped from the 26.11.51 edition, so Hancock did not appear.

Although some of Derek Roy’s sketches survive on acetates held by the British Library, none of the Eager Beavers sketches have survived. The society holds a copy of eight scripts for the show, including those written by Galton & Simpson, although these eight scripts do not include the Eager Beavers sketch which was always on a stand-alone script.  The society also has one script for one of the Eager Beavers sketches.

Educating Archie featured the ventriloquist, Peter Brough, with his doll, Archie Andrews, who took on the character of a naughty schoolboy.

Hancock joined the second series of the programme as Archie’s tutor, although he also took on other roles, most notably in the first sketch of each episode where he took on a different role each week; one week he was a dentist, another he was a cinema manager or a hairdresser and so on. In every sketch he was thwarted by Archie. The second sketch featured Hancock as Archies tutor whilst the final sketch of each episode was in the form of a fantasy sketch where Archie with the rest of the cast would act out a scene from history or literature.

The series started on 3rd August 1951 and ran for 26 weeks (until 25.1.52). Written by Eric Sykes and Sid Colin the show would prove pivotal in Hancock’s career and gave him the catch phrase ‘flippin’ kids’.

Just one episode survives in the BBC archives and this was released on CD on Hancock’s Half Hour Collectibles Vol 1.

Calling All Forces was a variety programme aimed at military personnel based around the UK and Germany. It was first broadcast on 3 December 1950 and ran through to 28 July 1952, a total of 87 editions in as many weeks. The show was originally hosted by Ted Ray (with Richard Murdoch deputising twice). Towards the latter end of the run, it was jointly hosted by Charlie Chester and Tony Hancock.

The show, which had a typical variety format, was written by Bob Monkhouse and Dennis Goodwin and was described at the time as ‘the biggest show on the air’. Due to the gruelling writing schedule of one show a week for 18 months, the writers opted to take some well-earned holiday six weeks before the end of the run in the middle of 1952. Galton and Simpson were asked to write the last six shows of the series.

Prior to becoming co-host of Calling All Forces with Charlie Chester, Hancock had appeared as a guest star in two episodes of the show alongside the host, Ted Ray (5.8.51 and 25.2.52).  From 14.4.52 through to 28.7.52 ( the last sixteen episodes), Hancock appeared as co host alongside Charlie Chester.

Many of Hancock’s appearances were recorded by Bob Monkhouse and these were issued on CD and download across the four volumes of Hancock’s Half Hour Collectibles whilst the only surviving complete Calling All Forces with Hancock as co-host was released in BBC Audio’s Calling All Forces download release. Sadly, none of the Galton and Simpson penned episodes have survived.

Forces All Star Bill followed on in the same time slot as Calling All Forces and was in a similar format.  Hancock appeared in the seventh edition of this show broadcast on 15.9.52 as compere with a script written by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.

After eight editions of Forces All Star bill, a new series called All-Star Bill commenced, once again in the same time slot.  Hancock appeared in the third edition of this show broadcast on 13.10.52 as compere with a script written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

After thirteen editions of All-Star Bill, a second series of Forces All Star Bill commenced but in a different time slot, with the first show broadcast on 6.1.53.  The series was written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson and featured the regular team of Tony Hancock, Graham Stark and Joan Heal (episodes 1 – 6) and Tony Hancock, Graham Stark and Geraldine McEwan (episodes 7 – 11).  The first six episodes featured a guest compere each week, with the announcer taking on  the role of compere for episode two.  For the remainder of the series, there was no compere and the shows were effectively presented by the team of Hancock, Stark and McEwan.

Sadly, no recordings of these episodes have survived.

The first series of Star Bill commenced on the 7.6.53 and featured a regular team of Tony Hancock, Graham Stark and Geraldine McEwan.  The scripts were written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson (except episodes 5 – 6, which were written by Eric Sykes and Larry Stephens and episodes 7 – 8, which were written by Eric Sykes and Spike Milligan).  Hancock appeared in the first nine episodes after which he was replaced by Alfred Marks.  Hancock made a guest appearance in episode 21, broadcast on 25.10.53, which also included Marks.

The very first episode of this series was found in the Bob Monkhouse archive and is a complete recording.  This was released on CD and download in Hancock’s Half Hour Collectibles Vol 4.

The second series of Star Bill commenced on 28.2.54 and featured a regular team of Tony Hancock, Graham Stark and Moira Lister. All of the scripts were written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson and the series ran for ten episodes.  The series served as a vehicle for Galton and Simpson to develop the Hancock character that was to transfer to Hancock’s Half Hour and the series contained a number of ideas that were later developed and enhanced into full story lines in Hancock’s Half Hour.

Two sketches from the fourth episode survive in the BBC archives and these were released on CD and download in Hancock’s Half Hour Collectibles Volume 1.