2002-2005

Hancock's Half Hour The Collectors Edition Series Four and Five

2002

The surviving episodes from Series 4 and the Complete Series 5 were released in 2002. The Stolen Petrol is listed as missing from Series 4, although this was subsequently found and released as part of the final box set. In addition, The New Secretary is also listed as missing. This episode was found in 2005 and has also subsequently been released.

 

Over An Hour Of The Greatest Comedy Laughs

2002 (no number)

This was another free release which features 24 short extracts from a wide variety of comedy shows including Absolutely Fabulous and One Foot In The Grave from modern comedy and Morecambe & Wise and Steptoe from classic comedy. The reverse of the cardboard sleeve, in which the CD was presented, lists the full BBC releases from which the extracts have been taken. The Hancock’s Half Hour contribution is listed as being from Hancock’s Half Hour Volume 1 (being the cassette release) and is a 3 and a ¬Ω minute extract from The Americans Hit Town. The extract begins with Hattie’s announcement that she is to get married to Alfonse G Papaerlli and covers the sequence when Sid and Hancock agree to billet Americans at 23 Railway Cuttings through to the arrival of Kenneth Williams as the American soldier and concludes with the introduction of Bill as the Philippino houseboy!

The ABC of BBC Comedy Volume 1, 2 and 3

2002 (no number)

This was a series of 3 CDs which were given away free with Safeway’s Petrol. Volume 2 covered H – N and featured 13 tracks including Hoffnung, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again, The Navy Lark and The News Quiz. The Hancock extract was called ‘I know How He Does It’ and listed as being ‘from Hancock’s Half Hour Volume 3. This was a 2 minute 50 second extract from The Conjuror from the sequence when Hancock is performing on the stage as a conjuror.

 

Themes From The Golden Age Of Radio

No PLS CD 483 (2002)

Released on the Pulse label in 2002, this releases featured new versions of 20 radio themes played by The Silver Screen Orchestra. The themes ranged across all types of radio programmes including Sport on 4, Desert Island Discs, Children’s Hour, The Archers and the radio theme from Hancock’s Half Hour.

Laughing Stock

No CMDDD403 (2002)

This delightful 2 CD release on the Sanctuary Records label from 2002 featured largely musical items from a wide selection of comedians including Sid James, Max Millar, The Two Ronnies, Frankie Howerd & June Whitfield. There were 2 selections from Tony Hancock: The Radio Ham and The Blood Donor.

 

Comedy Greats

(Free with Daily Mail; No Number)

This free CD was given away at outlets of WH Smith It features 11 extracts from a selection of both modern and classic comedy including Harry Enfield and Chums and The Royale Family to The Goons and Monty Python. The Hancock’s Half Hour was a 3 minute extract from Agricultural ‘Ancock starting from Sid discussing where he could find a farm in town to sell to Hancock!

 

Johnners at The Beeb

(Cassette 1995; CD 2003)

This double cassette / triple CD release runs for nearly three hours and is a celebration of the broadcasting legacy of Brian Johnston. Commentating for The Test Match Special or the boat race, reporting for In Town Tonight or presenting Down Your Way, playing games on Twenty Questions or Trivia Test Match and describing Royal events like the Coronation or the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales, all are included here. All of the extracts were selected by Brian’s son Barry. This involved some detective work to uncover the full range of broadcasts that Brian made. So why is this release in a listing of releases featuring Hancock? Because in January 1955, Brian Johnston appeared as the commentator in the Hancock’s Half Hour Series 1 Episode ‘The Monte Carlo Rally’. This release features 2 ¬Ω minutes from this show featuring Brian’s commentary. The sleeve notes state that Barry found the extract from Hancock’s Half Hour on a cassette in a shoebox at the back of Brian’s wardrobe!

Hancock's Half Hour The Collectors Edition Series Six

2003

We now come to the final box set issued in 2003. This box set contained not only all of the episodes of Series 6 but also the Christmas Special, Bill and Father Christmas, the four episodes re-recorded for Transcription Services and The Stolen Petrol, an episode from the Fourth Series rediscovered in 2001 as part of the BBC Treasure Hunt for episodes of favourite programmes which are missing from the BBC archive.

Hancock's Half Hour One: Comedy Zone 2003

 (Number ISBN 0563 49560X)

The next BBC release comes from Australia. Released in 2003, it contains the episodes The Americans Hit Town (13 individual tracks) and The Unexploded Bomb (11 tracks). The versions featured are from Volume 1 of the cassette release, with the closing incidental music on The Americans Hit Town faded out, whilst the music on the second episode is included in full. The ‘booklet’ is a single sheet of paper featuring the front cover on one side with the second side providing details of the cast list and names and broadcast dates of the episode. There is a note on the sleeve that states: ‘There are index points at regular intervals on this CD recording’ but it doesn’t state what track number the second episode starts on! Compared to UK releases, this is very basic and is effectively a re-release of the first marketing experiment discs released exclusively in WH Smith in 1995.

Hancock The Blood Donor, The Radio Ham & Two Other TV Episodes

2003 (Number ISBN 0563 495200)

Released in 2003, this three CD set featured The Bedsitter and The Bowmans on disc 1, The Radio Ham and The Blood Donor on disc 2 and an 18 minute interview with Galton & Simpson on disc 3. Although both The Blood Donor and The Radio Ham had been released on a number of different CDs in 1990’s, this was the first release of the original BBC recordings on CD and marked the start of a series of CD releases of Hancock’s television episodes.

The Best Of The 50s BBC Comedy 2003

(Number ISBN 0563 529040)

In the late 1990’s, the BBC released a series of double cassettes featuring the best of its comedy output. Each release featured episodes from a particular decade, with releases covering the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Many of the programmes featured in the releases were not available on official BBC releases elsewhere (e.g The Clitheroe Kid) and the entire series was only released on cassette. In 2003 Marks and Spencer commissioned a re-release of the entire series in both cassette and CD format for the Christmas market. Whilst the cassettes could be seen in the New Year sale at ¬£2.99, the CDs were sold out very quickly. The release features The Al Read Show, The Goon Show (Mysterious Punch Up the Conker), The Clitheroe Kid (Clitheroe & The Hound Dog) and Hancock’s Half Hour (A Sunday Afternoon At Home). The version featured was the same as on the cassette release being a shorter version than that released in the Box sets and with close out music faded out. An informative four-page booklet was enclosed featuring a history of each programme, the name and broadcast date of each episode and an advert for the entire series. Marks and Spencer at the time had a selection of BBC CD and DVD products available but this range has all but disappeared from their shops.

 

That Magnificent Man and His Music Machine (Ron Goodwin)

7243 9 82550 2 7

This double CD from 2003 is a compilation from Ron Goodwin’s back catalogue. Disc one is entitled ‘The Early Years – Popular Singles’ and disc two ‘Ron Goodwin’s Original Compositions from Films and LPs. This second CD contains the track ‘Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines’ which is a montage of tracks and themes from throughout the film.