Hancock's Half Hour

Hancock's Half Hour

1956 · 7 seasons · 63 eps · ★ 7.4 · Comedy

Ended

Hancock's Half Hour is a BBC television comedy series of the 1950s and 60s written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock with Sid James. The final series, renamed simply Hancock, starred Hancock alone. Comedian Tony Hancock starred in the show, playing an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own character and lifestyle, Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam. The series was influential in the development of the situation comedy, with its move away from radio variety towards a focus on character development.

Created by Ray Galton, Alan Simpson

Network: BBC One

Your Rating

Cast

More from Ray GaltonSee all →

The Scrap MerchantsThe Scrap Merchants · 1975
The Scrap Merchants
10.01975
MovieComedy
Albert and Herbert Hansen love each other, in the way that fathers and sons usually do. They argue and bicker, but they don't take it too seriously. If it weren't for one particular thing, they could have continued indefinitely as companions and friends. But in the distance, wedding bells are ringing.
Hancock at the Royal Festival HallHancock at the Royal Festival Hall · 1966
Hancock at the Royal Festival Hall
8.01966
Movie
A one-off special performance by Tony Hancock of his stand-up comedy act (which rarely changed), at the Royal Festival Hall, London.
Paul Merton in Galton & Simpson'sPaul Merton in Galton & Simpson's · 1996
Paul Merton in Galton & Simpson's
8.01996
SeriesComedy
Paul Merton stars in various remakes of scripts written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson that were originally performed by such greats as Tony Hancock and Les Dawson.
Spooner's PatchSpooner's Patch · 1979
Spooner's Patch
8.01979
SeriesComedy
Follows the daily antics of Woodley police station, where officers are more interested in taking bribes and doing little work than catching criminals. Inspector Spooner lives alone in a flat above the station and often had to deal with the messes created by his junior staff.
The RebelThe Rebel · 1961
The Rebel
7.81961
MovieComedy
Anthony Hancock gives up his office job to become an abstract artist. He has a lot of enthusiasm, but little talent, and critics scorn his work. Nevertheless, he impresses an emerging very talented artist. Hancock proceeds to con the art world into thinking he is a genius.
Steptoe and SonSteptoe and Son · 1962
Steptoe and Son
7.81962
SeriesComedy
Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father and son played by Wilfred Brambell and Harry H. Corbett who deal in selling used items. They live on Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old Ned", was composed by Ron Grainer. The series was voted 15th in a 2004 BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom. It was remade in the US as Sanford and Son, in Sweden as Albert & Herbert and in the Netherlands as Stiefbeen en zoon. In 1972 a movie adaptation of the series, Steptoe and Son, was released in cinemas, with a second Steptoe and Son Ride Again in 1973.
Citizen JamesCitizen James · 1960
Citizen James
7.71960
SeriesComedy
At and around Soho cafe Charlie's Nosh Bar, Sidney Balmoral James ('Sid') is on the lookout for any get-rich-quick scheme. He is helped by William Montmorency Beaumont Kerr ('Billy the Kerr') and quite often frustrated by local bookmaker Albert Welshman. Meanwhile, Sid's long-suffering girlfriend Liz has been waiting for seven years for Sid to set the date.
Sanford and SonSanford and Son · 1972
Sanford and Son
7.51972
SeriesComedy
The misadventures of a cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son.
The BargeeThe Bargee · 1964
The Bargee
7.01964
MovieComedy
After a lock-keeper entrusts his daughter to a canal Casanova, he is shocked to learn that she is pregnant. He then refuses to open his locks - causing barges to pile up in every direction until the guilty party confesses.
Dawson's WeeklyDawson's Weekly · 1975
Dawson's Weekly
7.01975
SeriesComedy
Les Dawson puts his innate comic ability to excellent use as the hapless protagonist in this series of comedy plays made by ITV company Yorkshire Television. The series is written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Supporting actors include Roy Barraclough and a wealth of special guests.
Don't Blame Me!Don't Blame Me! · 1978
Don't Blame Me!
7.01978
SeriesComedy
Skyll inte på mig! was a Swedish television comedy series starring Magnus Härenstam and Brasse Brännström, produced in 1977, and like Fleksnes fataliteter based on Galton and Simpson's scripts for the British series Hancock's Half Hour, translated and directed by Bo Hermansson.
Galton and Simpson ComedyGalton and Simpson Comedy · 1969
Galton and Simpson Comedy
7.01969
SeriesComedy
Six standalone comedy plays by writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, with themes including farce, fantasy and murder. Featured stars include Leslie Phillips and Bob Monkhouse, while there's also another collaboration with Harry H. Corbett.
Steptoe & Son Ride AgainSteptoe & Son Ride Again · 1973
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
6.81973
MovieDramaComedy
Albert Steptoe and his son Harold are rag-and-bone men, complete with horse and cart to tour the neighbourhood. They also live amicably together at the junk yard. Always on the lookout for ways to improve his lot, Harold invests his father's life savings in a greyhound who is almost blind and can't see the hare. When the dog loses a race and Harold has to pay off the debt, he comes up with another bright idea. Collect his father's life insurance. To do this his father must pretend to be dead.
The Wrong Arm of the LawThe Wrong Arm of the Law · 1963
The Wrong Arm of the Law
6.71963
MovieCrimeComedy
The crooks in London know how it works. No one carries guns and no one resists the police. Then a new gang appears that go one better. They dress as police and steal from the crooks. This upsets the natural order of the police/criminal relationship and the police and the crooks join forces to catch the IPOs (Impersonating Police Officers), including an armoured car robbery in which the police must help the gangs to set a trap.
Fleksnes fataliteterFleksnes fataliteter · 1972
Fleksnes fataliteter
6.71972
SeriesComedy
Fleksnes Fataliteter, better known by its shortened title Fleksnes, was a Norwegian television comedy series produced between 1972 and 2002, based on Galton and Simpson's scripts for the British series Hancock's Half Hour.
Steptoe & SonSteptoe & Son · 1972
Steptoe & Son
6.31972
MovieComedyDrama
Albert Steptoe and his son Harold are rag-and-bone men, complete with horse and cart to tour the neighbourhood. They also live together at the junk yard. Harold, who likes the bright lights in the West End of London, meets a stripper, marries her and takes her home. Albert is furious and tries every trick he knows to drive the new bride from his household.

More Like This

The LeagueThe League · 2009
The League
7.42009
SeriesComedy
The League is an American sitcom and semi-improvised comedy about a about a fantasy football league and its members and their everyday lives.
MirandaMiranda · 2009
Miranda
7.62009
SeriesComedy
Socially inept Miranda always gets into awkward situations; working in her joke shop with best friend Stevie, being hounded by her pushy mother, and especially when she's around her crush Gary.
Pair of KingsPair of Kings · 2010
Pair of Kings
7.72010
SeriesFamilyAction & Adventure
Brady and Boomer, 16-year-old fraternal twins, are typical teens being raised by relatives in Chicago. But when the Royal Secretary to the Throne of the Island of Kinkou, arrives to inform the boys of their lineage, their lives change drastically. Now, Brady and Boomer must relocate and claim the throne as joint Kings of the island.
GirlfriendsGirlfriends · 2000
Girlfriends
7.32000
SeriesDramaComedy
A friend group of black women face life's tests and triumphs together. From dating to divorce, and friends to family to relationships, Joan, Maya, Lynn and Toni support each other despite their differing backgrounds.
Diff'rent StrokesDiff'rent Strokes · 1978
Diff'rent Strokes
7.11978
SeriesComedyFamily
The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond and his daughter Kimberly, for whom their deceased mother previously worked. During the first season and first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. · 1964
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
7.11964
SeriesComedyFamily
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot was aired as the finale of the fourth season of The Andy Griffith Show on May 18, 1964. The show ran for five seasons and a total of 150 episodes. In 2006, CBS Home Entertainment began releasing the series on DVD. The final season was released in November 2008. The series was created by Aaron Ruben, who also produced the show with Sheldon Leonard and Ronald Jacobs. Filmed and set in California, it stars Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, a naive but good-natured gas-station attendant from the town of Mayberry, North Carolina, who enlists in the United States Marine Corps. Frank Sutton plays Gomer's high-octane, short-fused Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter, and Ronnie Schell plays Gomer's friend Gilbert "Duke" Slater. Allan Melvin played in the recurring role of Gunnery Sergeant Carter's rival, Sergeant Charley Hacker. The series never discussed nor addressed the then-current Vietnam War, instead focusing on the relationship between Gomer and Sergeant Carter. The show retained high ratings throughout its run.
George and MildredGeorge and Mildred · 1976
George and Mildred
6.91976
SeriesComedy
A middle-aged housewife feels frustrated with her mean and miserable husband, the married couple adapting to life in an up-market housing estate.
Freaks and GeeksFreaks and Geeks · 1999
Freaks and Geeks
8.21999
SeriesDramaComedy
High school mathlete Lindsay Weir rebels and begins hanging out with a crowd of burnouts (the "freaks"), while her brother Sam Weir navigates a different part of the social universe with his nerdy friends (the "geeks").
CoachCoach · 1989
Coach
6.71989
SeriesComedy
Hayden Fox, the curmudgeonly coach of Minnesota State University's Screaming Eagles football team, tries to navigate his way through the sports world, fatherhood and family life without dropping the ball.

How is it so far?

Your ratings make Midnight smarter