Hancock's Half Hour

Re-branded as simply 'Hancock', this series was broadcast between 26th May 1961 and 30th June 1961. The series comprised 6 episodes all of which survive in the BBC Archive. The series was broadcast weekly on Fridays at 2000 and each episode ran for 25 minutes rather than the half hour running time of episodes in the previous series. There were no repeats during the run.

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  E1The Bedsitter

  May 26, 1961· 30m

  Hancock is alone in his Earl's Court bed-sit and tries to master a Bertrand Russell book, fails to get the TV to work and almost gets invited to a party.

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  E2The Bowmans

  Jun 2, 1961· 30m

  Hancock plays the part of Old Joshua Merryweather in the radio show The Bowmans (which sounds rather similar to The Archers). But his behaviour and the number of different dialects that he uses causes him to be thrown off the show. However public opinion demands his return - but he in turn demands a few changes.

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  E3The Radio Ham

  Jun 9, 1961· 30m

  Hancock has bought himself a radio transmitter/receiver and he is able to converse with remote parts of the world, discussing the weather and playing games of Snakes & Ladders and Chess. But when he receives a 'Mayday' call he has to contend with the landlady's husband and uncooperative electricity meters.

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  E4The Lift

  Jun 16, 1961· 30m

  Hancock is the ninth passenger in a lift designed to take eight. When the lift sticks he tries to raise everybody's spirits, but only manages to annoy all of the other occupants.

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  E5The Blood Donor

  Jun 23, 1961· 30m

  Hancock decides to give a pint of blood. But he is alarmed when he discovers he has to give very nearly an armful, and he is determined to find out who it goes to.

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  E6The Succession - Son and HeirFinale

  Jun 30, 1961· 30m

  Hancock decides that it's time to have children to 'carry on the line'. He selects three eligible girls and proposes to them all but is refused. Whilst he is still arguing with the third, the other two return having changed their minds.

Broadcast between 4th March 1960 and 6th May 1960, this series comprised 10 episodes and all survive in the BBC Archive. The series was broadcast weekly on Fridays at 2030 except episodes 8 - 10 on Fridays 1930. There were no repeats during the run.

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  E1The Cold

  Mar 4, 1960· 30m

  Hancock has suffered from cold after cold during the winter and has tried all of the various medicines on the market. In desperation, he tries the local witch-doctor but she fails to 'draw out' the cold. Sid persuades Hancock that a keep-fit course is required, but with unexpected results.

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  E2The Missing Page

  Mar 11, 1960· 30m

  Hancock takes out a murder mystery book from the library. When he discovers that the last page is missing he is determined to deduce who the killer is. But when he finds that it's too complicated to decipher he decides to track down a copy of the complete book.

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  E3The Emigrant

  Mar 18, 1960· 30m

  Hancock decides that he will emigrate, but no-one will take him. Knowing Sid's past he asks for his assistance, but the 'luxury cruise liner' Sid arranges has a very short gang plank and a very unusual crew.

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  E4The Reunion Party

  Mar 25, 1960· 30m

  Hancock decides to hold a reunion with his wartime pals. But a lot of time has elapsed since he last saw them and people do change.

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  E5Sid in Love

  Apr 1, 1960· 30m

  Sid has fallen in love with the conductress of a 93 bus but he doesn't know how to approach her. Seeking Hancock's advice, Sid travels on the bus but his attempts cause chaos both with the conductress and the driver... who is her husband.

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  E6The Baby-Sitters

  Apr 8, 1960· 30m

  Hancock and Sid decide to earn some extra cash by signing on as babysitters. The pleasant evening is spoiled when they start arguing over the TV and the baby starts crying. But who are those two extra visitors?

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  E7The Ladies Man

  Apr 15, 1960· 30m

  Hancock has had no success with the ladies so he decides to enrol in a charm school course, and he dreams about the outcome. But when he leaves the school the reality is a little different.

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  E8The Photographer

  Apr 22, 1960· 30m

  Hancock has broken his ancient camera so he decides to invest in the latest technology. His attempts to take shots of diners in a restaurant end up with him being thrown out. With the first payment on the equipment due, he needs a photo of an incident to sell to the local papers, but Sid's idea involving Hancock as the subject goes badly wrong.

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  E9The East Cheam Centenary

  Apr 29, 1960· 30m

  It's the centenary of the Borough of East Cheam and Hancock has arranged for the BBC to have exclusive TV rights to the celebratory procession. Unfortunately, the Mayor has sold exclusive rights to ITV and the route of the procession doesn't go past Hancock's house where the BBC have set up. Hancock is forced to take drastic steps and provide his own procession at short notice.

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  E10The Poison Pen LettersFinale

  May 6, 1960· 30m

  Hancock is upset by a steady stream of unpleasant letters. But when the police keep a watch on the post box where the letters are being posted, Sid discovers that Hancock has been writing the letters to himself, in his sleep.

Broadcast between 25th September 1959 and 27th November 1959, this series comprised 10 episodes and all survive in the BBC Archive. The series was broadcast weekly on Fridays at 2030 except episode 3 which was broadcast at 2045. There were no repeats during the run.

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  E1The Economy Drive

  Sep 25, 1959· 30m

  Hancock and Sid return from holiday to discover that Sid has failed to cancel any deliveries and has left every electrical appliance in the house on. Hancock decides that in order to make ends meet he and Sid must go on an economy drive. But Hancock soon encounters difficulties in the local self service café, and the stairs at home prove problematic as well.

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  E2The Two Murderers

  Oct 2, 1959· 30m

  Sid asks Hancock to lend him the money to open a fish and chip shop but Hancock refuses. Sid tells Hancock that he'll get the money somehow, but how will he do it? Hancock believes that Sid is planning to murder him, but Sid is convinced that his own life is in danger.

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  E3Lord Byron Lived Here

  Oct 9, 1959· 30m

  Hancock's house is falling down and needs a lot of work. In order for the National Trust to renovate it for him he needs to convince them that someone famous lived there. Sid shows Hancock evidence that Byron lived at Railway Cuttings. But is the poet Byron or someone more recent?

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  E4Twelve Angry Men

  Oct 16, 1959· 30m

  Hancock is the foreman of the Jury and stands alone in declaring the petty criminal innocent. But when Sid discovers how much he is earning a day as a juror, he joins Hancock's side and sets about trying to convince the others.

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  E5The Train Journey

  Oct 23, 1959· 30m

  Hancock is faced with a very long train journey to Giggleswick and decides to liven up the journey, but only succeeds in irritating all his fellow passengers.

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  E6The Cruise

  Oct 30, 1959· 30m

  Hancock goes on a cruise but quickly becomes fed up when the only woman interested in him is large and over-amorous. However, when he becomes convinced that the ship is sinking he soon has other things on his mind.

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  E7The Big Night

  Nov 6, 1959· 30m

  Hancock is really looking forward to a big night out with Sid and two girls. But his preparations turn to disaster when his shirt is ruined at the launderette and his barber doesn't have a steady hand with his razor.

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  E8The Tycoon

  Nov 13, 1959· 30m

  Hancock is on the verge of ruin because his shares have plummeted in value. He attends a shareholder meeting but falls asleep and dreams of Sid who once again twists him.

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  E9Spanish Interlude

  Nov 20, 1959· 30m

  Sid is struggling to find work for Hancock and the latest roles he has secured involve Hancock standing in national dress outside Indian restaurants. Hancock decides to try new locations and goes to Spain where he is unsuccessful as a nightclub comic. Penniless and unable to return home, Sid manages to find a new job for Hancock. The question is: how successful will he be as a bullfighter?

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  E10Football PoolsFinale

  Nov 27, 1959· 30m

  Hancock only needs one more draw to secure the top payout on the Football Pools. As the match is a local one with a late kick-off, Hancock and Sid go along to cheer on each team equally.

Broadcast between 26th December 1958 and 27th March 1959, this series comprised 13 episodes of which the first 4 were recorded and the remainder were broadcast live. Episodes 1, 3, 4, 11 and 12 survive in the BBC Archives whilst off-air audio recordings exist of episodes 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The series was broadcast weekly on Fridays at 2105 (episodes 1 - 3) and Fridays 1930 (episodes 4 - 13). There were no repeats during the run other than a repeat of the third episode between episodes 9 and 10 on 27th February 1959.

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Broadcast between 30th September 1957 and 23rd December 1957 this series comprised 12 episodes all of which were broadcast live of which episodes 5, 9, 10, 11 and 12 survive in the BBC Archives. The series was broadcast weekly on Mondays at 2002. There were no repeats during the run.

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Broadcast between 1st April 1957 and 10th June 1957, this series comprised 6 episodes all of which were broadcast live. The BBC did record the first episode of this series for training purposes and this is the only episode of this series that survives. The series was broadcast fortnightly on Mondays at 2000. There were no repeats.

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Broadcast between 6th July 1956 and 14th September 1956, this series comprised 6 episodes all of which were broadcast live with no recordings of the transmissions being made by the BBC. Consequently, none of these episodes survive. The series was broadcast fortnightly on Fridays at 2130 (except no. 1 at 2045). There were no repeats.

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