Tag Archives: tony hancock

The Missing Hancocks, Theatre Review. Music Hall, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Kevin McNally, Robin Sebastian, Susy Kane, Kevin Eldon, Simon Greenall.

Two microphones stamped with the discerning, almost foreboding B.B.C. logo stand at the front of the stage and five perfectly placed chairs are to be seen in the background, the sense of occasion was already palpable, the sound of quite a number in the crowd already rehearsing under their breath the theme tune to perhaps the absolute master of British Comedy in the last 70 years and his sensational programme written by the only two men who could truly capture and harness his genius. This was not just any old event at the Edinburgh Fringe, this was one in which the spirit of The Lad himself, Birmingham’s Tony Hancock, was given a new voice in which to thrill the crowd all over again.

Hancock’s Half Hour (Revisited): The First Night Party. Audio Comedy Review. 60th Anniversary.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Tony Hancock, Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Moira Lister, Alan Simpson, Gerald Campion, Kenneth Williams.

The first night of any new venture can be a daunting one, for the arts it sows the seeds of excitement and despair, of hope in a long running show or the gloomy realisation that months of preparation had all come crashing down before the first sentence uttered. How do you get round this, how to win over those who would write about you and the programme and get them to give you at least a passing golden smile within the column inches afforded them? For Tony Hancock the answer is simple, throw a first night party, invite all the big names from the B.B.C. and newspapers and watch as the reviews come glowingly in.

My Hero: Ben Miller On Tony Hancock, Television Review. B.B.C. Television.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The name, the very thought of his face and the way he was even able to clear the pubs of any custom at his absolute peak, is enough to remember Tony Hancock for what he was, a genius of comedy, the master of stalled look at camera in which he carried a nations funny bone for over a decade until his untimely death in Australia in 1968.

Frankie Howerd: The Lost Tapes. Channel 4. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

When Frankie Howerd died in April 1992, the British public lost one of its dearest television and stage stars. Along with Tony Hancock, Sid James, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Frankie Howerd was a real superstar of his age and in three separate eras he managed to woo a different generation and grab them by both their funny bones.

Jeff Lynne, Long Wave. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

In the years to come Birmingham City Council should and must erect a statue to the local lad who became one of its finest musicians and record producers. If they can put up a piece of modern art for the great comedian Tony Hancock then by beyond all reasonable doubt they should put one up of the equally excellent Jeff Lynne.

Master Of British Comedy, Eric Sykes, Dies Aged 89.

Originally published by L.S. Media July 4th 2012.

Eric Sykes, star of radio, television and film comedy has died today at the age of 89.

Eric Sykes was a true star of television and film comedy, a writer whose reputation went before him and whose style and grace epitomised the mediums to their fullest and endearing potential.

Born in Oldham, Lancashire on the 4th of May 1923, Eric Sykes would go on to become one of the leading lights in British comedy. He frequently wrote for some of the legends of the time including Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Frankie Howerd and Birmingham born comic Tony Hancock.