Tony Hancock

Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series Hancock's Half Hour, first broadcast on radio from 1954, then on television from 1956, in which he soon formed a strong professional and personal bond with comic actor Sid James. Although Hancock's decision to cease working with James, when it became known in early 1960, disappointed many at the time, his last BBC series in 1961 contains some of his best remembered work (including "The Blood Donor" and "The Radio Ham"). After breaking with his scriptwriters Ray Galton and Alan Simpson later that year, his career declined.
== Links to Peel ==
Peel proclaimed Hancock as one of the great blockbusters of humour on It Makes Me Laugh in 1980. However, he also mentioned that extracts from these writers and shows didn't really work for him, and he had to enjoy the whole comedy, listing his top ten favourite things that made him laugh, which didn't include Tony Hancock.
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In 1995, Peel presented Hancock's World, a documentary about looking back at the Britain of the 1950s and the TV shows of comedian Tony Hancock. When reviewing the programme, the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society criticised the BBC programme makers in employing Peel as a presenter, mentioning that he was more suited for music documentaries and a more suitable person to do the show should have been someone like Paul Merton, who was a greater admirer of the comedian . 
== External Links ==
* Wikipedia
* Tony Hancock Archives
Category:People
Category:Actors