Tony Hancock: The Blood Donor

Comedian Tony Hancock and writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson were pioneers of the situation comedy on British radio and TV in the 1950s and 1960s. At a time when comedy shows usually relied on short sketches with one gag after another, catchphrases and silly voices, Hancock's Half-Hour featured a single plot and recurring characters, with the comedy arising from the situations they found themselves in.

The 1961 season, the final series of Hancock's partnership with Galton and Simpson featured several episodes that became all-time classics, including this one, "The Blood Donor," first aired on June 23, 1961.

Fans of OETA's lineup of Britcoms will recognized a young and unmoustachioed Frank Thornton (Are You Being Served?, Last of the Summer Wine) as one of Hancock's fellow donors.

Galton and Simpson went on to create and write Steptoe and Son, a hit show about a junk-dealer and his son that became the inspiration for an American series you may remember.

MORE: BBC Radio 4 Extra airs a weekly episode from Hancock's Half-Hour, the radio series written by Galton and Simpson and starring Tony Hancock, Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques, and Kenneth Williams. You can always listen to the latest episode online.