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"Hancock's Half Hour" classic radio sitcom episodes available online

If you're a fan of the British sitcoms that have made their way to American television -- "Fawlty Towers," "One Foot in the Grave," "Keeping Up Appearances," "Yes, Minister," to name a few examples -- you will enjoy the radio show that set the standard for the Britcom genre. "Hancock's Half Hour" has become my favorite British comedy, and a family favorite as well.

Posted by Michael Bates on March 30, 2020 6:59 PM

Yes, Prime Minister: School choice and its opponents

A 1988 episode of the BBC political sitcom Yes, Prime Minister provides an humor-laden insight into the motivations and methods of the forces that seek to squelch educational reform. Last December, EdChoice CEO Robert Enlow and Director of Policy Jason Bedrick commented on key clips from the episode and how...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 25, 2019 9:11 PM

Christmas Night with the Stars 1958

Sixty years ago tonight, Christmas 1958, the BBC aired an entertainment extravaganza featuring Britain's top entertainers of the day: singer Vera Lynn, comedians Tony Hancock, Ted Ray, Jimmy Edwards, Charlie Drake, and Charlie Chester, the Beverley Sisters, and Billy Cotton and his band. The show closes with a sentimental scene...

Posted by Michael Bates on December 25, 2018 1:36 PM

"Missing Hancocks" returning for second series

In 2014, the British Broadcasting Corporation re-created five missing episodes of the groundbreaking and ever-popular radio sitcom Hancock's Half Hour, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the show. Of the 102 episodes broadcast over six series from 1954 to 1959, 20 episodes are missing from the archives. In...

Posted by Michael Bates on November 18, 2015 9:05 PM

Hancock's Half Hour: The Photographer

Just for fun, an episode of the 1950s British sitcom: Tony goes overboard buying new photographic equipment after his ancient camera blows up, and the situation becomes desperate when the first payment is due. Sid is exasperated. "And your exposures are too long. Five minutes! You had to wait for...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 10, 2015 1:40 AM

Mr. Bean on "Blind Date"

It was June of 1994, and we were chilling out in our room at the bed and breakfast in Inveraray, Scotland, watching TV, and this came on. We had seen a Mr. Bean episode on the flight over, and here he was again, on "Blind Date," the British version of...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 18, 2013 11:36 PM

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...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 2, 2012 11:04 PM

Wisty for justice

Why not E. L. Wisty? He has just as much experience at the judgin' as Elena Kagan has, even if he doesn't have the Latin for it. His uncontrollable whoopin' might be a problem during confirmation hearings but shouldn't interfere with the court's proceedings. "The trouble with bein' a miner:...

Posted by Michael Bates on June 28, 2010 11:14 PM