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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

A bidding prayer for Christmas, A. D. 2018

Edited from the version originally published on December 25, 2012 Merry Christmas to anyone who happens by BatesLine today. As a Holland Hall high school student, I attended and sang in the annual service of Christmas lessons and carols at Trinity Episcopal Church, modeled after the annual Christmas Eve service...

Posted by Michael Bates on December 25, 2018 9:48 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

The Archers

I have a confession to make. I've become a soap opera addict. At least I can indulge my habit without plopping myself on the sofa for hours. I can catch up on the latest episode while running errands. This addiction has its roots in a five-week business trip to London...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 4, 2018 11:38 PM

"Hancock's Half Hour" recreated episodes on BBC Radio 4

BBC photo. Tony Hancock and Kevin McNally, who plays Hancock in the recreated episodes. On November 2, 1954, the BBC radio sitcom "Hancock's Half Hour" made its debut. Starring comedian Tony Hancock and written by Alan Simpson and Ray Galton, the show quickly became appointment radio across the UK....

Posted by Michael Bates on November 14, 2014 11:59 PM

Kenneth Horne newsreel footage

Here's another "it's my blog, and I don't care if anyone else is interested" posts. Below is some rare newsreel footage from 1951 of the recording of a British radio comedy called Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh. The show began during World War II, and Much Binding was an RAF base in some obscure,...

Posted by Michael Bates on December 21, 2012 12:16 AM

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

Just a Minute: Without repetition, hesitation, or deviation

Fans of quick-witted British comedy and verbal virtuosity will enjoy a BBC Radio 4 Extra special about the long-running radio panel show Just a Minute. Just a Minute involves four players and a chairman. The chairman gives a subject to one of the players, who is to speak on the...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 17, 2012 8:37 PM