Böcker av Ray Galton

The first ever publication of a long-lost episode of Hancock's Half Hour, featuring Peter Sellers - plus bonus materialLegendary sitcom Hancock's Half Hour ran for 102 episodes on BBC Radio between 1954 and 1959. Over 20 shows were subsequently lost - but now one of the funniest and most sought-after, 'The Marriage Bureau', has been rediscovered. The penultimate episode of Series 1, it features a unique appearance from Peter Sellers, standing in for Kenneth Williams. Available for the first time since its original broadcast in 1955, it sees Hancock looking for a job - and a wife...Alongside it is a fascinating documentary, Raiders of the Lost Archive, in which Keith Wickham - the Indiana Jones of archiving - and fellow treasure-hunters discuss the thrilling, complex work of locating and restoring missing radio classics. Plus, there's a surviving extract from the lost Hancock's Half Hour episode, 'The New Year Resolutions', and a previously unreleased documentary, H-H-H-Happy Birthday Hancock, in which Andrew Sachs presents an affectionate tribute to The Lad Himself with contributions from Denis Norden, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, John Freeman and Sid James.CreditsHancock's Half Hour written by Ray Galton and Alan SimpsonProduced by Dennis Main WilsonThanks to Tessa Le Bars, Martin Gibbons, Keith Wickham, Richard Harrison, the Radio Circle and the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society.'The Marriage Bureau'Starring Tony Hancock, Bill Kerr, Moira Lister, Sidney James and Peter SellersAnnouncer: Adrian WallerTheme and incidental music composed by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry RabinowitzSound restoration by Keith WickhamFirst broadcast BBC Light Programme, 8 February 1955Raiders of the Lost ArchivePresented by Keith WickhamWritten and edited by Keith Wickham and James PeakWith special thanks to the Radio Circle, Richard Harrison, Roger Bickerton, Mark Ayres, Steve Arnold, Tom Hercock, Hannah Ratford and all at BBC Archives in CavershamProduced by James PeakAn Essential Radio production for BBC Radio 4First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 October 2022Extract from 'The New Year Resolutions'Starring Tony Hancock, Bill Kerr, Sidney James and Kenneth WilliamsSound restoration by Jon StreetFirst broadcast BBC Light Programme, 4 January 1956NB: Due to the age and off-air nature of this recording, the sound quality may varyH-H-H Happy Birthday HancockPresented by Andrew SachsWith contributions from Denis Norden, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, John Freeman and Sid James, and excerpts from Hancock's Half HourProduced by Richard EdisFirst broadcast BBC Radio 2, 11 May 1999©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Eight brand new recordings of original Hancock's Half Hour scriptsHancock's Half Hour was one of the most popular radio comedies of the 1950s, and the first modern sitcom. Over 100 episodes of the show were broadcast between 1954 and 1959, but 22 went missing from the BBC archives. Lovingly recreated by Radio 4 in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Theatre, they can now be heard for the first time since their initial transmission. Collected here are the final eight episodes from the fourth series - including a special premiere of The Counterfeiter, which was never recorded by the original team. The episodes are: The Winter Holiday, Department Store Santa, The Diamond Ring, Prime Minister Hancock, Christmas at Aldershot, The Counterfeiter, The Christmas Eve Party and The New Year Resolutions. Written by Ray Galton and Alan SimpsonProduced by Neil Pearson, Paul Sheehan and Hayley SterlingMusic composed by Wally Stott, and performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Levon ParikianThanks to Tessa Le BarsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 6 December 2018-31 December 2020Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and with the classic score re-recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, these hilarious episodes star Kevin McNally as The Lad Himself, with Kevin Eldon, Simon Greenall, Robin Sebastian, Susy Kane and Margaret Cabourn-Smith.

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio & TV material starring Tony HancockThis third treasury of rare archive material presents another four newly restored radio episodes of Hancock's Half Hour: `The 13th of the Series' (1957), `The Male Suffragettes' (1958), `The Sleepless Night' (1958) and `The Last Bus Home' (1959).

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio & TV material starring Tony HancockThis second treasury of rare archive material is spearheaded by four newly-restored radio episodes of Hancock's Half Hour, all from 1956: `The New Secretary', `Anna and the King of Siam', `The Stolen Petrol' and `The Expresso Bar'.

This hilarious farce begins quietly enough with Howard and Penny asleep. A burglar climbs through the window and steals various items, including Howard''s suit. Awakening, Howard announces his intention to get back to the wife! But how can he in only vest and underpants? Before you can say "jockey shorts" he is being chased around the flat by his Danish au pair, the Home Secretary and a randy constable who doubles as a flasher. Add to this a punk with rainbow coloured hair, a gravelly voice Captain and a singing telegram Gorilla and you have the ingredients for a night of outrageous fun!|3 women, 6 men

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio & TV material starring Tony HancockTony Hancock's broadcasting career began in the early 1950s with appearances in BBC radio programmes such as Variety Bandbox and Calling All Forces. Rare archive extracts of both are presented in this collection, along with an edition of Educating Archie, the radio comedy in which Hancock was a regular guest star. Soon he had his own radio series, Hancock's Half Hour, which transferred to BBC television in 1956. This volume features four complete episodes: the recently discovered TV soundtrack of 'The Horror Serial', plus remastered and restored versions of 'The Blackboard Jungle', 'The Student Prince' and 'The Test Match' from the radio series. Also rarely heard since first broadcast are soundtrack interviews with Tony Hancock - including the notorious edition of Face to Face from 1960 - and interviews with writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. A bonus PDF booklet looks at each item in the context of Hancock's broadcasting career, with insights into how many of these lost or rare items were discovered. Marking the legacy of one our greatest comedy entertainers, this collection is a must for fans of Tony Hancock and Hancock's Half Hour.

Kevin McNally stars in five brand new recordings of original Hancock's Half Hour scripts by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Whilst Hancock's Half Hour was an enormously popular radio sitcom in the 1950s, many of the episodes were not retained in the BBC Sound Archive and are believed to be lost. Now, five of them have been recreated by BBC Radio 4, with Kevin McNally taking the role made famous by Tony Hancock. Among the supporting cast are Simon Grenall, Kevin Eldon and Robin Sebastian.