Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast artwork

Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast

39 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratings

The Tony Hancock Appreciation Society brings you the only official podcast of the lad himself. Martin, Tim, Jon & James break down each episode in watch-a-long style, punctuated with facts about the filming or recording and side stories of the actors. We also bring you all the news from the society including information on upcoming events and information regarding previously un-discovered material.

To join the T.H.A.S visit www.tonyhancock.org.uk

To get in touch contact us on
[email protected]

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Episodes

S6 - E5 Very Nearly an Armful - Cinderella Hancock

December 23, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 91.6 MB

In the final episode of this series of Very Nearly an Armful,  James, Jon, Tim and Martin review Cinderella Hancock from the first radio series of Hancock’s Half Hour.  They review the contribution of the enlarged cast, which included Dora Bryan and Paul Carpenter (as well as a role for the announcer Adrian Waller), and look at the huge number of stars of screen and TV that were name-checked during the episode. The team consider how the episode is more variety and gag based than other Hanco...

S6 - E4 - Very Nearly an armful - The Student Prince

December 09, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 95.8 MB

In this episode of Very Nearly an Armful,  James, Jon, Tim and Martin review The Student Prince from the third radio series of Hancock’s Half Hour.  They consider how this episode is a riotous ride from start to finish and how unusual it is to see Sid get his comeuppance! The team look at the inspiration for the script, consider the three brilliant roles played by Alan Simpson, decipher the reference to Valentine tractors in this original longer version of the episode and finally spend some...

S6 - E3 - Very Nearly an Armful - Fred's Pie Stall

November 25, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 83.9 MB

In this episode of Very Nearly an Armful,  James, Jon, Tim and Martin review Fred’s Pie Stall from the final radio series of Hancock’s Half Hour.  They consider how this episode, probably more than any other, provides a cultural commentary on societal changes in the late 1950s. The team review the contribution of the brilliant guest cast, each of which has to play more than one role, discuss, in detail, the extended ‘guess what’ sequence compared to previously available edited versions of t...

S6 - E2 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Alpine Holiday

November 11, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 86 MB

In this edition of Very Nearly an Armful, James. Jon, Tim and Martin look at the earliest surviving television episode of Hancock’s Half Hour, The Alpine Holiday, from Series 2.  The team look at the amazing supporting cast, including Richard Wattis in his only Hancock’s Half Hour role, John Vere, June Whitfield and, or course, Kenneth Williams in his only surviving televised appearance as Snide. They also consider how different this episode is without Sid James.  The four examine the techn...

S6 - E1 -Very Nearly an Armful - Apollo Theatre Tour Review

September 23, 2023 07:59 - 1 hour - 85.5 MB

In this episode of Very Nearly an Armful, Tim, James, Jon and Martin discuss the Apollo Theatre Company nationwide tour of their Hancock’s Half Hour show and are delighted to welcome John Hewer and Colin Elmer (who play Tony Hancock and Kenneth Williams respectively) to the podcast. The tour features performances of three lost Hancock’s Half Hour episodes from a selection of The Matador, The New Neighbour, The Winter Holiday and The Red Planet. The team discuss how John and Colin each disco...

S5 - E4 - Very Nearly an Armful - Hancock's Car

May 06, 2023 09:36 - 1 hour - 89.8 MB

In this final episode of the current series, Tim, Jon, James and Martin take a look at the brilliant radio episode Hancock’s Car from the golden fifth radio series.The gang consider how all the cast deliver a masterclass in acting and comic timing and how the opening scene of Hancock, Bill and Sid just cleaning the car is a fantastic example of Galton & Simpson’s uncanny ability to create comedy out of nothing.The team look at the differences between the various edits of this programme again...

S5 - E3 - Very Nearly an Armful - The East Cheam Drama Festival

April 22, 2023 08:04 - 1 hour - 83.4 MB

This episode in the trilogy of three so far this Spring is the third one in the series. In this podcast James, Tim, Jon and Martin look at the brilliant fifth series episode The East Cheam Drama Festival and consider how the episode, being a play within a play, was quite revolutionary at the time. The gang consider how the second playlet is quite Pythonesque in its lack of a punchline, review how the episode would have sounded with cut lines reinstated and look at sections of the show where...

S5 - E2 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Punch & Judy Man

April 08, 2023 07:51 - 2 hours - 115 MB

In this episode, the team celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Punch and Judy Man with a detailed look at Hancock’s final film in a starring role.The four consider how the film is deeply biographical not only in its depiction of a failing marriage but also in its link to Tony's childhood days in Bournemouth. They discuss how many of the regular players in Hancock’s Half Hour have roles in the film; most notably Hugh LLoyd, John Le Mesurier and Mario Fabrizi and the mentor from Hancock's ear...

S5 - E1 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Economy Drive

March 25, 2023 09:03 - 1 hour - 97.8 MB

Welcome back to all our listeners as we start our new series of the podcast with a look at the brilliant fifth television series episode The Economy Drive, which is often quoted as a fan favourite.The team look at the brilliant support played by the East Cheam Repertory Company and consider how the episode provides a brilliant social representation of the period through the self service cafeteria sequence.   They also discuss the recording techniques of the day, with this being the first eve...

S4 - E5 - Very Nearly an Armful - Hancocks Happy Christmas - P2 2

December 24, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 137 MB

In this episode, we continue our festive theme when James, Tom Tim and Martin conclude their review of the radio episode Hancock’s Happy Christmas in the company of a glass of Baileys and a mince pie! This time, the team look at the career of Dorothy Marks, the many cultural references sprinkled throughout the show and, once again, consider the sparkling performances all the cast put in to make this one of the great festive Hancock episodes.   They also look at Snide’s appearance at the alm...

S4 - E4 - Very Nearly an Armful - Hancocks Happy Christmas - Pt 1

December 10, 2022 09:00 - 51 minutes - 48 MB

In this episode, James, Tom Tim and Martin don Christmas jumpers, put on reindeer antlers and start their review of the great festive radio episode Hancock’s Happy Christmas. The team consider how the performance from Hancock is in the very best traditions of Scrooge and are delighted to share memories of making the show received from Michael Anderson Junior, who played the role of orphan Michael in the episode.  They also look at the excellent performances of both Michael and Dorothy and h...

S4 - E3 - Very Nearly an Armful - The 13th of the series

November 26, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 173 MB

In this our longest episode yet, James, Jon, Tim and Martin review the brilliantly surreal radio episode The 13th of the Series and its transcription services remake The 13th of the Month. The team consider how joyous the performances of all the cast are in this episode and how the script sparkles throughout. They also consider Ken’s fantastic performance as Snide (arguably his best appearance in this role) and consider, in detail, the practicalities of taking the Stonehenge stones home each ...

S4 - E2 - Very Nearly an Armful - Lord Byron Lived Here

November 12, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 127 MB

In this episode, James, Jon, Tim and Martin review the brilliant television episode Lord Byron Lived Here.  They consider the role the excellent supporting cast play in making this a firm favourite for many Hancock fans, including John Le Mesurier, Hugh Lloyd and Robert Dorning in particular. We catch up again with Julian Dutton and feature a brief extract from an interview with Hugh Lloyd himself. The team look at the Sid penned Lord Byron poems and compare these with the poems in the radi...

S4 - E1 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Marriage Bureau

October 29, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 143 MB

In this first episode of series 4, Tim, Jon, James and Martin are privileged to be able to review the recently recovered radio episode The Marriage Bureau.   Not heard since first broadcast in 1955, the episode was discovered on a reel to reel tape by Richard Harrison of The Radio Circle and was rebroadcast by Radio 4 on the 18th October 2022. The episode is the only one to feature Peter Sellers who stepped in at the last minute to replace Kenneth Williams who was unavailable. The team revi...

S4 - Teaser - Very Nearly an Armful - The THAS reunion dinner!

October 15, 2022 08:00 - 51 minutes - 94 MB

Ahead of the start of the fourth series of Very Nearly An Armful, our intrepid four head to Solihull for the annual Tony Hancock Appreciation Society knees up. There we were delighted to meet Mr. Kevin McNally, hear his wonderful Hancock reminisces and, more importantly, we are able to reveal his exact drink count for the evening.  We were also pleased to hear extracts from Julian Dutton’s brilliant one man show ‘Do You Think That’s Wise’ where Julian took on the guise of John Le Mesurier. ...

S3 - E6 Very Nearly an Armful- Sunday Afternoon at Home - Part 2

June 11, 2022 08:30 - 1 hour - 117 MB

In this episode, Tim, Jon, Martin and James continue their review of the brilliant radio episode A Sunday Afternoon at Home.  After discussion on Sykes, outtakes, fluffs and the various Doctors Who. The gang resume the main subject and look at how the cast really brought the words on the page to life with the different vocal styles and tones used throughout the episode and consider the episode to be a masterclass in acting and writing. They also look at how the brilliant Galton and Simpson  ...

S3 - E6 Very Nearly an Armful - Sunday Afternoon at Home - Part 1

May 28, 2022 08:30 - 44 minutes - 81.6 MB

In this episode, Tim, Jon, Martin and James start their review of the classic radio episode a Sunday Afternoon at home. At approximately 16 minutes into the podcast, the team kick off with the main subject and consider how revolutionary the episode was in its use of pauses and silence and also in the fact that it is a virtually plotless half hour. The team look at sections of the original script that didn’t make it to the final edit, discuss Kenneth Williams’ brilliant characterisation of C...

S3 - E5 Very Nearly an Armful - The New Neighbour with Kevin McNally (part 2)

May 14, 2022 09:52 - 1 hour - 116 MB

In this episode, Tim, Jon, Martin and Nick (in James’s absence) resume their chat with the brilliant Kevin McNally to review The New Neighbour and The Missing Hancocks more generally. In Part 2 Kevin talks about the wonderful outtakes and adlibs from the radio recordings, some of which made it into the final edits and regales us with the story of taking The Missing Hancocks to the Edinburgh Fringe. He also talks about how a new gag made it into the script of The New Neighbour, the approach t...

S3 - E5 - Very Nearly an Armful - The New Neighbour with Kevin McNally ( part 1 )

April 30, 2022 09:54 - 49 minutes - 90.3 MB

In this episode, Tim, Jon, Martin and Nick (in James’s absence) are delighted to introduce the brilliant Kevin McNally as our guest to review The New Neighbour and The Missing Hancocks more generally.  Kevin was most generous with his time and our chat with Kevin has been split over two editions of this podcast, so there’s more to come! In Part 1 Kevin talks about how he first discovered Hancock and the first EP he added to his collection.  He recalls how The Missing Hancock’s received the ...

S3 - E4 - Very Nearly an Armful - Death of a Duchess

April 16, 2022 07:07 - 1 hour - 127 MB

And now for something completely different.  In this episode, James, Tim, Jon and Martin review The Death of a Duchess, the final episode in the 1956 ATV Series The Tony Hancock Show and are delighted to welcome Hancock’s great niece, Lucy Hancock to the podcast as our guest; Lucy gave permission for the entire series of the Tony Hancock Show to be released on DVD and this was made available commercially for the first time earlier this year.The team look at  how the programme showcased the ph...

S3 E3 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Poetry Society

April 03, 2022 06:55 - 1 hour - 130 MB

In this episode, James, Tim, Jon and Martin join the beatnik movement to review the brilliant radio episode The Poetry Society, from the final radio series.The team consider the extra dynamic that using guest actors such as Warren Mitchell and Fenella Fielding bring to the episode and how this episode which is a satire on modern art, the coffee bar culture and Hancock’s own passion of philosophy, paved the way for Hancock’s first film The Rebel.  They also review in detail the avant garde po...

S3 E2 - Very Nearly an Armful - Hancock in the Police

March 19, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 76.2 MB

In this episode, James, Tim, Jon and Martin look  at the brilliant radio episode Hancock in the Police. The episode is a frenetic half hour of classic comedy and the team consider the  incredible contribution of Kenneth Williams, who played no less than five parts in this episode, including arguably his best performance in the character of Snide.  They also look at Hattie Jacques’ vocal dexterity, consider Hancock’s performances in drag as part of his time in the Gang Shows and consider, in...

S3 E1 - Very Nearly an Armful - 12 Angry Men

March 05, 2022 09:27 - 1 hour - 133 MB

Very Nearly an Armful returns for a third series; after a well-earned break, the intrepid four start the series by looking at the brilliant TV episode Twelve Angry Men. The episode is a pastiche of the film of the same name and James, Tim, Jon and Martin compare the episode to the film and consider how all the supporting cast really add dramatic depth to the episode.  The episode contains one of the most famous lines in all of the Hancock’s Half Hours – one to rival the line that inspired the...

S2 E6 - Christmas Special - Very Nearly an Armful - The Christmas Club

December 18, 2021 11:14 - 1 hour - 120 MB

In this final episode in the second series, we are pleased to join in with the Christmas festivities and look at the final radio episode to be recorded: The Christmas Club. In James’s absence, Tim, Jon and Martin discuss the realism provided by the supporting cast in this episode and consider how much the final series delivered the realistic settings envisaged by Hancock as well as Galton & Simpson when the series first started. Ray and Alan were always generous with their time in undertak...

S2 E5 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Lift

December 04, 2021 10:37 - 1 hour - 129 MB

In this episode, Tim, James, Jon and Martin discuss the television episode The Lift from the 1961 BBC Series ‘Hancock’ and consider how quickly this final series had moved The Lad Himself away from East Cheam with this episode set in BBC Television Centre. The team also look at the wonderful supporting cast including the brilliant Hugh Lloyd (as the lift man) and briefly reflect on Jose Reed’s (the secretary) memories of the programme given to the THAS as recently as 2019 before she, sadly,...

S2 E4 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Rail Strike

November 20, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 131 MB

In this episode, Tim, James, Jon and Martin discuss the radio episode The Rail Strike from the second series of Hancock’s Half Hour. As this is the earliest surviving episode featuring Kenneth Williams’ Snide character, the four fans discuss the origin and the development of this character through to his final appearance at the end of the fourth series.  They also consider how nimble Galton & Simpson were in writing scripts that featured actual events of the day and are delighted to welcome ...

S2 E3 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Reunion Party

November 06, 2021 13:58 - 1 hour - 118 MB

In this episode, Tim, James, Jon and Martin discuss the episode The Reunion Party from the excellent sixth television series. As this episode takes place 15 years after the Second World War ended, the four fans consider the likelihood that the episode reflected real life events with similar reunions happening between former pals who hadn’t seen each other for years at the time.  They also consider the strength of the supporting cast in this episode and are delighted to introduce a guest:  L...

S2 E2 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Americans Hit Town

October 23, 2021 08:37 - 1 hour - 109 MB

In this episode, Tim, James, Jon and Martin consider the merit of the radio episode The American’s Hit Town from the brilliant fifth series. The four fans look at significant role that Hattie Jacques has in this episode, look at the three very different roles that Kenneth Williams plays brilliantly, all with very different voices, and consider whether there was any ‘real-life’ event that influenced Ray and Alan to write this episode. The team discuss how the Tony Hancock Appreciation Societ...

S2 E1 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Missing Page

October 09, 2021 08:30 - 1 hour - 108 MB

Very Nearly an Armful makes a welcome return for a second series.  In this episode Martin, Tim, James and Jon discuss the well known television episode The Missing Page as well as the later re-recording of the same episode which was released on vinyl. The four fans assess the merits of the two versions of this episode, consider whether Hancock’s mime sequence is one of the best moments in all of the television half hours and wax lyrical about the how the quality of the supporting cast is so...

Very Nearly an Armful - Series 2 teaser

September 18, 2021 07:10 - 33 minutes - 54 MB

In this teaser episode for the second series, Martin, Jon, James and Tim discuss all things Hancock in extra bits that didn’t make the final edit in series one. The four fans talk about radio episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour, “The First Night Party” and “The 13th of the Series” and revisit the infamous screeching woman before contemplating a pint of Horses Collar. We hear a clip of Bill Kerr speaking about the change in his character, and that leads on to a chat about Citizen James, the series...

S1 E6 - Very Nearly an Armful - There's An Airfield At the Bottom of the Garden

June 19, 2021 06:51 - 1 hour - 117 MB

In this final episode of the first series, Martin, Tim and Jon talk about Tony’s infamous live episode There’s An Airfield At The Bottom of the Garden where the set didn’t quite perform as expected! The four fans discuss how the issues with the set led to changes to how Hancock’s Half Hour was broadcast with the gradual move to recorded episodes, consider in detail how the BBC used Ampex quadruplex 2 inch tape and take it in turns to test drive Sid’s motor torpedo boat. They also attempt t...

S1 E5 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Lost Episodes - The Horror Serial/The Italian Maid

June 05, 2021 09:05 - 1 hour - 128 MB

In this episode Martin, Tim and Jon talk about how the audio soundtracks from two lost television episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour were discovered on reel to reel tape in 2016. Neither of the episodes had been broadcast since they were repeated in 1959 so this was a brilliant discovery. The four fans talk about The Horror Serial, which was a pastiche of Quatermass and the Pit, and consider in detail whether a Martian has a bracket that can be punched up; and in The Italian Maid they discover...

S1 E4 - Very Nearly an Armful - The 50s revolution - The Set That Failed/The Television Set

May 22, 2021 09:23 - 1 hour - 121 MB

n this episode Martin, Tim and Jon chat about the impact of the introduction of the new medium of television in the 1950s, consider the impact of the launch of ITV, and wax lyrical about the adverts of the time and how they were rudely interrupted by the programmes. The four fans talk about the radio episodes The Television Set and The Impersonator and look at the television episode The Set That Failed. They pretend to understand how to build a television set, get briefly sidetracked by a ‘W...

S1 E3 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Rebel.

May 08, 2021 08:34 - 1 hour - 112 MB

In this episode, Martin, Tim, Jon and James natter on about Hancock’s first major film, The Rebel. Celebrating its 60th anniversary and recently digitally remastered for DVD and Blu-ray, the film has achieved cult status with Hancock’s brilliant performance as a wannabe artist and a superb first film script by legendary writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The four Hancock fans pretend to understand what an existentialist is, discuss the merits of Aphrodite at the Water Hole, and wonder why...

S1 E2 - Very Nearly an Armful - The First Night Party

April 24, 2021 09:23 - 1 hour - 100 MB

We chat about our week including finds for the THAS archives; photo’s of Tony playing Cricket and an original script for an episode of HHH which has been offered to us. In Hancock news, Martin discusses the donation from the estate of the late Alec Bregonzi who appeared in HHH and tapes sent to the society which we check over for lost or unedited recordings of episodes. James talks about the wolf whistle heard on tapes of Hancock in the Police, and James Hurn’s stage performance of this epi...

S1 E2 - Very nearly an armful - The First Night Party

April 24, 2021 09:23 - 1 hour - 100 MB

In this episode Martin, Tim, Jon & James verbally disect the very first episode of Hancocks Half Hour - The First Night Party. We also discuss the creation of the show, how the cast came together and their backgrounds. To join the THAS please go tohttps://www.tonyhancock.org.uk/ If you have any stories, questions or just want to get in touch the email us at [email protected]

S1 E1 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Blood Donor.

April 10, 2021 09:07 - 58 minutes - 94.2 MB

We start this episode with Tim having purchased a new Microphone and Martin having technical difficulties and how Galton & Simpson disliked the episode Ericson The Viking compared to the other shows due to the location filming. We mention Tony’s Spitting Image Puppet and the Hancock News of the release of ‘The Missing Hancock’s on CD in March. We talk bout our main subject of The Blood Donor and the quality of the Telerecording and how it appears on todays modern HD screens, how the script ...

S1 E1 - Very Nearly an armful - The Blood donor.

April 10, 2021 09:07 - 58 minutes - 94.2 MB

Join Martin, Tim, Jon & James during their watch along of arguably the most famous Hancock's Half Hour episodes - 'The Blood Donor' Originally released in 1961 it is widely considered as Galton & Simpson's seminal work - attracting widespread praise. Tony Hancock wasn't known for catchphrases, but the title of this podcast is recognised by all. Sit back, put your big ol feet up! and let us talk you through the greatest Tony Hancock episode! Dont forget to rate and subscribe, just think, Cl...

Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast - Pilot Episode

March 16, 2021 20:19 - 24 minutes - 44.5 MB

We all introduce ourselves and how we each got into Hancock’s Half Hour. We discuss the video releases in the 1980’s, and the exorbitant cost of videotape back in the day. We mention Paul Merton’s 1990’s recreations briefly along with Dad’s Army and repeats of shows, borrowing tapes from the old THAS VHS library, our quarterly magazine, ‘The Missing Page’. We discuss an overview of our upcoming topics: The Blood Donor, The First Night Party, The Rebel, TV: The 1950’s Revolution, Lost TV So...