THE END OF THE SERIES

Hancock's Half Hour (Radio) First Series - Programme 16

After the end of the final programme of the series, Hancock, Bill, Sid and Moira reminisce on how they first met.

Cast
Tony Hancock
Bill Kerr
Moira Lister
Sidney James
Alan Simpson
Kenneth Williams

Programme Guide

By way of rounding off this opening series, the last programme contains some short flashback scenes, suggesting how the main characters met each other in the early days.

The meeting of Sid and Tony has them posing as street salesmen trying to foist bogus medicines onto the passers-by.

Hancock seems to have all the patter of such a dealer: "Gather round, friends. Winter is upon us. And with winter come coughs, colds, sneezes and flu ... You couldn't buy this stuff in Harley Street for ten guineas".
Sid butts in: "I'm not asking ten guineas. I'm not even asking for a bar ... here you are - one and nine a bottle..."
"Hello," says Hancock, "someone's working me act. Oi, you!"
Sid: "What do you want, fatty?"

Then, a slight difference of opinion occurs between Hancock and Sid, as to whose pitch is being worked and furthermore as to the validity of their respective medicines.

Sid's - Doctor Sidney James' Rejuvenator - is apparently "made from a recipe given to me by an old Indian fakir for saving his life". Whereas, Hancock's was "passed on to me by a Tibetan lama on his deathbed".

"Sold", counters Sid, "to all the crowned heads of Europe."
Not to be out done, Hancock offers - "by appointment to Anna Neagle."

So, the battle hots up and the pair of them offer the medicines for sale for less and less money. Sid offers his Rejuvenator at threepence a bottle. Then Hancock triumphantly announces his reply: "Tuppence ... and fourpence on the bottle"

Now, the crowd is interested in buying, but Hancock realises what he has done:
"I'm sorry, Ladies and Gentlemen, ha ha, my partner here made a slight error. He didn't really mean ...."
The crowd get angry and start to throw his own bottles back at him, so Hancock appeals for help.

The Police whistles blow. Sid cries: "Scarper - the rozzers". In general disorder, the gathering breaks up and the flashback sequence ends.

This extract was played on a late 1970's "Frank Muir Goes Into ..." radio programme and sounded as fresh and funny as it must have done when first transmitted.

So, the first series was at an end and all concerned could feel justly proud that the 'experiment' had succeeded.

The promise was there of even better things to come and the audience reaction was growing favourably - A fact which the BBC quickly picked up on, for they immediately commissioned a second series to start in the double quick time of two months hence.