Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast

By Tony HancockTV & Film TV Reviews

Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast episodes

November 20, 2021 S2 E4 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Rail Strike
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 Robin Sebastian as guest to discuss his love of this episode. The team are also pleased to be able to include extracts from a brilliant interview with Bill Kerr undertaken by Tony Hancock Appreciation Society Member Mick Dawson.
The team also briefly consider the films The Titfield Thunderbolt and Night Mail, discuss the answers to some queries from listeners and delve into the history of Puffing Billy.
Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at Tonyhancock.org.uk. We’ll be back in two weeks’ time with another edition of Very Nearly an Armful. Hope to see you then!
1 hr 22 min
November 06, 2021 S2 E3 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Reunion Party
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: Laurie Webb, who appeared in the first scene in this episode.
The team discuss comments received from listeners and launch an appeal for a good quality recording of the radio episode Sid James’s Dad and any other lost episode.
They are pleased to announce the publication by BBC Audio of 18 hours of the forces show Calling All Forces from 1951 / 1952 and also discuss a strategy to enable Jon to tell his local landlord that there’s more water out there than there is his beer.
1 hr 14 min
November 05, 2021 S2 E3 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Reunion Party
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: Laurie Webb, who appeared in the first scene in this episode.
The team discuss comments received from listeners and launch an appeal for a good quality recording of the radio episode Sid James’s Dad and any other lost episode.
They are pleased to announce the publication by BBC Audio of 18 hours of the forces show Calling All Forces from 1951 / 1952 and also discuss a strategy to enable Jon to tell his local landlord that there’s more water out there than there is his beer.
1 hr 14 min
October 23, 2021 S2 E2 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Americans Hit Town
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 Society have recently been able to view archives at the BBC Archive Centre at Caversham for archive research and briefly look at the wonderful scrapbooks recently donated by Alec Bregonzi’s family and we hear from Alec himself!
They also get briefly distracted by their least favourite Hancock’s Half Hour episode and spend a puzzled few minutes trying to work out how to fly a 1950s American bomber!
Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at Tonyhancock.org.uk. We’ll be back in two weeks’ time with another edition of Very Nearly an Armful. Hope to see you then!
1 hr 8 min
October 09, 2021 S2 E1 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Missing Page
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 important to this episode. The team also get sidetracked into a detailed look at the seamier side of life through the pulp fiction novels of Ben Sarto and Darcy Glinto.

They also look at the recent generous archive donation from the estate of the late Alec Bregonzi and briefly attempt to decide which of the team most needs to undertake the body building advertised in ‘Men Are You Skinny’!

Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And, if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details of how to join are at Tony Hancock.org.uk. We’ll be back in two weeks’ time with another edition of Very Nearly an Armful. Hope to see you then!
1 hr 8 min
September 18, 2021 Very Nearly an Armful - Series 2 teaser
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 Galton and Simpson originally wrote for Bill and Sid James. We then hear a clip from Hancock’s widow, Freddie Ross Hancock, reminiscing about how her dealings with the Inland Revenue led to Galton and Simpson writing the script for the radio episode “The Income Tax Demand”.
Series two kicks off soon with the first episode discussing the classic TV episode, “The Missing Page”. That’s the little beauty I’m after – Lady Don’t Fall Backwards!”
You can join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society at tonyhancock.org.uk
34 min
June 19, 2021 S1 E6 - Very Nearly an Armful - There's An Airfield At the Bottom of the Garden
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 to answer questions sent in by listeners on edited versions of radio shows, briefly consider BBC Transcription Services and, rather surprisingly, issue an appeal for a morse code expert!

Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details on how to join are at tonyhancock.org.uk. We’ll be back in the Autumn with Series 2; the team of four will have six more opportunities to get sidetracked whilst they are discussing their favourite topic of Hancock’s Half Hour. Hope to see you then!
1 hr 13 min
June 05, 2021 S1 E5 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Lost Episodes - The Horror Serial/The Italian Maid
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 why making tea out of Best Navy Shag tobacco has never caught on!

They also attempt to answer questions sent in by listeners on the changing character of Bill Kerr, how none of the original episodes were named and the difficulty this poses when trying to identify episodes on archive reel to reel tapes where episode names have been invented. As always, our intrepid four get side-tracked, this time into the brilliant One Foot in the Grave Podcast and they briefly consider the film The Ladykillers and how this reflects 1950s Britain.

Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details on how to join are at tonyhancock.org.uk
1 hr 20 min
May 22, 2021 S1 E4 - Very Nearly an Armful - The 50s revolution - The Set That Failed/The Television Set
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 ‘What the Butler Saw’ machine and carefully consider how many times to kick the set in order to change the channel to ITV.
They also take time to talk about the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society annual dinner and try very hard to answer questions raised by Podcast listeners on the availability of Hancock’s Half Hour scripts and how the Society’s archives are being managed for future generations. They also get briefly distracted by Tony’s first film Orders are Orders.
Don’t forget to rate us and subscribe to the podcast. And if you haven’t done so already, why not join the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society - full details on how to join are at tonyhancock.org.uk
1 hr 16 min
May 08, 2021 S1 E3 - Very Nearly an Armful - The Rebel.
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 a coffee with no froth isn’t just a flat white. They also take time to attempt to answer questions sent in by listeners of previous podcasts on such intellectually stimulating subjects as who was responsible for the annoying laugh in the audience on the TV episode The Train Journey, and who’s idea was it for Hancock to have the stuttering H-H-H.
Sit back and enjoy but don’t forget to rate and subscribe. Oh yes, and if you haven’t done so already, do join us at the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society! We’ll be celebrating our 45th anniversary at our annual reunion dinner on 11 September with special guests and rare screenings just a few miles from Hancock’s birthplace in Birmingham. Full details on how to join at tonyhancock.org.uk
1 hr 10 min

About Very Nearly an Armful - A Tony Hancock Podcast

From the publisher's feed

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.