As original sitcom episodes are colourised

Jack Dee is to front a two-hour retrospective documentary celebrating the work of Tony Hancock.

The show will air on the Gold channel, which has also commissioned two  classic Hancock’s Half Hour episodes – Twelve Angry Men and The Blood Donor – to be colourised.

Dee said: ‘The life and career of Tony Hancock is truly fascinating. As a fan myself, to view items so personal to him was such an experience. I hope Gold viewers get as much out of this as I did.’

In making the documentary, entitled Very Nearly An Armful, Studio Crook became the first film-makers to be given access to Hancock’s personal archive of photos, scripts, scrapbooks, production files and letters that illustrate his life

This documentary also had exclusive TV access to clips from Hancock's 1963 ATV series, which have remained unbroadcast for over 50 years.

Studio boss Matt Crook said: ‘To get access to such treasures from the Hancock estate  has been incredibly exciting. We have loved adding a splash of colour to classic Hancock, it's been an absolute dream project.’

Tony Hancock: Very Nearly an Armful and the newly colourised episodes of Hancock will air on Gold next year, ahead of the 100th anniversary of his birth in 2024.

Iain Coyle said, head of comedy entertainment for Gold’s parent company UKTV, said: ‘The legend of Hancock still has a huge influence on comedy and sitcom today and the team at Crook have done a fantastic job and unearthed some incredible artifacts. I can't wait to see these two classic episodes in full glorious colour.

Gold’s channel director Gerald Casey added: ‘This new commission is one of the biggest comedy archive finds in years. The life and career of Tony Hancock is truly fascinating.

‘Viewers will get a new insight into one of British comedy's most prominent influences. We're thrilled to have this come to Gold next year.’

Both episodes which are being coloursied were written by Alan Simpson and Ray Galton. The Blood Donor, which co-starred June Whitfield as a nurse, first aired in 1961 while Twelve Angry Men aired in 1959. It co-starred Sid James and featured Hancock sitting on a jury trying to appeal to the fundamentals of British justice by asking: ‘Does Magna Carta mean nothing to you? Did she die in vain?’

Above is how the original Blood Donor might look in colour, thanks to https://colourise.com

Published: 29 Sep 2022