Hancock's lost TV episodes go on tour

First airing in almost 70 years

Three lost Hancock’s Half Hour episodes, are to get a public outing for the first time since they were televised almost 70 years ago.

The episodes are The Bequest from 1956 and The Auction and The Russian Prince from 1957.

John Hewer – who has previously played Albert Steptoe and Tommy Cooper on stage – will take the role of Tony Hancock in scripts he adapted from Ray Galton and Alan Simpson’s originals.

The Lost TV Episodes tour marks 100 years of Hancock – who was born on May 12, 1924 – and 70 years of his show, first broadcaster on the radio on November 2, 1954. It ran for 107 episodes on the BBC Home Service plus 63 episodes on TV.

The three being toured are among the 27 original TV instalments missing from the BBC archive, since the broadcaster used to wipe tapes to reuse them.

In The Auction, Sid and Hancock decide to auction off their property to pay for a trip to Monte Carlo to try out Sid's infallible roulette system.

In The Russian Prince, Hancock bumps his head and suffers from temporary amnesia. Whilst he is unable to remember who he is, Sid persuades Hancock that he is Prince Nicolai, the last heir to the Russian Royal Family's fortune – but there are others making the same claim.

In the Bequest Hancock is set to inherit a fortune, but only if he can find a wife. An earlier radio version still exists and is on BBC Sounds.

The tour kicks off at Leicester Square Theatre in London on September 17 and ends in Windermere on November 29. It follows a previous tour of lost Hancock scripts last year, again starring Hewer.

The cast of the new tour also comprises Luke Adamson as Sid James, Colin Elmer as Kenneth Williams, Iona Crampton as Hattie Jacques and Hattie Chapman as Liz Fraser.

» Hancock’s Half Hour: The Lost TV Episodes tour dates

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Published: 17 Jun 2024