Hancock's World

Hancock's World (BBC1) looked over his shoulder at the fifties, which were waving there. John Peel sat in a simulacrum of Hancock's bedsitter, a rhapsody in 15 different shades of beige, as if someone had emptied a vacuum bag over it all.

Last night, Hancock's World (BBC2) brought us an affectionate reminder of the man in his prime, with a compilation full of his futile rebellions against the austerity of post-war Britain, and his grandiose dreams of rising above his humble station in life. [...] It's easy to make a dog's dinner when editing archive-based shows (look no further than the Carry On compilations for proof of that), but Chris Tonge's timing was faultless throughout, resulting in yet another excellent comedy biography from BBC North, celebratory without being sentimental.