British Comedy Guide
Lost Sitcoms. Alf Garnett (Simon Day). Copyright: BBC
Lost Sitcoms

Lost Sitcoms

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC Four
  • 2016
  • 3 episodes (1 series)

Series recreating episodes from legendary comedy series that are now missing believed wiped. Stars Kevin McNally, Robin Sebastian, Jon Culshaw, Katy Wix, Kevin Eldon and more.

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Episode menu

Series 1, Episode 2 - Hancock's Half Hour: The New Neighbour

Lost Sitcoms. Image shows from L to R: John Vere (Kevin Eldon), Kenneth Williams (Robin Sebastian), Tony Hancock (Kevin McNally), Hattie Jacques (Katy Wix), Sid James (Jon Culshaw). Copyright: BBC
Tony Hancock's new neighbour has a very, very suspicious night-time routine.

Preview clips

Broadcast details

Date
Thursday 8th September 2016
Time
9pm
Channel
BBC Four
Length
30 minutes

Cast & crew

Cast
Kevin McNally Tony Hancock
Robin Sebastian Kenneth Williams
Jon Culshaw Sid James
Katy Wix Hattie Jacques
Kevin Eldon John Vere
Guest cast
Robert Jack Mario
Kevin Eldon Announcer
Writing team
Ray Galton Writer
Alan Simpson Writer
Production team
Ben Gosling Fuller Director
Neil Pearson Director
Owen Bell Producer
Steven Canny Executive Producer
Tilusha Ghelani Executive Producer
Chris Sussman Executive Producer
Richard Halladay (as Richard Halladey) Editor
Iain McDonald Production Designer
Kahleen Crawford Casting Director
Caroline Stewart Casting Director
Martin Hawkins Director of Photography
Katherine Hyland Costume Designer
Hannah Ireland Costume Designer
Yvonne Simpson Costume Designer
Lee Wilmot Costume Designer
Julie Dorrat-Keenan Make-up Designer

Video

Police Officer Kenneth Williams

Tony Hancock calls for help and is very disappointed when Kenneth Williams turns up.

Featuring: Kevin McNally (Tony Hancock) & Robin Sebastian (Kenneth Williams).

Press

Unlike the recently rebooted Porridge and Are You Being Served?, this rejuvenated BBC sitcom actually has a point to it: it's a loving and spot-on recreation of a missing Hancock radio episode from 1956, in which the Lad Himself (Kevin McNally) and co convince themselves their new neighbour is a serial killer. There's a real potency to it, too - it was originally broadcast only three years after the grisly, real-life discoveries at 10 Rillington Place.

Ali Catterall, The Guardian, 8th September 2016

Hancock's Half Hour: a triumphant remake of comedy gold

"So should you watch it? Yes. Yes, you should, and then you should write letters to the BBC demanding that they reassemble this cast and crew post-haste," says Tom Cole.

Tom Cole, Radio Times, 8th September 2016

Tony Hancock is the Picasso of moaning

The BBC's Hancock revival is so good it sparked an epiphany. I've not laughed that much at a British sitcom in years. Nothing on TV is actually that funny anymore. It's not that there aren't shows I like and enjoy, it's just that I now realise I wasn't really laughing at them. I was only smiling wistfully. Or going "Ha."

Tim Stanley, The Telegraph, 8th September 2016

TV Review: Lost Sitcoms - Hancock's Half Hour

The script - by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, of course - is so good you are not even bothered by the basic scenery - there are literally no walls. In fact it would be just as funny if you closed your eyes and imagined you were listening to the radiio. The only thing you would miss would be McNally's gloriously unforgettable face.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 8th September 2016

Lost Sitcoms: Hancock's Half Hour preview

It holds up so well that some lines seem to have been injected just for wry 21st-century nostalgia: Hancock being impressed by the size of the newcomers' TV screen: 'It must be all of eight inches,' he says enviously.

Steve Bennett, Chortle, 8th September 2016

TV preview: Lost Sitcoms - Hancock's Half Hour, BBC4

Stone me this is good. I was a little bit worried about this TV recreation of a lost Hancock episode because last week's Alf Garnett reboot was so disappointing. But there is no problem here. A combination of excellent casting and excellent writing makes this easily as funny as most contemporary sitcoms.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 7th September 2016

'Lost Sitcoms' review: 'Hancock's Half Hour'

Entirely studio-bound with only three sets and no special effects or flashy camera tricks, director Ben Gosling Fuller is free to concentrate on the actors and the vintage material they're performing.

David Lewis, Cult Box, 26th August 2016

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