Browse episode ratings trends for Hancock's Half Hour. Simply click on the interactive rating graph to explore the best and worst of Hancock's Half Hour's 63 episodes.
Best Episodes of Hancock's Half Hour
Twelve Angry Men
S5 Ep4
9.8
16th Oct 1959
Hancock is the foreman of the Jury and stands alone in declaring the petty criminal innocent. But when Sid discovers how much he is earning a day as a juror, he joins Hancock's side and sets about trying to convince the others.
The Reunion Party
S6 Ep4
9.0
25th Mar 1960
Hancock decides to hold a reunion with his wartime pals. But a lot of time has elapsed since he last saw them and people do change.
Lord Byron Lived Here
S5 Ep3
9.0
9th Oct 1959
Hancock's house is falling down and needs a lot of work. In order for the National Trust to renovate it for him he needs to convince them that someone famous lived there. Sid shows Hancock evidence that Byron lived at Railway Cuttings. But is the poet Byron or someone more recent?
The Lawyer - The Crown vs Sidney James
S3 Ep9
9.0
2nd Dec 1957
Hancock becomes a lawyer but when he defends an obviously guilty Sid James in court he finds himself the subject of a guilty verdict.
The Two Murderers
S5 Ep2
8.7
2nd Oct 1959
Sid asks Hancock to lend him the money to open a fish and chip shop but Hancock refuses. Sid tells Hancock that he'll get the money somehow, but how will he do it? Hancock believes that Sid is planning to murder him, but Sid is convinced that his own life is in danger.
The Blood Donor
S7 Ep5
8.6
23rd Jun 1961
Hancock decides to give a pint of blood. But he is alarmed when he discovers he has to give very nearly an armful, and he is determined to find out who it goes to.
The Economy Drive
S5 Ep1
8.6
25th Sep 1959
Hancock and Sid return from holiday to discover that Sid has failed to cancel any deliveries and has left every electrical appliance in the house on. Hancock decides that in order to make ends meet he and Sid must go on an economy drive. But Hancock soon encounters difficulties in the local self service café, and the stairs at home prove problematic as well.
The Poison Pen Letters
S6 Ep10
8.5
6th May 1960
Hancock is upset by a steady stream of unpleasant letters. But when the police keep a watch on the post box where the letters are being posted, Sid discovers that Hancock has been writing the letters to himself, in his sleep.
The Baby-Sitters
S6 Ep6
8.5
8th Apr 1960
Hancock and Sid decide to earn some extra cash by signing on as babysitters. The pleasant evening is spoiled when they start arguing over the TV and the baby starts crying. But who are those two extra visitors?
The Missing Page
S6 Ep2
8.5
11th Mar 1960
Hancock takes out a murder mystery book from the library. When he discovers that the last page is missing he is determined to deduce who the killer is. But when he finds that it's too complicated to decipher he decides to track down a copy of the complete book.
Football Pools
S5 Ep10
8.5
27th Nov 1959
Hancock only needs one more draw to secure the top payout on the Football Pools. As the match is a local one with a late kick-off, Hancock and Sid go along to cheer on each team equally.
The Big Night
S5 Ep7
8.5
6th Nov 1959
Hancock is really looking forward to a big night out with Sid and two girls. But his preparations turn to disaster when his shirt is ruined at the launderette and his barber doesn't have a steady hand with his razor.
Worst Episodes of Hancock's Half Hour
The First TV Show
S1 Ep1
3.7
6th Jul 1956
Hancock has a broken leg but Sid insists that the show must go on and so the show is broadcast from Hancock's hospital bed.
The Alpine Holiday
S2 Ep1
6.3
1st Apr 1957
Hancock upsets his fellow passengers on a flight to Switzerland and then discovers that he has to share his room at the hotel. Initially he thinks that he is sharing with an attractive French girl only to discover that it is really a yodeller and Alpine Horn player.
Hancock's 43 Minutes - The East Cheam Repertory Company
S3 Ep12
6.5
23rd Dec 1957
Hancock presents his own variety show from the Television Theatre - but he has asked Sid to provide all the acts.
The Bowmans
S7 Ep2
6.5
2nd Jun 1961
Hancock plays the part of Old Joshua Merryweather in the radio show The Bowmans (which sounds rather similar to The Archers). But his behaviour and the number of different dialects that he uses causes him to be thrown off the show. However public opinion demands his return - but he in turn demands a few changes.
Air Steward Hancock - The Last of the Many
S3 Ep5
6.8
28th Oct 1957
Hancock takes on a new job as an air steward. But one of the passengers on his first flight is Sid who is on the run from the police, and the other passengers include four police officers looking for a bank robber.
There's An Airfield At the Bottom of My Garden
S3 Ep11
7.0
16th Dec 1957
Hancock buys a house from Sid but discovers that there's an airfield at the bottom of his garden. Returning to Sid dissatisfied, he is forced to try to sell the house himself but he has considerable difficulties.
Ericsson the Viking
S4 Ep1
7.0
26th Dec 1958
Sid has persuaded Hancock to make a dramatic film which the BBC have agreed to broadcast. But Hancock is worried; after all, when shooting started Sid's production company didn't even have a movie camera.
The Radio Ham
S7 Ep3
7.0
9th Jun 1961
Hancock has bought himself a radio transmitter/receiver and he is able to converse with remote parts of the world, discussing the weather and playing games of Snakes & Ladders and Chess. But when he receives a 'Mayday' call he has to contend with the landlady's husband and uncooperative electricity meters.
The Succession - Son and Heir
S7 Ep6
7.3
30th Jun 1961
Hancock decides that it's time to have children to 'carry on the line'. He selects three eligible girls and proposes to them all but is refused. Whilst he is still arguing with the third, the other two return having changed their minds.
The Emigrant
S6 Ep3
7.3
18th Mar 1960
Hancock decides that he will emigrate, but no-one will take him. Knowing Sid's past he asks for his assistance, but the 'luxury cruise liner' Sid arranges has a very short gang plank and a very unusual crew.
Sid in Love
S6 Ep5
7.3
1st Apr 1960
Sid has fallen in love with the conductress of a 93 bus but he doesn't know how to approach her. Seeking Hancock's advice, Sid travels on the bus but his attempts cause chaos both with the conductress and the driver... who is her husband.
The Bedsitter
S7 Ep1
7.3
26th May 1961
Hancock is alone in his Earl's Court bed-sit and tries to master a Bertrand Russell book, fails to get the TV to work and almost gets invited to a party.
Hancock's Half Hour Episode Guide
The First TV Show
S1 Ep1
3.7
6th Jul 1956
Hancock has a broken leg but Sid insists that the show must go on and so the show is broadcast from Hancock's hospital bed.
The Artist
S1 Ep2
20th Jul 1956
Hancock decides to become an artist and buys up some old canvases to paint over. However, one is a stolen Rembrandt and one of Sid's cronies is forced to buy up all of Hancock's paintings to retrieve it.
The Dancer
S1 Ep3
3rd Aug 1956
At last Hancock secures a film role... but only if he can dance. Sid provides lessons for Hancock and enters him into a local dancing Championship Contest, but is forced to become his partner in the competition (in drag)!
The Bequest
S1 Ep4
17th Aug 1956
Uncle Obadiah leaves Hancock a fortune provided that he gets married. Hancock starts to look for his future wife with the help of the Sid James Marriage Bureau.
The Radio Show
S1 Ep5
31st Aug 1956
Broadcast from the National Radio Show, Earl's Court, this episode comprised a number of sketches including the The Red Army Choir... British style!
The Chef That Died of Shame
S1 Ep6
14th Sep 1956
The cast play the parts in the story of 'Iggins, a cook who becomes a well respected chef but subsequently fails and loses everything due to drink.
Hancock's Half Hour is a BBC television comedy series of the 1950s and 60s written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock with Sid James. The final series, renamed simply Hancock, starred Hancock alone.
Comedian Tony Hancock starred in the show, playing an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own character and lifestyle, Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam.
The series was influential in the development of the situation comedy, with its move away from radio variety towards a focus on character development.
The best rated episodes of Hancock's Half Hour are:
Twelve Angry Men S5E4 rated 9.8
The Reunion Party S6E4 rated 9.0
Lord Byron Lived Here S5E3 rated 9.0
The Lawyer - The Crown vs Sidney James S3E9 rated 9.0
The Two Murderers S5E2 rated 8.7
The Blood Donor S7E5 rated 8.6
The Economy Drive S5E1 rated 8.6
The Poison Pen Letters S6E10 rated 8.5
The Baby-Sitters S6E6 rated 8.5
The Missing Page S6E2 rated 8.5
The lowest rated episodes of Hancock's Half Hour are:
The First TV Show S1E1 rated 3.7
The Alpine Holiday S2E1 rated 6.3
Hancock's 43 Minutes - The East Cheam Repertory Company S3E12 rated 6.5
The Bowmans S7E2 rated 6.5
Air Steward Hancock - The Last of the Many S3E5 rated 6.8
There's An Airfield At the Bottom of My Garden S3E11 rated 7.0
Ericsson the Viking S4E1 rated 7.0
The Radio Ham S7E3 rated 7.0
The Succession - Son and Heir S7E6 rated 7.3
The Emigrant S6E3 rated 7.3
The first episode of Hancock's Half Hour aired on July 06, 1956.
The last episode of Hancock's Half Hour aired on June 30, 1961.
