VW008  - Edition 2,000

TONY HANCOCK

I’m not sure which of the shows I enjoyed the best during Tony Hancocks TV and radio appearances as everyone has their favourite. However I fondly remember the episode The Lawyer: The Crown v James (2 December 1957 - TV). Hancock played the barrister (not a good barrister) and the show starts with a lorry driver on trial for bigamy - eight times. Hancock delivers a fantastic speech which results in the lorry driver being sent to jail for six years. Unfortunately he was supposed to be defending him. So when Sid (Sid James) was accused of a smash and grab raid and finds that he has Hancock as his lawyer, he’s not very pleased.
Tony was born on the 12th May 1924 in Birmingham and in 1942 he volunteered for the RAF and after being rejected by ENSA, he was accepted by Ralph Reader who organised groups into Gang Shows. It was here he met Robert Moreton, Graham Stark and Peter Sellers. After several successful series on the Radio Tony turned to TV and for 5 years his shows ran concurrently on both. At one point complaints poured in from publicans and shopkeepers who protested that when Hancock was on TV the pubs were empty and the shops deserted.
His first film although a success in the UK was not accepted in the USA. During this period his most successful scriptwriters- Ray Galton and Alan Simpson - came up with another series Steptoe & Son which was a huge success. Hancocks scripts were never the same and soon in depression he turned to alcohol. Sadly he committed suicide whilst in Australia at the age of 44. Since his tragic death his fame has not diminished, but instead his comic genius has grown in stature.
Our VW008 adds to our range of Volkswagen vans with Hancock sitting next to two of his favourite side-kicks Sid James and Bill Kerr