Tony Hancock, The Final Series, Australia 1968,Opening Scene

[krakenwave]

This is unbearable to watch. Its like an allegory of the death of Tony Hancock himself: Anthony Aloysius St John slowly but visibly fragmenting en route to his isle of last exile.

[MagiMysteryTour]

Britain and Australia have plenty of corruption of their own.

[custardaghost]

"Things just seem to go wrong too many times..."

They sure did - he egotistically got rid of Kenneth Williams, Sid James and Galton and Simpson; his wives and agents and every single chance and opportunity (and cover up by the Vice squad) he was ever extended time and again.

I feel terrible for the bloke but he built his funeral pyre years before this sorry feeble caper caused him to ignite it.

[putty1994]

@custardaghost i'm sorry to say that although he was a great comedian you are completely correct

[dukeofoven]

Poor sod - no wonder he topped himself halfway through.

He must have been desperate to take on this drivel.

[deepeemark]

There are many other colour series from pre 1975 in Australia - "Birds in the Bush" 1972 (with Hugh Llyod) comes to mind. The reason for the colour bleed? Just a poor quality VHS. Cheers. :)

[deepeemark]

Re "The Colour Conversation". The series was shot in colour on 16mm film. Given that Colour TV came to Britain in 1968, it made good sense for potential export sales to make the series in colour. Additionally, it could be re-run in colour in Australia when colour TV did arrive. (At the time, it was not realised that colour TV would come to Australia as late as 1975).

[rdcfrdcf]

Digitally coloured B+W show.

[UKSazzy67]

I thought they didn't get colour TV until 1975 in Australia. Another lie us British have been told. Aussies feel free to contradcict me.

[rdcfrdcf]

@UKSazzy67 - You're correct about the year of colour TV. This is a digitally 'coloured' render of a Black & White show, and quite a poor early attempt too judging by the colour bleed and lack of fill.

[cottonwhiskersuk]

Putting Tony Hancock into this feeble production is like spending a thousand pounds on redecorating a garden shed.

[punditpete]

Although it is interesting to see this clip it is also very sad.

Tony made a huge mistake in firstly getting rid of Sid and secondly getting rid of Galton And Simpson.

The whole set up of this production is not suited to his comedic style.

A sad end to a career.

[rickreid]

I've been listening to TH for years and never seen this- it was so dire I had to switch off- what's embarrassing is the attempt to continue the character that was by this time 15 years or more old- the attempt to copy G & S's scripts is dreadful- this is truly awful and seeing it couldn't have helped him much!

[UKSazzy67]

The poor man, I feel for him.

[billysugger]

bin listning to hancock for years still listn on mp3 player every night b4 going to sleep go to sleep smiling missis keeps hassling me for gigglin

[theguvnor54]

@billysugger

Eh m8 that's Hilarious been doing the exact same thing myself, and with the same response from my Missis too!!!!!! Thought it was just me doing that? He was and will always be a comic genius "That told them were to get off for a start" lmao eh?

[billysugger]

@theguvnor54

 so it aint just me then... still......im glad to see the back of those leeches"

[mashamorgan]

I still listen to the radio shows every week and enjoy them so much. I'll listen to them all for the rest of my life !! pure genius !

[mwilso]

same, so glad i've managed to find all the radio show series/episodes from the library!

[marts500]

I love the original radio stuff but can't watch the tv material...he couldn't learn the lines and watching his eyes moving from left to right over the "idiot boards" spoils it.

[cottonwhiskersuk]

Hancock's dependency upon cue cards, so I've read, was necessitated by a road accident by left him with long-term concentration issues, and was not observable in every episode made.

[AusDavid12]

Better than a lot of people think!

[artstacey]

Maybe the greatest tribute to Hancock it that new generations of people think he's great

[drees71]

this is so shoddy and amateurish it is just too depressing...no wonder he topped himself...poor love.

[christiano14]

what a shame. that mervyn made me cringe

[kristalmef]

He"s definetly slowed down and isnt as sharp in this and that caned laughter is annoying

[mikemosocw]

this was so bad i became angry, Hancock was a fool, a fool to abandon galton and simpson,

he was nothing with out them as this proves,

what an embarrassing display of rubbish.took him self too seriously.

[AusDavid12]

Is it really that bad?! Not as good as the original, but that bad?! I think a lot of you poms are taking yourselves too seriously. I think what has happen here is that one is "supposed" not to like it so everyone pretends they don't. Think for yourself. As I say not that good but there is lots of the old magic still there and has its moments. The canned laughter is the worst thing.

[mikemosocw]

it might 'appear' ok for you with your limited standards but by UK standards it is abysmal.

I watched again after reading your comment to make sure my original comments were'nt too harsh, but they were quite jusitified, it really is dire, enough said. you stick to skippy, the bush kangaroo!

[AusDavid12]

I think you need to wake up to yourself. Remember a lot of poms come here for a better life, you don't see many Australians going for a better life in the UK! Australia does not make very good TV I know that I live here but there is more to life than that.

[mikemosocw]

are you serious?

Englands FULL of Aussies, where would kylie and co be without the uk, what do you have in OZ? very little...stop fooling yourself, oz is a grave yard, full of arrogant aussies.

[AusDavid12]

The people you note are simply people who make a career in the UK. Statistics prove beyond any doubt that many more people from the UK come here to live than the other way around. You really should stop being so emotional and look at some stone cold facts. Why do you hate Australia so much? How strange, maybe you should get some counselling.

[mikemosocw]

you are right, Britain is a shit hole!

I live in moscow.

I don't hate Australia, i've had some very happy times there.

[AusDavid12]

O goodness Moscow, part of a very corrupt nation with a very corrupt government. Britain and Australia are good free countries. To get back to the original subject Tony Hancock was great and there is lots of the old magic still there but sadly he looks drunk in much of it.

[HELLO2YOU3]

Britain as become a shit hole with everything and one that's been let in.And as for rusher fook me that place is just full of a hols and crooks

[JuanMacready]

It was the writing that made him famous.

[MrArtVanderlay]

@JuanMacready And it's your puerile comments that make you such a cunt......

[bowerzini]

Its a true reflection of what drink does do to a person he suffered from depression and he died a sad and unhappy man . but its nice to see him in colour but its sad to know that this was the last of the great man on film .

[haldenver]

its truly bad

[mashamorgan]

This was dreadful, Tony would turn in his grave if her could see this. He had a lot to live up to having had Galton and Simpson writing his scripts and also having greats such as Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Bill Kerr etc working alongside him.

[haldenver]

i know....its hell but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Rock74]

Sad ending. There is nothing funny about this show at all.

[pivotset2]

What a shame he ended with this poor show.

What a waste of a great comedey talent.

[danbo1984]

Absolutely; this is awful. I'm a huge Hancock fan, and it truly is a shame that this was the last thing he did.There are points where he looks genuinely embarrassed by the dialogue, and the guy playing Mervyn is a dreadful comic foil; if only Bill Kerr had signed up to this one, maybe it would have worked out...