Lost Hancock scripts brought to life in new production

Two long-lost radio scripts originally written for Birmingham-born comedian Tony Hancock are to receive their public debut this weekend.

The scripts, by comedy writer Larry Stephens, are thought to have been written in the early 1950s before the comedian became the nation’s favourite.

Billed as The Lost Hancocks, the scripts will be performed by a live cast at The Light House Media Centre in Wolverhampton tomorrow (Saturday).

The story behind the scripts begins in 1952 when West Bromwich-born Stephens convinced the BBC to let him create a new comedy series expressly for his friend, the rising radio star Tony Hancock.

Entitled Vacant Lot, Stephens’ series focused on life in the dull faded fictional seaside town of Churdley Bay where the blundering, slightly pompous and barely tolerated Hancock – a local auctioneer and wannabe councillor – aspires to better his lot.

Despite featuring a supporting cast of colourful characters (and with Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Carry On regular Kenneth Connor all mooted for roles), Vacant Lot was never recorded, and the scripts lay buried in the BBC archives for over 60 years.

Lost Hancocks producer Dave Freak, whose Birmingham Comedy Festival company is staging tomorrow’s production, said: “As very little of his early work has survived, so much of what people know about Hancock is based almost solely on the later Hancock’s Half Hour radio and TV series.

“But here we get an all too rare glimpse of a pre-superstar Hancock, in what would have been his first major leading role.”

An unsung comedy hero of 1950s, Larry Stephens wrote much of Hancock’s stage material as well as sketches for his ATV series, The Tony Hancock Show.

Writing on his own, and with such future legends such as Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes, Stephens also penned material for Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Bernard Braden, Dickie Valentine, (Doctor Who actor) Jon Pertwee, Graham Stark and Arthur Askey.

Stephens was also a key figure in the development and success of The Goon Show, before going on to work for TV hit The Army Game. Sadly he died suddenly in 1959, aged just 35.

A giant of post-war British comedy, Tony Hancock was born in Hall Green, in 1924, and raised in Bournemouth. Moving from stage to radio, he appeared regularly in such popular BBC series as Workers’ Playtime, Variety Bandbox, Educating Archie and Calling All Forces, which featured material by young writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The duo would go on to pen the seminal Hancock’s Half-Hour, which crossed over to TV in 1956 and firmly established the self-important self-righteous ‘Hancock’ character.

In real life, Hancock struggled to accept the public’s admiration for him and felt his talent needed to be recognised on a global scale.

Galton and Simpson wrote the script for his 1960 film, The Rebel which Hancock hoped would break him into the US market. Unfortunately for him, it failed to do so after being poorly received.

In Britain, it appeared the public only wanted the Lad from Railway Cuttings, East Cheam – one of their own.

Bitter at his perceived lack of success, Hancock attempted to work with other writers but the change of direction during the sixties largely failed.

He opted to relaunch his TV career and thought a move to Australia would provide him with the fresh start he needed.

Sadly, this too failed and he committed suicide in Australia in 1968.