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The Masters of Sitcom: From Hancock to Steptoe
 
 
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The Masters of Sitcom: From Hancock to Steptoe [Kindle Edition]

Christopher Stevens (Author), Alan Simpson (Author), Ray Galton (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews) |
Digital List Price: £5.99 What's this?
Print List Price: £20.00
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Product Description

Review

"Galton and Simpson are the Beatles of British comedy - they changed everything." --Frank Skinner

Product Description

Ray Galton and Alan Simpson are two of the most influential and celebrated television scriptwriters of our time. Praised for inventing the sitcom, their own seminal creations are still standing the test of time with modern audiences - "Hancock's Half Hour" and "Steptoe and Son" are two of the most successful sitcoms ever made. This book is a charming tribute to their career in comedy, written in collaboration with Galton and Simpson themselves and with exclusive access to their personal archive of scripts. Readers will discover the fascinating story of their progress from variety shows to television, and how they came to create characters and programmes that have captured the nation's heart for generations. Their insightful comments on their own writing, along with their first-class understanding of the television writers' craft, make this anthology unique, informative and incredibly entertaining.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 1272 KB
  • Print Length: 353 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1843176335
  • Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books (23 Sep 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B005OZ7USQ
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #64,352 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Christopher Stevens
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By R T VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I ordered this with some trepidation as I do not usually read biographies and it was described as such: however it is a little biography with a lot of original material that has disappeared from the public arena due to the past BBC policy of not necessarily retaining material once broadcast.

Great to see something which has the authority of the scriptwriters: and to see some gems from the past. There is historical detail, which is relevant and describes the approach to writing which I found fascinating. Basically it tells the story of Hancock's Half Hour, its transfer to TV, Steptoe and Son and work with the likes of Frankie Howerd and the start of Comedy Playhouse - I had not realised that Galton and Simpson started the whole thing off with all the wonderful series that have been spawned. It really shows how they laid the basis for much of the excellent sitcoms we have enjoyed through the 1970s and beyond. Christopher Stevens's hypothesis is that Galton and Simpson really were pioneers - and I would not argue with that. He tells the story well with plenty of evidence from actual scripts which I especially enjoyed.

A number of illustrations, some I have seen before but some are fresh.

Interestingly despite Christopher Stevens claim to include as much unseen material as possible I felt that a lot of it was well known material. If you are a fan then you probably have the Radio ham and Blood donor on LP as well as DVD and thus to see large chunks of material that is readily available was a bit of a shame as the author did have access to all the scripts. Personally I would have rather had more of what is only to be found in the basement files of Ray Galton. However this is only a minor quibble as he wanted to demonstrate the development of sitcom and the differing elements, and thus some of the well known material is essential for that purpose. Perhaps another dip into long lost scripts another time?

If you like classic sitcom - then this is a volume for you.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By K. Petersen VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book traces the history of one of Britain's greatest comedy writing duos. Galton and Simpson were as much a part of the success of Tony Hancock as the lad 'imself. When Hancock cut the final thread, holding him to his fame, by dismissing the services of his writers, they went on to create Steptoe and Son, a series that took sitcom on another step.

Pre-G&S, comedy, this side of the Atlantic, consisted of comedians, men (and they almost exclusively were men) who had served their time on the boards doing mother-in-law jokes, telling a story packed with jokes. They wrote, initially for Tony Hancock, a different style of comedy: one without punchlines. Their humour was the humour of the ordinary man but, Hancock, although he agreed with this approach, was still that archetypal comedian.

Galton and Simpson's next foray into comedy, with Steptoe and Son, bore no comedian. Wilfred Bramble had played comic roles in the theatre but Harry H Corbett was an actor making a name for himself in serious theatre. They tell a lovely story about the making of the first episode when Harold is frustrated and they were amazed to see real tears in the actor's eyes.

This book is a real tribute: almost fifty per cent of the work is taken up with extracts from Galton and Simpson scripts. These are surrounded by quotes from the writers as to what they were trying to achieve and details of their lives. I have been a fan, through Tony Hancock, for many years and so, I knew most of the information contained in this opus but, there was enough new information to sustain my interest and it is great to have it all within a single set of covers. This book is an essential for anyone with even a passing interest in British comedy - and a darned good read.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Hilary French VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Ray Galton and Alan Simpson were well-known to me as comedy writers. They had not only helped create the brilliance of Tony Hancock, but also survived his self-destruction. And then went on to spawn a whole new sitcom genre, with actors, exploring the tragi-comedy of life. But I had no idea where their ideas came from and how they had developed.

This book gives a real insight into the sequence of events. From their very early days, with a new vision of comedy having a social conscience, making relevant social comment, not just playing for laughs, they developed the art of juxtaposing laughter with tears. The story is clearly chronicled here, with facts and scripts side by side, illustrating beautifully their development as writers.

The story of the development of sitcom is fascinating in itself. The actual scripts, some published nowhere else, are amazing. Yes, there are only a few photos, but those are well-chosen. It is not a celebrity line-up of sitcom, it is the honest story of how two men changed the face of sitcom forever, and has its illustration in the scripts. A brilliant book. For anyone interested in the glory days of sitcom, this is an absolute must.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
interesting, but
It was interesting to read abour Galton and Simpson and how they grew up and forged their writing bond. The background on the actors was also useful. Read more
Published 13 days ago by 70s
A Comedy Gem
From Hancock to Steptoe says the front cover of this book and indeed it is an easy mistake to make that Galton and Simpson were just about those two shows. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Random Woman
Easy to read and very informative
This is a well written and very funny book. I know from my childhood both Tony Hancock and Steptoe and Son, and I knew a little of Alan and Ray. Read more
Published 4 months ago by McColey
Pure Comfort Reading!
My first memories of the work of Alan Simpson and Ray Galton came in the form of a video rental my dad brought home to please my mum. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. J. C. Clubb
The masters
Every now and then there pops up one of those hapless marketing-driven polls to find the funniest TV moment ever ever ever and the winner is usually something utterly feeble like... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Alan Hansen
Interesting and funny biographical curio.
Galton and Simpson are perhaps one of the best known comedy writing teams in the history of British broadcasting. Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. Mcdonald
Pleasing reverie
This books makes an excellent read, but I couldn't help myself thinking, its a little out of its time. I myself know many, if not all the sketches, mentioned in the book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. Bond
Scripts galore
This wasn't quite the book I expected (or wanted) it to be.

It is full of extracts from Galtong and Simpson scripts from the 50s and 60s and in that sense it is a... Read more
Published 6 months ago by M. J. Saxton
More a book of scripts than a biographical account
I enjoyed this book. A word of caution, however, to prospective buyers looking for a biographical account with some script extracts. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Dr Roots
Unfortunately not a full biography of two great writers, but....
What a wonderful book. What great writers. What great comedy.

I missed the fifties and early sixties; just too young to make meaningful judgements at the time. Read more
Published 6 months ago by John
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