The Tony Hancock BBC Collection (8 Disc Box Set) [DVD] [1956]

The beeb commerical department neglected to include a programme listing on the outer cover of this boxset (where no doubt it would have been seen and could inform a buyer's decision). Ironically this change from their earlier practice of including episode names and descriptions is one of few original things about this collection, which contains only one episode (The Succession: Son and Heir) not yet released to DVD. As with everything by Hancock/Galton/Simpson the episodes themselves are worthy of 5 stars, but as others have noted, if you've already bought previous releases you are paying a lot for a single episode. However, for anyone who doesn't already own this material, here is the programme list:

Disc 1: `The Alpine Holiday', `Air Steward Hancock, The Last Of The Many', `The Lawyer: The Crown vs Sidney James', 'Competitions: How To Win Money And Influence People' ,'There's An Airfield At The Bottom Of My Garden', 'Hancock's Forty-Three Minutes: The East Cheam Repertory Company: The Christmas Special'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL.1'

Disc 2: `Ericson the Viking', `The Set That Failed', `The New Nose', `The Oak Tree', `The Knighthood'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 2

Disc 3: `The Economy Drive', `The Two Murderers', `Lord Byron Lived Here', `Twelve Angry Men', `The Train Journey'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 3' (DISC 1).

Disc 4: `The Cruise', `The Big Night', `The Tycoon', `Spanish Interlude', `Football Pools'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 3' (DISC 2).

Disc 5: 'The Cold', 'The Missing Page', 'The Emigrant', 'The Reunion Party', 'Sid In Love'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 4' (DISC 1).

Disc 6: 'The Baby Sitters', 'The Ladies Man', 'The Photographer', The East Cheam Centenary' and 'The Poison Pen Letters'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR: VOL. 4' (DISC 2).

Disc 7: `The Bedsitter', `The Bowmans', `The Radio Ham', `The Lift', `The Blood Donor'. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS `THE VERY BEST OF HANCOCK'.

Disc 8: `The Succession: Son and Heir', `Face to Face: Tony Hancock Interview', PDF's of missing scripts.

Stone me, it seems a few reviewers on this page have jumped the gun in their criticisms of this set. For a start, the 'Face to Face' interview will be included in this release and a number of episodes have newly recorded commentaries with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Whereas the original DVD releases sometimes featured 1980s edits of some of the episodes, I'm led to believe that the original, uncut versions of some or all of the episodes have made it onto this set. Having sold my copies of the original discs online I now have more than enough money to purchase this superb collection. £40 for all Hancock's BBC shows, 'Face to Face' and commentaries to boot? Sounds like a bargain to me.

It is astonishing that the BBC have just cobbled this man's work together in such a half-hearted fashion. There isn't even an insert for such a classic set nor even a listing of the contents (they have put a list behind the discs but it is unreadable because of the disc holder). The cover is, by common consent, poorly designed and the discs have just been taken from the previous published series so that the menu screens don't match the disc number and don't even harmonize with each other. It is hard to see how the Beeb could have made a worse job of the presentation. However the content is every bit as good as you would expect from Hancock and Co. For those of you who don't have the time to put a content list together here is mine for you.

The Tony Hancock Collection
DISC 1
1.THE ALPINE HOLIDAY
2 AIR STEWARD HANCOCK, THE LAST OF THE MANY
3 THE LAWYER: THE CROWN V SIDNEY JAMES
4 COMPETITIONS: HOW TO WIN MONEY AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE
5 THERE'S AN AIRFIELD AT THE BOTTOM OF MY GARDEN
6 HANCOCK'S 43 MINUTES: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

DISC 2
7 ERICSON THE VIKING
8 THE SET THAT FAILED
9 THE NEW NOSE
10 THE OAK TREE
11 THE KNIGHTHOOD

DISC 3 (VOLUME 3 DISC 1)
12 THE ECONOMY DRIVE
13 THE TWO MURDERERS
14 LORD BYRON LIVED HERE
15 TWELVE ANGRY MEN
16 THE TRAIN JOURNEY

DISC 4 (VOLUME 3 DISK 2)
17 THE CRUISE
18 THE BIG NIGHT
19 THE TYCOON
20 SPANISH INTERLUDE
21 FOOTBALL POOLS

DISC 5 (VOLUME 4 DISC 1)
22 THE COLD
23 THE MISSING PAGE
24 THE EMIGRANT
25 THE REUNION PARTY
26 SID IN LOVE

DISC 6 (VOLUME 4 DISC 2)
27 THE BABYSITTERS
28 THE LADIES MAN
29 THE PHOTOGRAPHER
30 THE EAST CHEAM CENTENARY
31 THE POISON PEN LETTERS

DISC 7 (THE VERY BEST OF HANCOCK)
32 THE BEDSITTER
33 THE BOWMANS
34 THE RADIO HAM
35 THE LIFT
36 THE BLOOD DONOR
Extras: Artist profile, Galton and Simpson Interview, The Blood Donor with audio commentary.

DISC 8 (THE TONY HANCOCK COLLECTION)
37 THE SUCCESSOR: SON AND HEIR
Extras: Face to Face, Script Archive

Dr Phil