50-417: Dorning is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Robert Dorning (1913–1989), English actor and musician Stacy Dorning (born 1958), English actress Dorning Rasbotham (c.1730 – 1791), English writer, antiquarian, artist and High Sheriff of Lancashire [REDACTED] Name list This page or section lists people that share
100-538: A combination of the file names and Wilmut's own, have become the accepted ones ever since, with the approval of Galton and Simpson and the BBC. The regular cast members generally played "themselves", in that the characters were called by the actor's real name (although the English actress Andrée Melly – sister of George – played a French character). However, there were exceptions: These performers are present in
150-536: A down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam . The series was influential in the development of the situation comedy , with its move away from radio variety towards a focus on character development. The radio version was produced by Dennis Main Wilson for most of its run. After Main Wilson departed for his television career, his role was taken by Tom Ronald. The television series
200-424: A new genre: the sitcom or situation comedy . Instead of the traditional variety mix of sketches, guest stars and musical interludes, the show's humour derived from characters and situations developed in a half-hour storyline. This then relatively novel format, of what was in effect a single sketch each week lasting the entire half-hour (though in the radio version James and the others sometimes played different roles),
250-528: A new version of "Cinderella Hancock" was recorded in its place. On 11 January 2019, the cast of The Missing Hancocks recorded the episode for the first time at the BBC Radio Theatre. It was broadcast on 1 January 2020. "The New Year Resolutions" was re-recorded on 13 January 2019 for broadcast on 31 December 2020. All episodes exist, though episode 3 only survives as a lower-quality off-air recording. All episodes still exist. Welcome to London
300-516: A number of television thrillers including The Avengers (1966), The Sweeney (1975), The Professionals (1978) and Bergerac (1988). In 1975, Dorning took the part of Colonel Grope, described as "an ex-Indian army, alcoholic racialist", in The Melting Pot . This was a sitcom written by Spike Milligan and Neil Shand , which was cancelled by the BBC after just one episode. His daughter, Stacy Dorning (born 1958), starred in
350-512: A sketch show made by Associated-Rediffusion for ITV television , which were broadcast either side of his first television series on the BBC. In 1972 a Norwegian TV show called Fleksnes Fataliteter aired for the first time. It was based on scripts from Hancock's Half Hour . The show became trilingual, as it usually starred both Swedish and Norwegian actors, and was broadcast in Sweden and Norway as well as Denmark. In 2016, "The New Neighbour"
400-784: A telerecording. 13 episodes; episodes 1–4 pre-recorded as telerecordings, 5–13 live, broadcast 26 December 1958 – 27 March 1959 (skipping 27 February). Episodes 1, 3, 4, 11 and 12 exist as telerecordings. Episodes 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 exist as off-air audio recordings of variable quality. Episode 13 remains missing. 10 episodes, pre-recorded on videotape, broadcast 25 September – 27 November 1959. The entire series exists on telerecordings. 10 episodes, pre-recorded on videotape, broadcast 19 February – 6 May 1960. The entire series exists as telerecordings. A trailer made for Australian transmission of this series also exists. 6 episodes, pre-recorded on videotape, broadcast 26 May – 30 June 1961. Shortened to 25 minutes per episode and retitled Hancock . This
450-403: Is smart and expensive, and by creating 'Railway Cuttings, East Cheam' Galton and Simpson created an address for a snob who wanted to live in a 'posh' area, but could only afford the 'cheap end' (which in reality does not exist). In those days recordings of the radio shows were not commercially available, so the audience had to rely entirely on memory for details of who lived where or who did what in
500-585: Is the only series Sid James does not appear in. The entire series exists on telerecordings. One script for Hancock's Half Hour / Hancock was not used: "The Diplomat" (but it was instead published in Richard Webbers' book 50 years of Hancock's Half Hour in 2004). Information on series dates taken from the book Tony Hancock: Artiste (1978) by Roger Wilmut, Eyre Methuen ISBN 0-413-38680-5 (subsequent reprints in 1983 and 1986 contain additional details). Information on lost radio episodes taken from
550-537: The 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, Hancock's Half Hour was placed 24th. In 1962, the show became the first imported programme to win a Jacob's Award following its transmission on Telefís Éireann , the Republic of Ireland 's national TV station. In 1956 and 1957 Hancock had starred in two series of
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#1732801786637600-579: The Suez Crisis ) in 'The Stolen Petrol' and a strike by members of the trade union ASLEF (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) from 28 May to 14 June 1955 which involved a railway strike in 'The Rail Strike'. Among the well-known actors who appeared in the series were Hugh Lloyd , Patricia Hayes , Dick Emery , Warren Mitchell , John Le Mesurier and Richard Wattis . Also appearing were Pat Coombs , Rolf Harris , Burt Kwouk (credited as 'Burd Kwouk'), and Anne Reid . Episodes of
650-568: The BBC re-recorded "The New Neighbour", "The Breakfast Cereal" and "The Newspaper", selected by and recorded in the presence of Galton and Simpson, for the first series of The Missing Hancocks . The episodes were broadcast on Radio 4 in October and November 2014. On 21 July 2015 the BBC re-recorded "The Red Planet" and "How Hancock Won The War" (which, though not missing, is the poorest-quality surviving recording) for broadcast in November as part of
700-709: The Bailey (1979) The Professionals (1980) and Alice in Wonderland (1986). Family members would sometimes appear together within the same programme. In 1979 Kate, Stacy and their mother Honor all appeared within an episode of the television drama Dick Turpin . Kate Dorning's son Jack Dorning is continuing the family tradition, graduating from Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance in 2014. Robert Dorning died on 21 February 1989 in London of diabetes . Hancock%27s Half Hour Hancock's Half Hour
750-518: The British theatre, in the use of sighs and silent pauses, something Osborne's style had in common with the plays of Harold Pinter , whose work began to emerge towards the end of the series' run. In addition, the measured pacing of the episodes was unusual in an era of fast-talking radio comedians, such as Ted Ray , who typically used a machine-gun style of delivery to fill every single second of airtime. Hancock's character had various addresses, but by
800-542: The CD box sets (BBC Worldwide, 2000–2003). Four episodes of the TV series were re-recorded before studio audiences, in the style of radio programmes, and released on LP format, two by Pye on the 1961 album Hancock ("The Blood Donor" and "The Radio Ham") and two by Decca on the 1965 album It's Hancock ("The Missing Page" and "The Reunion Party"), which was reissued as The World of Tony Hancock in 1975. The re-recordings entailed
850-489: The Sun (1982) and Mona Lisa (1986). In 1958 Dorning began a lengthy television career appearing in many classic comedies such as Hancock's Half Hour (1959–60), Bootsie and Snudge (1960), Steptoe and Son (1965), Wodehouse Playhouse (1978), Rising Damp (1978) and Crown Court (1972) episode “Genial Man”. Dorning played Mr. West, the bank inspector, in the classic Dad's Army episode " Something Nasty in
900-496: The TS version of "The New Secretary" was the only version known to exist until an off-air audio recording of the original version was found in 2002. All episodes still exist. The television version began in 1956 under the same name and with the same writers, produced for the BBC by Duncan Wood . The television and radio versions alternated until 1959, when the final radio series and the fifth television series were both broadcast during
950-579: The US tradition of sitcoms; he therefore dismisses the notion that Galton and Simpson invented the genre. The comedy gradually shifted to observation, with a less strong emphasis on a narrative. The playlet "Look Back in Hunger" (spoofing John Osborne 's Look Back in Anger ) in the episode "The East Cheam Drama Festival" from the fifth series, showed that writers Galton and Simpson were in touch with developments in
1000-557: The Vault " (1969) in which a bomb lands on Mainwaring's bank. Writer Jimmy Perry initially envisaged Jon Pertwee as the pompous bank manager and Home Guard officer Captain Mainwaring with Robert Dorning as Sergeant Wilson but eventually gave the roles to Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier respectively. Dorning also had roles in a number of television soap operas and appeared as two different Coronation Street characters. He
1050-421: The autumn season. Only Sid James transferred from the radio series, although Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques each made a couple of appearances. The television version drew on a stock company of actors, who played different supporting characters in each episode. Semi-regulars included Liz Fraser , John Le Mesurier , Hugh Lloyd , Arthur Mullard and John Vyvyan. The final television series, broadcast in 1961,
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#17328017866371100-637: The cast: in some episodes it appeared to be a two-bedroom terraced house, with Kerr as Hancock's lodger; but in series four and five it had at least three bedrooms, as Miss Pugh was also resident in some episodes. In others she 'came round' each day, presumably from her own domicile. Railway Cuttings and East Cheam were fictitious, but Cheam is a real town, once in Surrey, today part of the London Borough of Sutton in Greater London. The whole area
1150-569: The children's television series The Adventures of Black Beauty (1973–74) as well as Just William (1976). Acting was a family tradition as Robert's Lancaster -born wife, Honor Shepherd (1926–2000), had been an actress since the age of eleven. Like her husband she appeared in a number of television programmes, including Emergency Ward 10 (1957), Hancock's Half Hour (1961), Dixon of Dock Green (1966) and Juliet Bravo (1981). Their youngest daughter Kate Dorning appeared in Rumpole of
1200-666: The first series of The Missing Hancocks . On 2 December 2016, the BBC re-recorded "A Holiday in France", followed by "The Race Horse" and "The Crown Jewels" with Andy Secombe as his late father Harry. On 13 January 2019, "Prime Minister Hancock" was re-recorded for broadcast on 18 December that year. Also re-recorded was "A Visit To Swansea" which was then missing, as none of the Secombe episodes had been kept; however, on 11 October 2023. radio enthusiast Richard Harrison announced he had found an off-air copy of "A Visit To Swansea", missing only
1250-437: The first two minutes prior to Hancock's entrance. Episodes 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15 and 17 no longer exist. A short extract from episode 12 survives; this plus the only known copies of episodes 8 and 16 are lower-quality off-air recordings. "The Blackboard Jungle" was recovered in 2002 from off-air home recordings made by listener Vic Rogers, along with the original version of "The New Secretary" from series 4. In April 2014
1300-513: The only Hancock guest appearance by Peter Sellers . In April 2014 the BBC started to re-record the lost episodes under the banner The Missing Hancocks , produced by Neil Pearson and Ed Morrish . The scripts for this five-episode run were selected by Galton and Simpson and recorded in their presence, with Kevin McNally taking the part of Tony Hancock. From the original first series they chose "The Hancock Festival", which aired in November 2014,
1350-401: The radio series and telerecordings of some episodes from the third and fourth television series were destroyed. No episodes are known to survive from the first series of the TV show. The surviving radio episodes, which often exist only in edited versions that have been cut for overseas sale to commercial radio stations, were released as CD box sets between 2000 and 2003 (see below). In a list of
1400-487: The radio series were included in 20 underground radio stations of the BBC's Wartime Broadcasting Service (WTBS), designed to provide information and morale-boosting broadcasts for 100 days after a nuclear attack . Most of the radio episodes were recorded between one day and three weeks in advance of broadcast, except for Series 6 which was mostly recorded during a three-week period in June 1959 in order to avoid clashing with
1450-458: The recording of Series 5 of the television show. Galton and Simpson never gave titles to any of their Hancock scripts, for radio or television; this was usually left to the girl who filed the scripts at their office, who gave them names that were a reminder of what the script was about. So when Roger Wilmut came to write his book Tony Hancock – Artiste (first published 1978) he took the liberty of inventing titles where necessary and these titles,
1500-625: The role of Corporal Wilson, the rest were mainly crime dramas. Although his film career was overshadowed by his more prolific television work, towards the end of his career he was cast in a number of notable film productions. These included the Hammer film Fanatic (1965), Cul-de-Sac (1966), directed by Roman Polanski , Man About the House (1974), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Carry On Emmannuelle (1978), The Human Factor (1979), Ragtime (1981), Agatha Christie's Evil Under
1550-530: The same given name or the same family name . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dorning&oldid=901918810 " Categories : Given names Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata All set index articles Robert Dorning Robert Dorning (13 May 1913 – 21 February 1989)
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1600-514: The second series. "A Visit To Russia" and "The Trial of Father Christmas" were re-recorded in September 2015 for broadcast in December. On 3 September 2017 the BBC re-recorded "The Winter Holiday" for broadcast in the fourth series. Episode 11 of the third series was supposed to be a new episode called "The Counterfeiter", about Bill Kerr being forced to get a job, but the script went unused and
1650-487: The series as indicated below. Episodes 2, 5, 7, 8 and 9 no longer exist. On 30 September 2022 it was announced that Richard Harrison of the Radio Circle had found the original recording of The Marriage Bureau, and Keith Wickham, also of the Radio Circle, had restored the edition. The episode aired on BBC Radio 4 for the first time since 1955 on 18 October 2022. This episode was particularly significant given it featured
1700-444: The series as scheduled. The fourth episode, "A Visit To Swansea", featured Tony being forced to go and thank Harry who'd returned to Wales, and was littered with references to how good Secombe had been. Had Hancock not returned when he did, then Galton and Simpson planned to replace him permanently with Secombe and rename the series Secombe's Half Hour . In April 2014, the BBC re-recorded "The Matador", chosen by Galton and Simpson, for
1750-440: The series, including the first three of Harry Secombe's guest appearances) no longer exist. Shortly before the series was due to be recorded Hancock walked out on a theatre performance suffering from "nervous exhaustion" and flew to Rome. Harry Secombe was brought in at short notice to replace Hancock. Secombe starred in the first three episodes and made a guest appearance in the fourth, by which time Hancock had returned to complete
1800-536: The show. Commissioning of series in the UK was then closer to American practice with extensive runs not unknown, but in this case, with only two writers, continuity was yet to develop, and details changed to suit each episode. The domestic situation varied, but Hancock usually portrayed a 'resting' or hopeless down-at-heel actor and/or comedian (though some episodes showed him having runs of success, while some episodes depict him pursuing professional careers as fantasies), James
1850-436: The sixtieth anniversary of its first airing. The project would eventually re-record all the missing episodes. "The Marriage Bureau", which was still missing at the time, was re-recorded in September 2015 and broadcast on 7 December 2015. "The Department Store Santa" was re-recorded on 3 September 2017 and broadcast in December 2018, opening the fourth series of The Missing Hancocks . On 24 September 2017 "Christmas at Aldershot"
1900-399: The third radio series he had arrived at 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam. Sometimes this was portrayed as a council house , but occasionally there was a private landlord. In a few early episodes Hancock owned the house, and later this became the norm. The episode "Cinderella Hancock" saw a reverse of the norm with Hancock a lodger in a house owned by Bill Kerr. The house changed to accommodate
1950-696: Was Edward Wormold in 1965 and Alderman Rogers in an episode in 1972. In addition to this, he also starred alongside Arthur Lowe in the second series of Coronation Street spin-off Pardon the Expression , and a follow-up series, Turn out the Lights as Wally Hunt. He played Tupman in the TV musical Pickwick for the BBC in 1969. In 1974 he played Lewis Potter in Emmerdale Farm . Dorning also appeared in
2000-531: Was Mary Elizabeth Dorning, formerly Howard. He was educated at Cowley Grammar School in St Helens, where he also learnt to play violin and saxophone . After leaving school, Dorning studied drama and dance in Liverpool with the intention of becoming a ballet dancer. During the 1930s he had a brief career as a musical comedian in theatre, before choosing acting as his profession. His first known film role
2050-538: Was a BBC radio comedy , and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson . The series starred Tony Hancock , with Sidney James ; the radio version also co-starred, at various times, Moira Lister , Andrée Melly , Hattie Jacques , Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams . The final television series, renamed simply Hancock , starred Hancock alone. Hancock played an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own character and lifestyle, Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock,
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2100-518: Was always on the fiddle in some way, Kerr gradually became dim and virtually unemployable (although he had started out as a fast-talking American-style Australian), and Hancock's 'secretary', Miss Pugh, had such a loose job description that in one celebrated episode she had cooked the Sunday lunch. At times the scripts would include topical realities of British life, such as the reintroduction of petrol rationing from November 1956 to March 1957 (following
2150-455: Was an English musician, dance band vocalist, ballet dancer and stage, film and television actor. He is known to have performed in at least 77 television and film productions between 1940 and 1988. Robert Dorning was born at 108 Croppers Hill in St Helens , Lancashire , England, on 13 May 1913. His father was Robert John Dorning who worked in a local pit as a coal miner haulier and his mother
2200-784: Was broadcast live on 3 August 1958 on the BBC Light Programme from the London Coliseum to commemorate the Cardiff British Empire and Commonwealth Games. It features a nine-minute sketch with Hancock, James and Kerr. A recording of the whole 90-minute programme was discovered in the collection of Bob Monkhouse after his death. The Hancock sketch has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra. "Bill and Father Christmas" These episodes are remakes for overseas sales, rewritten to remove any topical or UK-specific references. All episodes still exist, for many years
2250-539: Was in the crime drama, They Came By Night (1940). However, his acting career was interrupted by World War II and Dorning served in the RAF . After being demobbed, he utilised his ballet dancing talents when cast as a dancer in The Red Shoes (1948). During the 1950s he had supporting roles in at least ten films, although one was the well-received prisoner of war film, The One That Got Away (1957), in which he had
2300-427: Was produced by Duncan Wood . The distinctive tuba-based theme tune was composed by Wally Stott . Ten scripts (nine TV, one radio) were written but never recorded for a variety of reasons. The unused radio script for The Counterfeiter was finally recorded in 2019 with Kevin R. McNally as Tony Hancock. The radio series broke with the variety tradition which was then dominant in British radio comedy , highlighting
2350-400: Was re-recorded for broadcast on Christmas Day 2019 along with "The Christmas Eve Party" which was broadcast on 21 December 2021. "The Diamond Ring" was re-recorded on 11 January 2019 and broadcast (in keeping with its Guy Fawkes theme) on 5 November 2019. One no longer extant episode (5) features the only Hancock guest appearance by Spike Milligan . † Episodes 1, 2, 3, 7, 10 and 12 (half
2400-473: Was reflected in the show's title, which aptly described the series as Hancock's "half-hour". Roger Wilmut , in his 1978 book about Tony Hancock as a performer, credits two British radio comedy shows, already running in 1954, with establishing an uninterrupted 30-minute sitcom format: A Life of Bliss , written by Godfrey Harrison and starring George Cole , and Life with the Lyons , a programme heavily based on
2450-492: Was restaged as part of the BBC's Landmark Sitcom Season commemorating the 60th anniversary of the television sitcom. 6 episodes, broadcast live, every 2 weeks, 6 July – 14 September 1956. No recordings exist. 6 episodes, broadcast live, every 2 weeks, 1 April – 10 June 1957. Only "The Alpine Holiday" still exists. 11 regular episodes and one 43 minute Christmas special, broadcast live, 30 September – 23 December 1957. Episodes 5, 9, 10, 11 still exist and Episode 12 exists as
2500-516: Was retitled Hancock , as it was shortened from a half-hour to 25 minutes. For this final series Sid James was no longer in the cast, as Hancock had become frustrated with the format. Some of the most celebrated episodes of the TV series were produced in this final series, including " The Blood Donor ", " The Radio Ham ", "The Bedsitter" and " The Bowmans ". Hancock's character was relocated to a bedsitter in Earl's Court for this series. Some episodes of
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