- Immensely self-critical and plagued by alcohol, drug and marital problems, he committed suicide in Australia, leaving a note saying "Things seemed to go wrong too many times".
- Of dry wit, Hancock's characters were invariably glum, bound to fail and resigned to their inevitable fate.
- Being a private person by nature, Hancock enjoyed the seclusion of country life. Where he and his first wife Cicely lived, the local villagers pretended they didn't recognize him so as to help him maintain his privacy.
- Was greatly disliked by one time co-star Kenneth Williams, owing to the latter being fired from Hancock's radio series.
- His brother Roger Hancock and nephew Tim Hancock are producers. Roger was also his manager after he parted company with Beryl Vertue.
- Dubbed "The Lad".
- These days, Tony Hancock has taken his place as part of the elite of British comedy and remains a big influence.
- There is a plaque on the house in Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham commemorating that he was born there.
- Suffered from stage fright throughout his entire career.
- The comedian William Rushton personally escorted Hancock's body in a coffin on an airplane flight back to England from Australia.
- Hancock always said that one of the biggest inspirations for him as a comedian, was to observe ordinary, everyday people from all walks of life.
- Hated the idea of his Railway Cuttings character being depicted as being tragic or as a defeated underdog.
- During Hancock's early efforts at stand-up comedy, a lot of his routine consisted of jokes that were rather crude or vulgar. After giving a performance at a church in his local town Bournemouth, an early mentor of Hancock - the comic George Fairweather - gave him a stern reprimand. Not long after, Hancock vowed to others and to himself that future theatre dates would consist of more respectable material. He kept his word until his dying day.
- Sid James confirmed that Hancock had sex with men, saying it got to the point that he would try literally anything.
- Is admired by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) actor Mark Hamill.
- Ray Galton and Alan Simpson revealed in a recent feature length documentary, how Tony Hancock would be overwhelmed by nerves before going on air at the BBC. The comedian would lock himself away in his dressing room and could be heard quivering. However once he was on the set and given his cue to begin performing, he was fine.
- With ambitions to succeed in Hollywood, Tony Hancock decided to embark upon a film career. For professional guidance, he paid a visit to comedy legend Stan Laurel at his home. Hancock was advised by Laurel to not include any slang in a film's screenplay.
- His youngest brother Roger Hancock owned the rights to the series made by ATV and had refused to allow them to be released.
- The trademark slouch and slightly protruding neck was the result of the disease, rickets. Hancock contracted this as a child.
- Like most comedians and entertainers returning to civilian life after World War 2, Hancock struggled to secure much work and frequently found himself on the bread line.
- Hancock insisted that the characters on his radio show be as true to life as possible. He was reputed to have grown dismayed when co-star Kenneth Williams began putting on various voices and a few catchphrases, thus making the characters and story-lines seem like caricatures. This led to tension between Hancock and Williams.
- It was said that the comedian grew ill at ease when ever approached by the public.
- His final British TV series was broadcast in 1967 and simply called "Hancock's." Consisting of six parts, the series was written by John Muir and Eric Green.
- One reason given for Hancock severing all ties with Sid James, was due to the former's concerns about becoming associated as part of a comedy team.
- The seeds for Hancock's self-destruction are thought to have resulted from the following tragedies: when Tony Hancock was a child, he lost both his father and eldest brother in fairly quick succession. Being close to the family members in question, it was alleged that Hancock failed to come to terms with those losses.
- Attempted to re-establish himself in Australia, Hancock was under contract to make a whole series of episodes in that particular country. Altogether, he managed to complete 2 whole episodes and about three quarters of a third one.
- Began his career by performing at the Windmill Theatre in London. This particular establishment was deemed quite controversial during those more conservative times, courtesy of there being nudity on display by some of the performers.
- After leaving the BBC in 1961, Hancock attempted to change the course of his career by making comedy of a more sophisticated kind. He sorely wanted to leave everything relating to Railway Cuttings and East Cheam, behind him. Sadly, none of his plans bore fruition as he was typecast as "The Lad.".
- Hancock wasn't too keen on performing in the theatre, due to stage fright. He described the walk onto the stage from the wings, as being the longest in history.
- Was cast in the Disney movie The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967). However, due to Hancock being in a less than ideal mental state and his excessive drinking at the time of filming, he was replaced by Harry Guardino. He had also reportedly had trouble with the mock-Shakespearean dialog.
- It came as quite a bombshell when Hancock decided not to work with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson in 1961. The comedian's career would never reach the same heights of success again.
- At one stage during the making of his radio show, Hancock was replaced for a few episodes by Harry Secombe. Over the years, it has been stated that Hancock was away on holiday at the time. The real reason, was that the comedian was suffering from a case of strained nerves and stayed in a hospital for a short period.
- He performed a one-man show at the Royal Albert Hall in 1966, where Hancock's mother was a member of the live audience. In spite of the comedian's best efforts, the critics were less than generous in their newspaper reviews.
- Increasingly, Hancock turned to drink as his career floundered, an addiction he explained would "send away the tigers".
- He was once knocked unconscious on a train by Matt Monro after he tried to seduce the singer.
- His father was described as being a naturally witty man and who performed as an amateur comedian on stage.
- Being of a chubby build by nature, friends and family were shocked by Hancock's gradual weight loss. This was attributed to his alcoholism.
- During rehearsals for his BBC TV series, Hancock would sometimes receive a round of applause from his fellow actors.
- Joined in the RAF in 1942 as a member of the ground crew. He was demobbed in 1946.
- In the late 1940s, Hancock formed a double act with pianist Derek Scott. It proved to be short-lived.
- Was host to a series of variety shows performed at Blackpool in 1966. Broadcast under the title "The Blackpool Show," Hancock hosted six out of the eight shows altogether.
- Like a lot of television from the times, several episodes of "Hancock's Half Hour" remain missing from the archives.
- His comedy hero was Sid Field, virtually unknown in today's world.
- Met his future writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson whilst they were working on the TV series, Happy Go Lucky.
- Made his radio debut on the BBC program, "Variety Bandbox" in 1948.
- His TV series for ATV Hancock (1963) was regarded as disorganised during production. Several writers worked on the series and none of them seemed able to produce quality scripts.
- Following the disappointing reception of The Punch and Judy Man (1963) plans for a third film were cancelled.
- A few days before his death Hancock entered into a depression after learning that his second wife Freddie had obtained a divorce from him on the grounds of cruelty and adultery.
- On Sunday 30 June the Sunday Mirror carried an extensive interview with Frankie Howerd talking about Tony Hancock and the inner turmoil comedians can face over the need to be constantly funny. He told Lionel Crane, "I do not think he died simply because his career had slipped. He was a spiritual man, a good man who was lost in an emotional jungle. He couldn't get out." He continued, "He was a performer of genius. He lost his judgment of what was the best thing for him to do simply and solely because of the emotional turmoil going on inside him.".
- Suffered a head injury in a car accident in 1961. As a result, the comedian's memory was compromised and he had to read his lines for the remainder of his series at the BBC.
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