Hancock on TV! 'The Economy Drive'

This week in 1956 saw “Hancock’s Half Hour” first air on TV! One of my favourite episodes is ‘The Economy Drive,’ both pathetic and hilarious warning for anyone trying to save money. Tony and Sid come back from a long holiday to find they’ve left everything on, from the lighting to the television (‘24 Bilkos have been flashing round this room with nobody to watch him’), the radiator to the washing machine (‘ all the water has evaporated... and what has happened to the shirts we shall never know,’ such delightful nonsense??). Not to mention Sid didn’t cancel the milk, bread, or newspapers, all of which have flooded the house in ludicrous numbers (he did, however, in a moment of misplaced organisation, have the telephone cut off). The rest of the episode sees stubborn Tony punish them both with aggressively foolhardy austerity until a slip leaves them defeated, still broke, but back at home to finally light the fire and live a little comfortably.

I mostly love it for the opening scenes when they make it to their front door dressed in Eastern European clothes as they (Tony) keep arguing, with Tony’s deep manic anxiety mounting as he worries about the house being robbed and realises how much money he’ll have spent away for nothing. The dialogue is highly entertaining, as is a moment in this high-pitched tirade of exasperation when Hancock suddenly tries to fight back laughter (and as the audience notices and laughs too, even Sid adorably turns away to hold back his own laughter). A nice measure of strong, solid script and the joyful light spontaneity of performing before a live audience :’) Xo