Leicester: Tony Hancock archive to be made available to the public

A collection of articles from the life and work of 1950s comedian Tony Hancock is being handed over to a public archive.

Hancock was best known for his BBC radio and TV series, Hancock’s Half Hour.

The Tony Hancock Appreciation Society is giving its entire collection to De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester.

It includes hundreds of items, including photographs, clothing, audio and visual materials, and Mr. Hancock’s scripts.

The society, a member’s organization for fans of the drag comic, was founded in 1976, eight years after his death, and has devoted several decades to celebrating Hancock’s career.

His partnership with DMU comes as the society prepares to celebrate what would have been Hancock’s 100th birthday on 12 May.

At the time of its founding, many interested in the society hoped to find audio of old broadcasts that were no longer available to the public.

Tim Elms, 69, the society’s secretary, said they had spent some time asking the BBC to make them available again in the previous days.

After building an “extensive” collection, the organization began looking for a more permanent home for it, and one where it could be appreciated by others, too.

Mr Elms said: “When we have events we bring things out to display but obviously you can’t take everything.

“Most of the time it’s closed so people can’t see it and I think it’s a bit of a crime really, these are wonderful things.”

He said that with the help of a member of the society who also happened to work at DMU, ​​the society was able to hand over its collection to the university’s professional archivists.

Although the collection will still belong to the society, Mr Elms said it would be in the care of the DMU “professionally organized and preserved”.

The collection will join DMU’s existing archival holdings, including works relating to Norman Wisdom and the Leicester Comedy Festival archive.

Among the most prized items in the collection is the trademark coat and hat Hancock wore in his TV shows, Mr Elms said.

He said: “We have a whole range of things from his life. It’s not just a comedy fan club, it’s social history.

“If you want to get an idea of ​​what life was like in England in the 1950s, look at Hancock’s work.”

DMU Archivist Katharine Short said: “Special Collections is delighted to be working with the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society to assist them in their work to secure the archives and legacy of this important comedian.”

Classic episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour are set to air on BBC 4 from 7pm BST on 12 May, while BBC Radio 4 Extra plans to air a series of ‘lost episodes’ from 5pm BST, such as and tributes.