Hancocks Half Hour

• Began in the 1950's
• Starred Tony Hancock
• Began on the radio
• Began in television in 1956
• Was placed 24th in 100 Greatest British Television Programmes
• Tony Hancock was regular in all the series

You want a misunderstood, self-proclaimed genius whose lofty ambitions in life are thwarted either by a boorish sidekick or, more often than not, his own painful shortcomings? A man trapped by circumstance? A, let's face it, pompous prig? Tony Hancock is the archetype.

Paragraph taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/hancockshalfhour/

Robert Lindsay

Robert Lindsay has been the star of the BBC sitcom My Family for approximately 10 years. He was born in 1949 and has won Bafta's for his performance in My Family and Hornblower. He plays the character Ben Harper in My Family, and is known as a miserable, grumpy, pessimistic dad to three children and wife to Susan Harper. He is known for his exaggerated expressions, relaxed posture and sarcistic humour. The character, Ben, will often talk to himself in a sarcastic humorous form, as the person he was originally speaking to will have left the room due to his negative attitude.

Assignment for Friday

Do you think radio is still important in the continued development of sitcom?

Due to the popularity of televisions and the internet, I don’t believe that many people actually listen to the radio other than to listen to music. I assume that the majority of people will actually only listen to the radio when in the car, as at home you can watch music channels on television, or simply download any song you want to listen to on the internet.
Most radio stations are dedicated to music and celebrities, Radio 1 for example. There is a radio channel dedicated to drama and comedy however, and this channel is BBC7. This radio station airs children shows but also old classics such as Hancocks Half Hour and The Goons, which were very early situation comedies.
Some actors can and have benefited from appearing on the radio though, as John Cleese found out when he appeared on BBC radio shows such as I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again, which enhanced his career leading to Fawlty Towers and Monty Python. Steve Coogan (aka Alan Partridge) also began his career on the radio, which lead to him starring in the sitcom Knowing Me, Knowing You. Although this has been true for some actors, many sitcoms have began without having any connection to the radio, and become successful. I think that the only way the radio is useful these days for Sitcoms, is that the stars can be interviewed on the radio, and advertisements could also be aired on the radio.

Blackadder Summary

Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of an acclaimed BBC One historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. The first series was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, while subsequent episodes were written by Curtis and Ben Elton. The shows were produced by John Lloyd, and starred Rowan Atkinson as the eponymous anti-hero, Edmund Blackadder, and Tony Robinson as his sidekick/dogsbody, Baldrick.
In 2000, Blackadder Goes Forth ranked at 16 in the "100 Greatest British Television Programmes", a list created by the British Film Institute. Also in the 2004 TV poll to find "Britain's Best Sitcom", Blackadder was voted the second best British sitcom of all time, topped by Only Fools and Horses

Easter Project

Blackadder

The four series of this sitcom focus on different eras in the Blackadder family dynasty.

First Sitcom Lesson

Links:

How to write a sitcom

Definition of a Logline

Definition of Synopsis

Layout of a Treatment

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