Hancock's Half Hour: Season 4
Broadcast between 26th December 1958 and 27th March 1959, this series comprised 13 episodes of which the first 4 were recorded and the remainder were broadcast live. Episodes 1, 3, 4, 11 and 12 survive in the BBC Archives whilst off-air audio recordings exist of episodes 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The series was broadcast weekly on Fridays at 2105 (episodes 1 - 3) and Fridays 1930 (episodes 4 - 13). There were no repea
Season 4 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Hancock's Half Hour Season 3.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Season overview
Broadcast between 26th December 1958 and 27th March 1959, this series comprised 13 episodes of which the first 4 were recorded and the remainder were broadcast live. Episodes 1, 3, 4, 11 and 12 survive in the BBC Archives whilst off-air audio recordings exist of episodes 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The series was broadcast weekly on Fridays at 2105 (episodes 1 - 3) and Fridays 1930 (episodes 4 - 13). There were no repeats during the run other than a repeat of the third episode between episodes 9 and 10 on 27th February 1959.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
Ericsson the Viking
Dec 26, 1958 · 30 min
Sid has persuaded Hancock to make a dramatic film which the BBC have agreed to broadcast. But Hancock is worried; after all, when shooting started Sid's production company didn't e
Underpaid! or Grandad's SOS
Jan 2, 1959 · 30 min
Hancock discovers that his extremely rich grandfather is very ill in hospital in Australia. Sid, expecting a large bequest, hurries to Australia masquerading as Hancock, but the ol
The Set That Failed
Jan 9, 1959 · 30 min
Hancock doesn't know what to do: his television set has broken down. He sets off on a quest to find a working TV and joins a family who are so focused on their TV that they don't n
The New Nose
Jan 16, 1959 · 30 min
After a particularly unsuccessful date, Hancock puts his lack of success with the girls down to his nose. After refusing to come out from his home, Sid arranges for a friend who ha
The Flight of the Red Shadow
Jan 23, 1959 · 30 min
Hancock has been in a production of 'The Desert Song' but when it closes prematurely Hancock and Sid escape with only their costumes. Dressed as an Indian Maharajah, Hancock is mis
The Horror Serial
Jan 30, 1959 · 30 min
Hancock has been watching the last episode of the horror serial 'Quatermass & The Pit' and is now in a very nervous state. When he discovers an unknown object in his garden, Sid th
The Italian Maid
Feb 6, 1959 · 30 min
Hancock hires a domestic help who turns out to be an Italian beauty. An immediate rivalry develops between Hancock and Sid for her attentions, with Hancock ending up doing all the
Matrimony - Almost
Feb 13, 1959 · 30 min
Hancock meets a girl at an upper class party. He believes that she has money and Sid tells her that Hancock has money, so a marriage is rapidly arranged. But all is not as it seems
The Beauty Contest
Feb 20, 1959 · 30 min
The local council decide not to hold a Miss East Cheam contest because of the low standard of entrants the previous year. Instead they decide to hold a Mr East Cheam contest - Hanc
The Wrong Man
Mar 6, 1959 · 30 min
Hancock agrees to attend an identity parade at the local Police station. But when he is mistakenly picked out by three witnesses he decides to prove his innocence by recreating the
The Oak Tree
Mar 13, 1959 · 30 min
The tree in Hancock's garden is threatened with felling to make way for a lamp-post and because it is a danger to passing buses. He is incensed and organises a protest march to Do
The Knighthood
Mar 20, 1959 · 30 min
Hancock is determined to receive a Knighthood and decides that classical theatre is the only answer. Surely a stint at Stratford interpreting Shakespeare as Long John Silver will b
The Servants
Mar 27, 1959 · 30 min
The TV series is finally over so Hancock and Sid need to get jobs. They take on the role of servants dressed as an elderly couple, but when they take it in turns to be the woman su