Bournemouth, Personalities | Posted on May 13th, 2024 | return to news
Happy 100th birthday Tony Hancock
Fans of Tony Hancock gathered in Bournemouth on 12 May to celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday.
Fans of legendary comedian Tony Hancock gathered to celebrate his life and work in Bournemouth on the day he would have turned 100 – 12 May.
Organised by the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society (THAS), the event was held at the Queens Hotel. It was attended by over 100 fans and a number of special guests.
Hancock – ‘The lad himself’ – grew up in the resort where his dad John, a comic and entertainer, ran the Railway Hotel in Holdenhurst Road.
His father then bought the Durlston Court Hotel in Gervis Road not long before he passed away in 1934. The young Hancock lived there with his mother and stepfather.
He made his first tentative steps in showbusiness in the town and developed his stage skills further by entertaining troops in WWII.
After the war he became internationally famous through his radio show – then TV show – Hancock’s Half Hour, which millions tuned in for each week.
The birthday party for the tragic star who took his life in 1968 when he was 44 included a Punch and Judy show using original scripts from Hancock’s 1963 film The Punch and Judy Man.
Special guests included representatives from the families of Hancock and his writers, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, as well as people from the BBC and the world of radio and TV.
Tim Elms from THAS said: “Tony and his family moved to Bournemouth when he was three and went to school in the Isle of Purbeck.
“He met and watched many entertainers and comedians who worked in the local hotels and theatres so Bournemouth really helped mould him.
“His popularity remains and our membership is booming and his 100th birthday was something we felt we had to mark.
“The BBC is also marking his centenary year with programmes on the radio and hopefully a new generation of fans will be created.”
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