Hancocks Last Stand

The 50s and 60s radio and TV shows Hancock's Half Hour made Tony Hancock Britain's best-loved comedian. But he was a deeply insecure and tortured genius, whose failed marriages and increasing dependence on alcohol and drugs eroded his confidence and brilliance. From 1963 he suffered a number of serious setbacks as the rating for his television shows began to decline. Just about washed up, in 1968 Tony Hancock accepted an offer to make a series for Australian TV. Edward Joffe was asked to produce and direct that series. His book recounts for the first time, and in intimate detail, the story of Tony Hancock's last days and what it was like working with a difficult, frequently intoxicated, star whose bid to make a last claim to fame would end in suicide. Joffe is unsparing in providing provocative details of the comedian's death and includes Hancock's final, poignant suicide note. Also included is the last script Joffe and Hancock worked on together for the series that never was.