Hancock's Half Hour was one of the most successful series ever made and created an international star. With his impeccable timing and brilliantly subtle shifts in intonation, Tony Hancock could create sound pictures that bore the unmistakable hallmark of a genius.

The BBC broadcast eighty hours of Hancock on radio and television between 1954 and 1961. Now BBC Radio Collection is publishing, in chronological order, all 74 surviving radio shows from the BBC Archives with an accompanying booklet that contains an introduction from the show's writers Galton & Simpson, a history of the show with contemporary press extracts and photos, episodes synopsies for all shows including the missing ones, and biographies of the cast. Ten shows remain from the first series, which are published here on five CDs in a luxury box set.

From Hancock connoisseur to first-time fan, this completely comprehensive collection makes for essential - and fantastically funny - listening. A worthy tribute to the comic genius of Tony Hancock.

5 CDs featuring 10 half-hour shows from Series 1. Includes: The First Night Party; The Idol; The Boxing Champion; The New Car; Cinderella Hancock; A Trip to France; The Monte Carlo Rally; A House on the Cliff; The Sheikh; The End of the Series