‘Hancock’s Finest Hour’ A Comedy Drama by Colin Bennett. Directed by Chris Hayes. Designed by Douglas Heap. Produced by Nicholas Hennegan Limited Touring: May/June/July 2010
Hancock's Finest Hour, is set in a BBC dressingroom, just before and after Tony Hancock’s famous TV interview withJohn Freeman, (the man who famously made Tony cry and seem toreappraise his life and times). Bouncing between the lowsof alcoholism and the highs of being a National Treasure, Tony beginsto reminisce - and is visited by a procession of memories from hislife, both tragic and comedic, with a surprise ending!
“The charm, the delightfulness and the laugh. Bennett writes by ricochet. A high achievement.” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH.
A highly experienced stage and television actor, Paul’s career began at Southport Repertory Theatre, whilst still completing his drama school course. From Southport he moved to the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, and then to the Alexandra Theatre Birmingham, to play Billy, in BILLY LIAR. From the Alexandra, Paul joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, where he stayed for eight years.
Further theatre work included the first tour of RUN FOR YOUR WIFE (in both the UK and Canada), a thirty week season of NO SEX PLEASE WE’RE BRITISH in Torquay, and the new play A GHOST OF A CHANCE, at the Edinburgh Festival.
Paul played Perks in THE RAILWAY CHILDREN at the Sevenoaks Playhouse. He also recorded the cast album on JAY/TER Records
He recently starred in the Birmingham Playhouse Tour of THE WOMAN WHO COOKED HER HUSBAND.
On television, Paul’s early credits included Jean Paul Sartre’s ROADS TO FREEDOM; A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM; THE RECRUITING OFFICER; ROMEO AND JULIET and the SWEENEY. Paul played Benny in the original series of CROSSROADS from which he became a household name and a cherished celebrity. Other television credits included TISWAS and OTT
Paul recently appeared as the semi-regular character of Frank in Shed Productions BAD GIRLS for ITV
Numerous radio credits included Pete Stevens in THE ARCHERS for BBC Radio 4.
Paul has appeared in over thirty Christmas shows, topping the bill in pantomimes throughout the UK, including Norwich, Birmingham, Swansea, Plymouth, Sunderland, Bromley, Canterbury and Aberdeen. Recent work includes Bottom in a MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM with Toyah Wilcox at Stafford Castle and Buttons in CINDERELLA for Stafford Gatehouse Theatre.
Paul was the subject of THIS IS YOUR LIFE, and since then has made guest appearances in numerous light entertainment shows including THE GENERATION GAME and JASPER CARROTT.
D A V I D M A T H E W S - W a r d r o b e. (and all Tony's Males!)
David graduated from Bretton Hall College in 1991. Since then he has performed in numerous plays including 'The Third Man' for Red Shift Theatre Company, Kenneth Williams in 'Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle & Dick', Argan in Moliere's 'The Hypochondriac' and Uncle Billy in 'It's A Wonderful Life' for New Perspectives. He has recently been performing with Farnham Maltings in 'Miracle On 34th Street', directed by Gavin Stride. TV stuff includes several adverts, (two for Ikea in Norway and Switzerland), one playing a tortilla chip(!) and another playing an alien opposite Johnny Vegas. Film credits include 'The Winslow Boy'."
C L A R E B L O O M E R - M a k e u p (and all Tony's females!)
Clare trained as an actress at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and whilst there won the Lilian Baylis Award for Outstanding Achievement and the Laurence Olivier Verity Hudson Bursary.
Theatre credits includes: The Dissolution of Dominic Boot and If You ́re Glad I ́ll be Frank by Tom Stoppard at The Kings Head Islington directed by T P Kale; UK premiere of Crossing by Reza de Wet at Riverside Studios London directed by Chris Hayes; the UK premiere of The Blue Hour by David Mamet, All in the Timing by David Ives, and The Night Before Christmas by Anthony Neilson all at the Bridewell Theatre directed by Clive Paget; a new adaptation by Peter Oswald of Phaedra by Racine at BAC directed by Tim Carroll; Lady Windermere ́s Fan by Oscar Wilde at the Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester and the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End directed by Braham Murray. The play Oscaria about Oscar Wilde ́s infamous niece Dolly was written for Clare by Elizabeth Hopley and had rehearsed readings at the Old Vic Theatre and RADA directed by Titania Krimpas. Clare has worked as an actress developing new plays with over 20 playwrights and has participated in rehearsed readings at many theatres including the National Theatre Studio, Chichester Festival Theatre, and Shakespeare ́s Globe. Clare has appeared in The Secret for the BBC and the film The Gathering staring Cristina Ricci directed by Brian Gilbert. Clare also runs the theatre company Cassandra with RADA graduate Vanessa Mildenberg. Cassandra has presented over 10 rehearsed readings with new playwrights at The Old Vic as part of the Old Vic New Voices and at RADA. Many of the show cased writers have gone on to have work produced at theatres throughout the UK and the USA including the Royal National Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Young Vic Theatre, Tricycle Theatre, Cherub Theatre Company, BBC Radio and Television. Cassandra Theatre Company worked with the Childrens Theatre of Maine in USA on their summer Shakespeare programme. Clare also runs a successful design practice in Ibiza where she currently lives with her partner Toni and daughter Celia www.clarebloomer.com
Colin wrote the original Hancock's Finest Hour more than 25 years ago. He wrote Captain Zep, super space detective, and Tricky Business for the BBC as well as devising The Movie Quiz and You Should be so Lucky! Patsy Kensit starred in his TV series, Luna for Micky Dolenz, written with Colin Prockter, More recently he has published a book on Acting on Television. He has just finished a play about the life of Lenin and is about to embark on a musical featuring the hits of Harry Nillson. Colin is also known for his acting, especially his BBC appearances in Hart Beat and Take Hart as Mr Bennett, the comedy caretaker for the artist Tony Hart. He also featured in many dramas and comedies, like Ripping Yarns, Last of the Summer Wine and as Zarqon in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. He starred in the West End, premier production of Chicago as Billy Flynn. He has just finished producing 28 half hours of a comedy sketch show for ITV1 called Shoot the Writers!
Chis enjoys an international career as an award-winning theatre director with more than 200 productions to his credit. He was Artistic Director of the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury and the Theatre Royal, Plymouth before running his own company, North Bank, in the West End and producing seasons at the Mermaid Theatre in London. As a freelance he has worked with most major UK theatres including The Old Vic, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company and he is a regular guest director in North and South America and in Europe. Recent productions include the UK premieres of Crossing by South African writer Reza de Wet at the Riverside Studios and Arthur Miller’s Playing for Time, the West End premiere of To Kill A Mockingbird, Cabaret in Munich, Piaf and Scotland Road for the Potomac in Washington, DC, Shaw’s St Joan at Olney Theater, and in New York the Off-Broadway premiere of Bloody Poetry. Other credits include major musicals Sweeney Todd, Happy as a Sandbag and The Mikado at the Cambridge Theatre, London, and comedies Habeas Corpus by Alan Bennett and Joe Orton’s Loot. Awards include TMA, Critics Circle, IVCA Gold, the prestigious Helen Hayes in Washington DC and nominations for both SWET and Olivier in London.
Douglas Heap was nominated for TMA design of the year in 2007. He was Head of Design at RADA from 1963 to 1986. His first design in the professional theatre was Boesman and Lena at the Royal Court, written and directed by Athol Fugard. Other designs for Fugard include Siswe Banzi is Dead, The Island, Statements, Dimetos, A Lesson with Aloes, Master Harold and the Boys, The Road to Mecca and A Place with the Pigs. He subsequently worked on many plays for the English Stage Company; Freedom of the City, Loot, Crete and Sgt Pepper among them and later formed a long partnership with Ray Cooney which started in 1983 with Run For Your Wife and has continued with most of his productions since then. Other West End plays have included Pygmalion; on Broadway, Enjoy and Barnaby and the Old Boys. For the RSC among other plays he designed Henry IV parts I and II and Piaf, also in the West End and Broadway. He recently designed Don Juan Comes Back from the War for Gadi Roll in Coventry.
Nick’s first production was a transfer of Nicolai Erdman’s The Suicide to Solihull Library Theatre in 1992. After success at the Edinburgh Festival with a one-person version of Shakespeare’s Henry V, in 1994 he established the Maverick Theatre Company in Birmingham to encourage new theatre audiences and new local talent. (www.mavericktheatre.co.uk) Over the next ten years, Nick and Maverick won numerous awards and produced over 30 plays and comedies in Birmingham, some of which toured nationally and to the USA. He has an MA in Creative Producing for Theatre and Live Performance from Birkbeck College, University of London and is developing a number of productions for national and international tours and the West End.
A highly experienced stage and television actor, Paul’s career began at Southport Repertory Theatre, whilst still completing his drama school course. From Southport he moved to the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, and then to the Alexandra Theatre Birmingham, to play Billy, in BILLY LIAR. From the Alexandra, Paul joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, where he stayed for eight years.
