Page "Hancock's Half Hour" Paragraph 4

The radio series series broke with the variety tradition which was then dominant in British radio comedy, highlighting a new genre: the sitcom or situation comedy.

Instead of the traditional variety mix of sketches, guest stars and musical interludes, the show's humour derived from characters and situations developed in a half-hour storyline.

This then relatively novel format, of what was in effect a single sketch each week lasting the entire half-hour ( though in the radio version James and the others sometimes played different roles ), was reflected in the show's title, which aptly described the series as Hancock's " half-hour ".