The Blood Donor
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| "The Blood Donor" | |
|---|---|
| Hancock episode | |
| Episode no. | Series 7 Episode 5 |
| Written by | Galton and Simpson |
| Produced by | Duncan Wood |
| Original air date | 23 June 1961 |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
"The Blood Donor" is an episode from the television
Synopsis
Hancock arrives at his local hospital to give blood. "It was either that or join the Young Conservatives", he tells the Blood Donor Department's reception nurse (Whitfield), before getting into an argument with her about whether British blood is superior to other types. After managing to offend two other waiting donors, Hancock amuses himself by reading the waiting room's wall posters out loud, finally singing "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases" to the tune of the Deutschlandlied before being shown in to see Dr MacTaggart (Cargill), greeting him in a broad Scottish accent and taken aback when the doctor responds in an educated English accent – saying "We're not all Rob Roys."
After Dr. MacTaggart has taken a blood sample Hancock blithely assumes that that is all that is needed and prepares to depart. When the doctor tells him it was just a smear ("It may be just a smear to you mate, but that’s life and death to some poor wretch!") and that he must donate a pint of blood, he protests, "I don't mind giving a reasonable amount, but a pint! That's very nearly an armful!" Dr. MacTaggart finally persuades Hancock to donate the full pint by telling him he has a rare blood type, which appeals to Hancock's snobbery. Having boasted of his lack of squeamishness, he faints while giving blood.
Recuperating afterwards in a hospital room with other patients (including the two Hancock spoke to earlier), Hancock has a chat about blood with a fellow patient (Lloyd), but since neither of them knows very much about blood, the conversation is not very informative. After the patient has left, Hancock is horrified to discover that the man has walked off with his [Hancock's] wine gums. ("If you can't trust a blood donor, who can you trust?")
After returning home, Hancock cuts himself on a bread knife and is rushed to the Casualty Ward of the same hospital, where he receives a transfusion of his own blood — the only pint the hospital has of his rare blood type.
Cast
- Tony Hancock – Anthony Aloysius Hancock
- Patrick Cargill – Dr MacTaggart
- Hugh Lloyd – Little man
- June Whitfield – Reception nurse
- Frank Thornton – Mr Johnson, a blood donor
- James Ottaway – Casualty ward doctor
- Peggy Ann Clifford – Mrs Forsythe, a blood donor
- Anne Marryott – 2nd nurse
- Jean Marlow – 3rd nurse
Recording
While returning from recording
Remake and legacy
In October 1961,
The original episode survives in the BBC Archive as a
The script was re-recorded in 2009 for a BBC Radio 2 series of remakes of Galton and Simpson works. "The Blood Donor" starred Paul Merton, with Suzy Aitchison as the nurse, the role played by her mother 48 years earlier. It was first transmitted in March 2009.[2][3]
References
- ^ Pye-Nixa PLP 1092, Pye NPL 18068, Pye Golden Guinea GGL 0270, Marble Arch MAL 872 (all 12" mono LPs).
- ^ "Galton & Simpson's Half Hour, The Blood Donor". BBC Radio 2. 28 March 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ Reynolds, Gillian (31 March 2009). "Radio review: Old books beat old jokes as radio revisits past". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
External links
- "The Blood Donor" at IMDb
