Tony Hancock’s two leading film roles are a reminder of the extremes of his comic genius. Paul Merton talks about the legacy of his hero – and how comedy is too coarse today

Seven years before his suicide, Tony Hancock tried to became a movie star. The Rebel (1961) is a comedy about a clerk who quits his job and moves to Paris to become an artist, despite his total lack of talent. Scripted by Half Hour creators Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, it was a deluxe bespoke vehicle, designed to take Hancock across the Atlantic and turn him into the new Peter Sellers.

Brits flocked. Homegrown critics raved. And Hollywood absolutely hated it. (“Stumbling … presumptuous … depressing … low,” reckoned the New York Times, comparing him unfavourably to Norman Wisdom.)

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