Tony Hancock Statue

I’ve always found this to be strange thing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. It’s also something of a stretch to call it a statue, when in actual fact it’s a 2D sheet of metal showing the comedian’s face in his trademark pose, set in a block of marble. It’s like a gigantic playing card stuck in and even bigger hunk of cheese. That said, it’s nice to walk through the city and see an iconic face of 20^th century popular culture, rather than a dead Victorian general.
As good as Hancock was, however, I think his connection to Birmingham is somewhat tenuous — he was born here, for sure, but his family moved away shortly afterwards and he made his name elsewhere. He also, as far as I know, didn’t really have much to do with the city. There are other famous sons and daughters we could and should have commemorated first. Where is the statue of Jeff Lynne from ELO? Or how about a 60ft Ozzy Osbourne?

Tony Hancock was born in Hall Green but his family relocated to Bournemouth whilst he was still a toddler. If being born here but leaving as soon as you’ve learned to walk qualifies you as a statue-​worthy local then things must be desperate.
Actually, that’s a bit harsh and it’s better than a statue of Simon Le Bön. That said, having Hancock’s miserable visage greet you every time you come into town is hardly endearing or a great start to the day if you’re commuting in from the north side of town. The statue sits, often vandalised or urinated against in Old Square, an island near the Square Peg. It’s hardly a prime-​spot in the city centre and it’s not something you’d make a voyage to go and see. For most people it’s just somewhere to sit and eat their cheap baguette.

The Tony Hancock statue was sculpted in 1996 by Bruce Williams to honour the Birmingham comedian, who is most famous for the TV and radio show Hancock’s Half Hour (which ran in the 50s and 60s). I particularly remember watching the Blood Donor episode during a media studies class at 6^th form, and I found his show as hilarious as any Little Britain episode. The statue always reminds of my time watching that episode at college.
It is great when Birmingham celebrates the life of some it’s most famous, talented faces, and I think as a city, we need to do this more often. We’re too modest, and so our city always gets seen as the runt to the rest of the UK; But we’ve been the home to some amazing people such as Hancock himself. So I’m very glad we have him on show to visitors.
The statue stands proudly on the island of Old Square, and makes Mr Hancock look similar to an Italian gangster at most angles from afar. But as you get closer, you realise exactly who the iconic television star is. The sculpture is in black and white, and has been created with an old fashioned newspaper ‘halftone’ dot method. This replicates the black and white imagery, programmes and films that Hancock has featured in, such as the full length comedy ‘Orders Are Orders’.