Even since his untimely death at the age of 44 on 25 June, 1968, Tony Hancock continues to bring a smile to the face of many a comedy fan.

Widely agreed to be one of the best comedians Britain has produced, his consistent combination of dour-faced wit and lifelike portrayals landed him his own BBC show, Hancock’s Half Hour - which broke the comedy mould.

But making people laugh wasn’t enough to keep Mr Hancock from plunging into depression which eventually led to his suicide. However, his work has continued to entertain legions of comedy fans, and inspire new generations of entertainers.

Born on 12 May, 1924, in Birmingham, England, a young Anthony John Hancock set his sights on following his father Jack, a semi-professional entertainer, into the world of showbiz.

After spending a while trying his hand at more run-of-the-mill jobs, he was introduced to family friend and entertainer George Fairweather, who helped guide him in the right direction.

Following a false start or two, he enrded up working with Ralph Reader’s “Gang Shows”, which entertained war-zone troops in the early 1940s, and during the work met fellow comedians Robert Moreton, Graham Stark and Peter Sellers .

When the war ended, he enjoyed a six -week tenure at the Windmill Theatre and began some radio work, and in 1951 was given a part in Educating Archie , which helped lead to further television work such as the BBC’s Kaleidoscope entertainment show.

In 1945, Mr Hancock landed the radio show Hancock’s Half Hour . In it he starred as what was essentially a caricature of Hancock himself. It was true situation comedy which found and exaggerated the humour in everyday life and ordinary people, unlike most of the variety-style shows around at that time.

The show - which ran for five years - later gained a television version which ran simultaneously and broke the mould of series by being pre-recorded, largely because of Mr Hancock’s sometimes erratic personality.

Also on TV, he produced two series of a new show, The Tony Hancock Show , and starred in the 1960 film The Rebel, which received mixed reviews that influenced his decision to split from his writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson – later said to be the worst decision of his career.

The sackings had not been the first Mr Hancock had made, and despite some partially successful new screen projects it was not long before his problems with depression began to wear him down. He died after overdosing in Sydney, Australia.

In a not uncommon occurrence in the echelon of great comics, Mr Hancock’s hilarity-inducing pessimistic character betrayed the real misery that lay underneath his acting.

But even his battles with drink inspired others, with his phrase “Send Away The Tigers” – his reference to drinking to get rid of his inner demons – being used years later as the name for an album by band The Manic Street Preachers.

His sitcom style of comedy was a revolutionary first for television, as was his move away from live broadcasting, and his achievements have been honoured by in various polls as well as the television movie Screen One in 1991.

And, as the author JB Priestley succinctly put: "He was a comedian with a touch of genius who had no enemy but himself."