Celebrations mark comedian Tony Hancock centenary

Tony Hancock was best known for his BBC radio and TV series Hancock's Half Hour

A dinner has been hosted to celebrate 100 years since the birth of influential 1950s comedian Tony Hancock.

He was best known for his BBC radio and TV series Hancock's Half Hour.

The Tony Hancock Appreciation Society formed in 1976, eight years after his death, and hosts an annual dinner in his honour.

The dinner used to be held in Bournemouth, where Hancock's parents ran a hotel, but over the past few years it has been moved to Birmingham, where the comedian was born.

A birthday cake to celebrate the year Mr Hancock would have turned 100

This year's dinner took place on Saturday at Voco St Johns, a hotel in Solihull.

The society said 49 members attended, along with five panellists - including authors and actors with a link to Hancock - who took part in a Q&A session.

At the event, there were also talks about Hancock and a cake to celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday.

Roselyn Dawson, events co-ordinator of the society, said: "It's a way to pay tribute to and to celebrate Tony Hancock. All the members are absolute Tony Hancock fanatics and want to keep his humour and life going.

"People are still keen on his humour, and people want to keep his humour and his memory alive."

The five panellists all had a connection to Mr Hancock through their work