Erm, rather than coming from OF&H I'm pretty sure it's an oft used play on words of to hell and back.
That was a great night, we all went back to Avenues after the show and got absolutely arseholed! Happy days
The first TV series that I can remember which featured Hull was back in the early 60s and was called "Ask for King Billy". It was an adventure serial for childrens' television (sounds ancient!).
The first I genuinely remember is See You At Wembley..... It seems like it was before To Hull and Back anyway. edit - Ive just checked and TH&B came a full 2 years earlier. I saw them both when they were first aired and that surprises me.
Just checked Google and found a review of the book on Amazon - apparently it was actually 1959 (5 half hour episodes). I couldn't remember the story but do recall that a group of kids had to find their way from London to Hull and had to call in at a cafe near the King Billy statue and use the code "ask for King Billy 12_2_26" According to Amazon the plot involves a virus which can wipe out fish stocks and kill the people that eat the fish - futuristic or what!
You could say that then about many other places, why is Hull singled out? Is it just a self-fulfilling judgement? Ignore Hull and then it's some distant place that is ignored.