''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a BBC television adaptation of

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), BBC radio comedy, ''The H ...

's ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...

'' which was broadcast in January and February 1981 on UK television station BBC Two. The adaptation follows the original radio series in 1978 and 1980, the first novel and double LP, in 1979, and the stage shows, in 1979 and 1980, making it the fifth iteration of the guide. The series stars Simon Jones as

Arthur Dent Arthur Philip Dent is a fictional character and the hapless protagonist of the comic science fiction series ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' by Douglas Adams. In the radio, LP and television versions of the story, Arthur is played by ...

David Dixon David Dixon (born 28 October 1947) is an English actor and screenwriter. He was born at the Nightingale Maternity Home in Derby, near his father's shop in London Road, and brought up there before the family moved to Normanton in 1959. Dixon's ...

Ford Prefect The Ford Prefect is a line of British cars which was produced by Ford UK between 1938 and 1961 as an upmarket version of the Ford Popular and Ford Anglia small family cars. It was introduced in October 1938 and remained in production until 19 ...

Mark Wing-Davey Mark Wing-Davey (born 30 November 1948) is a British actor and director. He portrayed Zaphod Beeblebrox in the radio and television versions of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Early life and career The son of actor and actress Pete ...

Zaphod Beeblebrox Zaphod Beeblebrox () is a fictional character in the various versions of the comic science fiction series ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' by Douglas Adams. He is from a planet in the vicinity of Betelgeuse, and is a "semi-half-cousin" ...

Sandra Dickinson Sandra Dickinson (née Searles) is an American-British actress. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She has often played characters who fell into the trope of a dumb blonde with a high-pitched voice. Early life D ...

as Trillian and Stephen Moore as the voice of Marvin. The voice of the guide is by Peter Jones. Simon Jones, Peter Jones, Stephen Moore and Mark Wing-Davey had already provided the voices for their characters in the original radio series in 1978/80. In addition, the series features a number of notable cameo roles, including Adams himself on several occasions. Although initially thought by BBC executives to be unfilmable, the series was successfully produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell and went on to win a

Royal Television Society Award The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

as Most Original Programme of 1981, as well as several British Academy Television Awards for its graphics and editing.

Development and production

After the success of the first seven episodes of the radio series, all broadcast in 1978, and while the second radio series was being recorded,

was commissioned to deliver a pilot script for a television adaptation on 29 May 1979, to be delivered by 1 August. A fully animated version was briefly discussed in the autumn of 1978, but it was eventually decided to make most of the series feature "live action" and only animate ''The Guides entries. John Lloyd, who had worked with Adams on the first radio series, is credited with starting the process of adapting the series for television, after the receipt of the pilot script, with a memo to the head of light entertainment (

John Howard Davies John Howard Davies (9 March 193922 August 2011)
' ...

) in September 1979. Adams was still working on scripts for the second radio series of ''Hitchhiker's'' and working as script editor for '' Doctor Who'', and thus the BBC extended the deadline for the pilot script of the television adaptation to the end of November. The script for the pilot was delivered in December 1979, and terms for the five remaining scripts were agreed upon in January 1980. While there was some resistance to a project considered "unfilmable," Alan J. W. Bell was given the duties to produce and direct the TV adaptation. John Lloyd was signed as associate producer. In early 1980, production on the pilot episode began on several fronts. Rod Lord of Pearce Animation Studios directed a 50-second pilot, hand-animated, giving a 'computer graphic' feel to the Babel Fish speech of the first episode.

and Alan J.W. Bell were both pleased with the animation, and Lord was given the go-ahead to do all of the animation for episode one, and subsequently the complete TV series. Narration for the first episode was recorded by Peter Jones in March 1980. The filming of two green-skinned aliens reacting to Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters was done on 8 May 1980. Further filming of crowd reactions to the

Vogon The Vogons are a fictional alien race from the planet Vogsphere in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''—initially a BBC Radio series by Douglas Adams—who are responsible for the destruction of the Earth, in order to facilitate an interga ...

s, location filming of Arthur's house and a scene in a pub were done between 11 and 16 May 1980. Scenes aboard the Vogon ship were recorded on 7 June 1980, in the BBC's TC1 studio. The final edit of the pilot episode was completed on 2 July 1980, and it was premiered for a test audience three days later (5 July 1980). Further test screenings were held in August 1980. Based on successful test screenings, the cast was reassembled to complete the six episodes of the series in September 1980. Production continued through the autumn, with filming and recording occurring out of order. Recording and production of the final episode continued into January 1981. The gap in production made for some continuity problems between the pilot episode and the remainder. Notably, Simon Jones's hair was cut short for another role and he wears a noticeable hairpiece in later episodes. Conversely, David Dixon's hair appears longer. One major change first appeared in the stage show and LP adaptations, and made its way into the novels and TV adaptation. Nearly all of the sequences from episodes five and six in the first radio series that were originally co-written with John Lloyd were completely cut. Thus the Hotblack Desiato character and Disaster Area make appearances in TV episode five, and

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

, Zaphod and Trillian are all randomly teleported off of Disaster Area's stunt ship in TV episode six. Lloyd does receive a co-writer's credit on episode five, for the material on the statistics about the universe. The complexities of adapting the material for television meant that some episodes became as long as 35 minutes; as a result, material that had appeared in the radio series (e.g.: the seance involving Zaphod's ancestors) had to be cut. The programme is particularly notable for its mock computer animation sequences, actually produced on film using traditional cel animation techniques. There have been several different edits of the series: Some, but not all, American

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

stations recut the series into seven 30-minute episodes when they began transmitting the episodes nearly two years later, in December 1982. Other PBS stations re-edited the programme into TV movies, broadcasting more than one episode at a time without interruption. The UK videotape release was on two cassettes, each consisting of three episodes edited to run together and also adding some previously unseen material. The soundtrack was remixed into stereo. The North American VHS tape released by CBS/Fox Video included this material on a single video cassette. The DVD edition claims to be the final and definitive version of the six TV episodes. Another production problem was that, being a visual adaptation, a solution had to be found to display Zaphod's three arms and two heads, a joke originally written for radio. In a previous stage adaptation, a version of a

pantomime horse A pantomime horse is a theatrical representation of a horse or other quadruped by two actors in a single costume who cooperate and synchronize their movements. One actor plays the front end, including the horse's head and its front legs, in a mor ...

was used, where two actors filled one costume, providing three arms and two heads between them. For this TV series, a radio-controlled

animatronic Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...

head was designed and built, incorporating twelve servo motors and two receivers. However, the head was notoriously unreliable and in many scenes merely sits there, inanimate. For the third arm, most of the time it was seen tucked into Zaphod's jacket. But when called for, Mike Kelt, who had designed the extra head (with Joan Stribling; BBC Make-up, Hair, Prosthetics Designer) would hide behind

and slip his arm into the appropriate sleeve. Other elements to the production were done by a variety of BBC designers. The Heart of Gold and B Ark models were built by Perry Brahan. The small, furry creature from Alpha Centauri in episode three was a puppet designed and controlled by Jim Francis, who also built the Magrathean bubble car (also seen in episode three), and was the stunt double for

Richard Vernon Richard Evelyn Vernon (7 March 1925 – 4 December 1997) was a British actor. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic or supercilious roles. Prematurely balding and greying, Vernon settled into playi ...

in the scene in which the bubble car was seen to fly. Matte paintings throughout the series were created by Jean Peyre. Music and sound effects were by

Paddy Kingsland Paddy Kingsland (born 30 January 1947) is a composer of electronic music best known for his incidental music for science fiction series on BBC radio and television whilst working at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Educated at Eggar's Grammar Sch ...

, with the exception of the theme music; the familiar '' Journey of the Sorcerer'' theme by

Bernie Leadon Bernie Leadon (pronounced ''led-un''; born July 19, 1947) is an American singer, musician, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member ...

was used again, in the arrangement by Tim Souster that had previously been used for the ''Hitchhiker's'' LP. Video effects using the Quantel system were done by Dave Jervis. Other puppets, including insects seen in episode five, were designed by Susan Moore. Some of the actual puppeteering was done by Stuart Murdoch, including operating parts of the Dish of the Day animal. Two important cast changes were made for the TV version.

replaced

Geoffrey McGivern Geoffrey M. McGivern is a British actor in film, radio, stage and television, as well as a comedian. Career He played Ford Prefect in the radio series (1978–80) and subsequent LP releases of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' by Dougla ...

as Ford, and

replaced Susan Sheridan as Trillian. The changes were made because McGivern did not suit the role visually, and Sheridan was unavailable at the time. Another new cast member was Michael Cule, who appears as the Vogon Guard in episode two. Cule had first appeared in one of the ''Hitchhiker's'' stage adaptations, performing no fewer than twelve roles. He reprised the Vogon Guard part in the 1992 ''Making of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' TV documentary, voiced the Babel fish, appeared in the 1994 photo illustrated edition of the book (as Prosser), and returned a third time as a Vogon Guard for the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

''Quandary Phase.'' Because of the sheer number of models used in episodes two to six, a single day of filming just the model sequences was set aside at the

BBC Television Centre Television Centre (TVC) is a building complex in White City, West London, that was the headquarters of BBC Television between 1960 and 2013. After a refurbishment, the complex reopened in 2017 with three studios in use for TV production, opera ...

on 28 October 1980. This has been described as "a luxury few other shows could afford." To provide proper timing of spoken lines on-set,

himself spoke the lines of Eddie the Computer and Deep Thought, until they were redubbed by David Tate and

Valentine Dyall Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908 – 24 June 1985) was an English character actor. He worked regularly as a voice actor, and was known for many years as "The Man in Black", the narrator of the BBC Radio horror series '' Appointment with Fear'' ...

respectively. Douglas Adams has several cameo appearances in the TV series: *Episode 1: One of the drinkers in the background of the pub. *Episode 2: The man who walks naked into the ocean, similar to

Reginald Perrin ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. It is based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs and produced from 1976 to 1979. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the first series ...

. The original actor for the part called in sick. *Episode 2: The Guide entry on "The Worst Poetry" also used Adams's likeness as the basis for the illustration of Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings. *Episode 2: In the future '' Encyclopedia Galactica'', Douglas makes a cameo appearance as one of the Sirius Cybernetic Marketing Division members. *Episode 3: An image in a guide entry on "an important and popular fact", along with animator Rod Lord, who provided a self-portrait. The hand-animated "computer graphics" of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide'' itself won a BAFTA, a Design and Art Direction Silver award, and a London Film Fest award. The spaceman, suspended from a wire, in the opening title sequence was Alan Harris. Locations for filming included a clay pit and the former Par—Fowey railway tunnel in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, the Edmonds Farm and Red Lion pub in Haywards Heath, Sussex, the Budgemoor Golf & Country Club near Henley-on-Thames, and at Dovestones in the

Peak District National Park Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...

. Episode three was originally scripted to have a "pre-credits sequence" where Trillian announces their arrival at "the most improbable planet that ever existed", Magrathea, to Zaphod. This was never filmed. The arrangement of ''Journey of the Sorcerer'' by Tim Souster, used in the titles, was released as a single in the UK in January 1981. The B-side featured Douglas Adams playing rhythm guitar. Many of the costumes seen in episodes one to four can be seen again during sequences at Milliway's in episode five. In episode five the writing at the start showing 42 crossed out several times also includes the number 101010 which is the 42nd number in the binary number base.

Episode guide

Episode 1

First broadcast: 5 January 1981 Synopsis: Episode one begins with a pre-credits sequence, the only one of the TV episodes to have one. A countdown to the end of the world is displayed through animation, and the narrator begins telling the story of the Guide and Arthur Dent's connection to it as the sun rises over the English countryside for the final time. Arthur wakes, discovers the threat to his house from a yellow bulldozer by looking out the window, and the camera pulls back to the titles. This episode closely follows the plot and dialogue of the first episode of the radio series, cutting the speech by

Lady Cynthia Fitzmelton This page is a list of characters in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', by Douglas Adams. The descriptions of the characters are accompanied by information on details about appearances and references to the characters. Main characters ...

. It ends at a slightly earlier point than the radio episode, after Ford's line "he might want to read us some of his poetry first", and on a cliffhanger that Arthur and Ford are about to be discovered in a Vogon storeroom, but before the

Vogon poetry The Vogons are a fictional alien race from the planet Vogsphere in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''—initially a BBC Radio series by Douglas Adams—who are responsible for the destruction of the Earth, in order to facilitate an interga ...

is actually read. Cast (in order of appearance): * The Book (narrator): Peter Jones *

: Simon Jones * Mr Prosser:

Joe Melia Joe Melia ( Giovanni Philip William Melia; 23 January 1935, Camden, London - 20 October 2012, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire) was a British actor. Educated at the City of Leicester Boys' Grammar School and Downing College, Cambridge, where ...

* Workman One (uncredited): Terry Duran * Workman Two (uncredited): George Cornelius * Alien (girl):

Cleo Rocos Cleo Rocos (born 24 July 1962, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a UK-based comedy actress, producer, presenter and businesswoman who starred alongside Kenny Everett on '' The Kenny Everett Television Show''. Early life Rocos was born in Brazil. Her ...

* Alien (guy): Andrew Mussell * Man at end of bar (uncredited):

* Barman: Steve Conway * Barfly (uncredited): Steve Trainer * Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz (Vogon Captain) and Vogon Guard (uncredited for the latter): Martin Benson * Sandwich-board man (uncredited): David Grahame * Irritated man hitting radio (uncredited): Bill Barnsley

Episode 2

First broadcast: 12 January 1981 Synopsis: The episode opens with a recap of the story, with Ford and Arthur about to be captured. After being read Vogon poetry, they are thrown out of an airlock and improbably rescued by the starship ''Heart of Gold'', which has been stolen by Ford's semi-cousin

, accompanied by Trillian, a young woman who Arthur once met at a party. Ford and Arthur are escorted to the bridge by

Marvin the Paranoid Android Marvin the Paranoid Android is a fictional character in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' series by Douglas Adams. Marvin is the ship's robot aboard the starship ''Heart of Gold''. Originally built as one of many failed prototypes of Si ...

and meet Zaphod and Trillian. The episode ends after they are introduced, with no

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

. Cast (in order of appearance): * The Book: Peter Jones * Unhappy man (uncredited): Douglas Adams * Arthur Dent: Simon Jones * Ford Prefect: David Dixon * Vogon Captain: Martin Benson * Vogon Guard: Michael Cule * Trillian:

* Marvin (costume):

David Learner David Francis Somerville Learner (born 23 August 1955 in Hammersmith, London) is a British actor who is best known for playing Marvin the Paranoid Android in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' and Pickle in the CITV adventure game show ' ...

* Marvin (voice): Stephen Moore * Young Smartarse (uncredited): Ralph Morse * Newscaster:

Rayner Bourton Rayner is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Amy Rayner (born 1977), English football referee *Angela Rayner, British Labour Party politician, trade unionist, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashton-under-Lyne since 2015, Deputy le ...

* Bikini girl in commercial for Sirius Cybernetics Corporation (uncredited): Jennifer Goble *

Gag Halfrunt This page is a list of characters in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', by Douglas Adams. The descriptions of the characters are accompanied by information on details about appearances and references to the characters. Main characters ...

: Gil Morris * Eddie the Computer: David Tate

Episode 3

First broadcast: 19 January 1981 Synopsis: The episode opens with a guide entry explaining the legendary planet of Magrathea, which manufactured planets millions of years ago, until the galactic economy collapsed. Zaphod has been explaining to Ford that he has found the legendary planet of Magrathea, whilst Trillian tends to a pair of white mice. Zaphod orders the computer to land on the planet surface. Before long, they receive a transmission from the commercial council of Magrathea, informing them that the planet is closed for business and asking them to leave. They ignore this and later receive another message, noting that nuclear missiles have been sent at the ship. Attempts to evade the missiles fail, and Arthur uses the ship's infinite improbability drive, which ends up turning the missiles into a very surprised looking

whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...

and a bowl of petunias. Trillian discovers that during the chaos, her mice escaped. The five characters go onto the surface, where they find it desolate. Zaphod suggests that the Magratheans lived beneath the surface of the planet. They split into two groups – Trillian, Zaphod and Ford explore a tunnel, while Arthur and Marvin remain on the surface. Trillian, Zaphod and Ford's thread ends on a

, with them seeing something alarming at the end of the corridor. Meanwhile, Arthur and Marvin watch the sunset. Eventually, Slartibartfast arrives, and asks Arthur to come with him. He explains that the Magratheans were in hibernation for the last five million years. They get into his air-car, and descend deep into a tunnel. A guide narrative intervenes, explaining that while humanity had always assumed that it was the most intelligent species on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

, in fact the dolphins were more intelligent, and had left the planet some time before. However, both the dolphins and humans were less intelligent than the mice. Meanwhile, Slartibartfast shows Arthur the vast tract of hyperspace that acts as the Magrathean's factory floor, and that they have been brought out of hibernation for a special commission — "the Earth Mk II, we're making a copy from our original blueprints". The Earth was originally made by Magrathea for mice; and it was destroyed five minutes too early. The episode ends here. Cast (in order of appearance): * The Book: Peter Jones * Spaceman (uncredited): John Austen-Gregg * Spacewoman (uncredited): Zoe Hendry * Handmaiden One (uncredited): Nicola Critcher * Handmaiden Two (uncredited): Jacoba * Handmaiden Three (uncredited): Lorraine Paul * Handmaiden Four (uncredited):

Susie Silvey Susan "Susie" Silvey (born 17 September 1956), occasionally Suzie Silvey, is an English actress, dancer and model, active in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Silvey attended the Harrow School of Art, where she studied ballet for five years, jazz ...

* Rich Merchant (uncredited): John Dair * Ford Prefect: David Dixon * Zaphod Beeblebrox: Mark Wing-Davey * Trillian: Sandra Dickinson * Arthur Dent: Simon Jones * Eddie the Computer: David Tate * Holographic Magrathean and Slartibartfast:

* Marvin the Paranoid Android: David Learner * Voices of the Whale and Marvin: Stephen Moore

Episode 4

First broadcast: 26 January 1981 Synopsis: Slartibartfast shows Arthur the archive tapes of Deep Thought being given the Search for the Ultimate Answer and of the result reported by the computer seven and a half million years later. After learning that the Earth was set up to search for the Ultimate Question, Slartibartfast and Arthur join Ford, Trillian, Zaphod, and Trillian's mice, who had guided them to Magrathea. The mice dismiss Slartibartfast, then express their desire to determine the Ultimate Question by first extracting Arthur's brain. While the mice attempt to strike a deal, the galactic police arrive, and Ford, Arthur, Trillian and Zaphod flee the dining hall, only to be cornered by the police in a large bay. After a misunderstanding, the police open fire on a computer behind which the four are hiding, causing it to explode and ending the episode on a

. Cast (in order of appearance): * The Book: Peter Jones * Arthur Dent: Simon Jones * Slartibartfast: Richard Vernon * PA Voice (uncredited): David Tate * Lunkwill/Loon-Quall (latter uncredited): Antony Carrick * Fook/Phougg (latter uncredited): Timothy Davies * Deep Thought:

* Guard (uncredited):

Richard Reid Richard Colvin Reid (born 12 August 1973), also known as the "Shoe Bomber", is the perpetrator of the failed shoe bombing attempt on a transatlantic flight in 2001. Born to a father who was a career criminal, Reid converted to Islam as a young ...

* Majikthise:

David Leland David Leland (born 20 April 1947) is an English film director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directorial debut ''Wish You Were Here'' in 1987. Life He initially trained as an actor at Central School of Speech ...

* Vroomfondel:

Charles McKeown Charles McKeown ( ; born 1946) is a British actor and writer, perhaps best known for his collaborations with Terry Gilliam. The two met while shooting '' Monty Python's Life of Brian'', while McKeown was doing bit parts in the film. Screenwriti ...

* Alien Robot (uncredited): Eddie Sommer * G'Gugvunt Leader (uncredited): Eric French * Vl'Hurg Leader (uncredited): James Muir * Trillian: Sandra Dickinson * Zaphod Beeblebrox: Mark Wing-Davey * Ford Prefect: David Dixon * Benjy Mouse: David Tate * Frankie Mouse: Stephen Moore * Bang Bang: Marc Smith * Shooty: Matt Zimmerman ''Note:'' The part of "Loon-Quall," one of the two computer programmers who hears Deep Thought announce "The Answer," is stated by the DVD production notes as being played by David Leland. However, the idea of the role was for that character to have been descended from the earlier programmer, Lunkwill, played by Antony Carrick.

Episode 5

First broadcast: 2 February 1981 Synopsis: After an initial period of confusion, the four travellers find they have been transported forward in time to just before the

end of the universe The ultimate fate of the universe is a topic in physical cosmology, whose theoretical restrictions allow possible scenarios for the evolution and ultimate fate of the universe to be described and evaluated. Based on available observational ev ...

. They are in "Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe", which was built on the ruins of Magrathea. So, as Arthur says, they have travelled through time but not through space. Waiting for them is Marvin the depressed robot, whom they left on Magrathea 40 million years ago. He's now an attendant at the car park, and still depressed. Just before the universe ends, Zaphod and Ford get Marvin to help them steal a supercool all-black spaceship, which turns out to be the property of a very loud rock band called "Disaster Area". The episode ends on the

as the black ship is about to start a dive into the sun of Kakrafoon. Cast (in order of appearance): * The Book: Peter Jones * Arthur Dent: Simon Jones * Ford Prefect:

* Trillian:

* Zaphod Beeblebrox:

* Garkbit (Head Waiter): Jack May * Girl on stairs (uncredited): Mary Eveleigh * Hotblack Desiato: Barry Frank Warren * Bodyguard: Dave Prowse * Max Quordlepleen:

Colin Jeavons Colin Abel Jeavons (born 20 October 1929) is a retired British television actor. Career Jeavons' earliest television role was as Jules Neraud in an episode of the 1956 anthology series of teleplays ''Nom-de-Plume''. Broadcast live, it is unkno ...

* Dish of the Day: Peter Davison * Marvin (costume):

* Marvin (voice): Stephen Moore * The Great Prophet Zarquon: Colin Bennett

Episode 6

First broadcast: 9 February 1981 Synopsis: Just before the supercool all-black ship crashes into a sun, Zaphod, Trillian, Ford, and Arthur escape in a teleport module that they convince Marvin to stay behind and operate. He is still on the ship when it heads into the sun. Ford and Arthur arrive - without Zaphod and Trillian - on a spaceship carrying millions of people in cryogenic pods. The ship's inhabitants are from Golgafrincham; they are unskilled workers in apparently pointless jobs, the people that the clever Golgafrinchams, the thinkers and the doers, back home wanted to get rid of. The ship lands on pre-historic Earth. Ford realises that the Golgafrinchams, not the primitive cave dwellers already on the planet, are the ones that will evolve into the

human race Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

. The episode ends with the two friends lamenting the eventual destruction of the

. The regular theme music follows the song ''

What a Wonderful World "What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. It topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed poor ...

'' by Louis Armstrong. Cast (in order of appearance): * The Book: Peter Jones * Arthur Dent: Simon Jones * Ford Prefect: David Dixon * Trillian: Sandra Dickinson * Zaphod Beeblebrox: Mark Wing-Davey * Marvin (costume): David Learner * Marvin (voice) and Radio voices (latter uncredited): Stephen Moore * Newscaster: Rayner Bourton *

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

Matthew Scurfield Matthew Scurfield (born 2 February 1948, in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire) is an English actor and the eldest child of author George Scurfield and his wife Cecilia (née Hopkinson). His autobiography, ''I Could Be Anyone'', was published in 2008 ( ...

* Number Three:

Geoffrey Beevers Geoffrey Beevers (born 15 January 1941) is a British actor who has appeared in many different stage and screen roles. Career Theatre Beevers has worked extensively at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond upon Thames, both as an actor (including ...

* B Ark Captain:

Aubrey Morris Aubrey Morris (born Aubrey Steinberg; 1 June 1926 – 15 July 2015) was a British actor known for his appearances in the films ''A Clockwork Orange'' and ''The Wicker Man''. Early life and career Morris was one of nine children born to Becky ( ...

* Marketing Girl: Beth Porter *

Hairdresser A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be re ...

: David Rowlands *

Management Consultant Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultants ...

Jon Glover Jonathan Philip Glover (born 26 December 1952) is an English actor. He has appeared in various television programmes including '' Play School'', '' Survivors'', the Management consultant in '' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', '' Casual ...

* Number Two: David Neville

Possibility of second series

A second series was planned at one point, with a storyline, according to Alan Bell and

, that would have come from Adams' abandoned '' Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen'' project (instead of a TV version of the second radio series). However, Adams got into disputes with the BBC (accounts differ: problems with budget, scripts, and having Alan Bell and/or Geoffrey Perkins involved were all offered as causes), and the second series was never made.Simpson, ''The Pocket Essential Hitchhiker's Guide''. Page 96 The elements of the ''Doctor Who and the Krikketmen'' project instead became the third novel, ''

Life, the Universe and Everything ''Life, the Universe and Everything'' (1982, ) is the third book in the six-volume ''Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' science fiction "trilogy of five books" by British writer Douglas Adams. The title refers to the Answer to Life, the Univ ...

''.

Documentary

In 1992,

Kevin Davies Kevin Cyril Davies (born 26 March 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. He managed Southport in the 201 ...

wrote and directed a documentary entitled ''The Making of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.'' Davies had previously worked on the stage show at the Rainbow Theatre, and, while working for Pierce Animation Studios in 1980, had introduced Alan Bell to Rod Lord, leading to the animation for the TV series. For the documentary, Davies used many photographs and home movies he shot during the 1980 production of the series and recorded new interviews in October 1992 with the cast and crew. New footage of Simon Jones,

and Michael Cule, in character, were shot at the farm in Sussex used as

's house, and incorporated into the documentary with some references to ''

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish ''So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish'' is the fourth book of the '' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' "trilogy of six books" written by Douglas Adams. Its title is the message left by the dolphins when they departed Planet Earth just befo ...

'', such as Arthur finding his home intact, and placing his (animated) Babel fish into a

goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have bec ...

bowl. BBC video released the sixty-minute documentary on VHS in 1993. Footage not included in the original documentary was included in the 2002 DVD release of the series. The documentary itself has not (as of 2005) been transmitted on TV.

Availability

Neil Gaiman reveals in the first edition of his biography of

, ''Don't Panic'', that the BBC was preparing a Laserdisc release of the ''Hitchhiker's'' TV series in the mid-1980s, but had to cancel the project due to a legal tangle with the movie rights, although master tapes for the Laserdiscs were prepared. The sound was specially remixed in stereo and Elektra/

Asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

records agreed to license the original

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

theme music. The series was eventually released on VHS format by BBC Video in 1992. This was a dual cassette edition featuring additional material that had originally been cut from the broadcast episodes. CBS/Fox Video made the six episodes available on a single VHS tape in North America starting in 1993. They were joined by ''The Making of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', also on VHS, that same year, as well as a Laserdisc release. A double tape box set edition was also released featuring the collected complete series and Making Of releases. Restoration of the six episodes and the Making Of documentary commenced in 2001, with a Region 2 and 4 DVD release in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

by BBC Video (Catalogue Number BBCDVD 1092) in January 2002. A Region 1 edition, released by

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

, followed in April 2002. Both DVD editions are two-disc sets, with the six episodes on the first disc and accompanying bonus materials on the second. The North American DVD edition also has a copy of the '' Omnibus'' tribute to Douglas Adams from BBC Two that aired on 4 August 2001, which the UK DVD edition does not. A special edition box set of the series was released on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

and DVD on 1 October 2018. The set featured upscaled HD versions of the original episodes alongside optional stereo or

5.1 surround sound 5.1 surround sound ("five-point one") is the common name for surround sound audio systems. 5.1 is the most commonly used layout in home theatres. It uses five full bandwidth channels and one low-frequency effects channel (the "point one"). Dol ...

mixes remastered by Mark Ayres, formerly of the

BBC Radiophonic Workshop The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the sound effects units of the BBC, created in 1958 to produce incidental sounds and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering work in electroni ...

. In North America, the complete series is viewable on Hulu, Amazon Prime and

BritBox BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.

. In the UK, the complete series is viewable on BritBox, with the Special Edition available on Amazon Prime Video.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the show has a 67% approval rating based on 6 reviews.

Awards

Royal Television Society Awards The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

: ** Best Original Programme * British Academy Television Awards: ** Best VTR Editor: Ian Williams ** Best Sound Supervisor: Michael McCarthy ** Best Graphics: Rod Lord

References

Sources

* ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,'' VHS, R1 and R2 DVD releases of the TV series. DVD "Onscreen Production Notes" by Kevin Davies. * Webb, Nick. ''Wish You Were Here: The Official Biography of Douglas Adams,'' 1st American edition. Ballantine Books, New York, NY, USA, 2005.

External links

* *
''The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy''
at British TV Comedy
BBC Online — Cult — The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
*Rod Lord, who directed ''The Guides animated sequences for the TV series has a page about the animations and an essay on how they were done poste

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (Tv Series) 1980s British comic science fiction television series 1981 British television series debuts 1981 British television series endings BBC Television shows British science fiction television shows The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Works by Douglas Adams Space adventure television series Television series based on radio series Television series set on fictional planets British time travel television series Post-apocalyptic television series English-language television shows