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Sci-Fi Space

New Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Series Announced 182

Posted by simoniker from the welcome-our-new-dolphin-overlords dept.
AllieA writes "The BBC has announced that they will be adapting the final three Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books for radio, with this 'tertiary phase' including Life, the Universe, and Everything; So Long and Thanks for All the Fish; and Mostly Harmless. Members of the original radio series cast, including Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey, Susan Sheridan, Stephen Moore and announcer John Marsh, will all take part in the new series, set to start next spring and be completed before the end of 2004."
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New Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Series Announced More

New Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Series Announced

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  • Finally.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ratface ( 21117 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @02:37AM (#7404895) Homepage Journal
    A reason to listen to "normal" radio again!

    I tend to listen only to Internet radio stations where I can steer the type of programming I listen to. There is all too little original programming on broadcast radio that makes it worthwhile - and waaay too much commercialised pop rubbish.

    Think about it - when was the last time you actually *looked forward* to something on the radio? And when was the lst time on TV?

    Right!

    • Re:Finally.... (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I work for the BBC and am therefore posting anonymously. While this was not done on purpose, it was by a sole television executive, and not a decision by the BBC. That television executive has since been let go.
    • Well last time I desperatly wanted to listen to the raido was in about 2000 when there was a live concert by my favourite band of the time. The only time recently on tv where there were repeats of Gamesmaster but that was just for the retro kick. Oh and last night when my favourite Simpsons episode was on, The Last Temptation of Homer

      But generally it takes something special to peak my intrest

      Rus

    • Re:Finally.... (Score:4, Informative)

      by Goth Biker Babe ( 311502 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @03:34AM (#7405097) Homepage Journal
      I listen to radio everyday. In the morning I listen to the Today [bbc.co.uk] programme whilst driving in to work. In the evening on the way home from work I'll listen to PM [bbc.co.uk] or the world at six. I look forward to the The Now Show [bbc.co.uk] or Just a minute [bbc.co.uk]. Then quite often I listen to BBC 7 [bbc.co.uk] which is a sort of Radio 4 Gold.

      As for TV, I must get my dose of Dr Who, CSI and SG-1.

      • Re:Finally.... (Score:3, Informative)

        by Alan Partridge ( 516639 )
        I'm a Radio 4 head too, but you forgot:

        a) The News Quiz
        b) I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
        c) In Business
        d) Material World
        d) From Our Own Correspondent
        e) Et al!

        Radio 4 is the best radio station yet conceived, it's really only Woman's Hour, You and Yours and The Archers that are holding it back!
        • Don't diss the Archers. An every day tale of farming folk. Dead Ringers is great too, I just loved Dr Who (Tom Baker undergoing transformation into Ozzy Osbourne).
        • In general I agree, but I find the News Quiz a little lame. Quote Unquote is another disaster area.

          Has anyone mentioned Home Truths? Used to be fantastic before John Peel left.
          • Grrrr...

            Peel is great, but there's to little David Stafford on radio. And as others have pointed out, he'll be back off holiday soon, so don't worry.

            Don't forget that Radio 4 also gave us Goodness Gracious Me, The League of Gentlemen (filmed just next door to me in Hayfield) and myriad other little gems.

            And Quote Unquote has its moments - it's just a bit posh for most of us.

        • Also don't forget the long-running Alistair Cook's "Letter From America". Or "Dead Ringers" (although not everyone finds it funny, several episodes of Dead Ringers have had me in uncontrollable fits of laughter).

          I don't have a TV right now (because I've got a major money crisis on at the moment). With decent radio stations, I don't miss it a bit.

          As for the Archers? Well, there was a fight scene on it last week. Hearing the fight on the radio painted a far more vivid picture than watching one on TV!

      • Re:Finally.... (Score:3, Funny)

        by sydb ( 176695 )
        As no-one else has asked, may I have your hand in marriage?

    • Re:Finally.... (Score:3, Funny)

      by KDan ( 90353 )
      With the complete H2G2 read by Douglas Adams himself available, why bother listening to a BBC version? He reads it very well indeed, has a good voice, and for obvious reasons cares about the story enough to render it in a good and entertaining way.

      mod -1, redundant - for the bbc version!

      Daniel
      • The first 2 books as done by BBC radio were funny, very well acted and very well put together. Much , much better than just listening to someone read the book (And the radio shows are different anyway)

        Have you ever listened to the radio show?
      • ...it was live action: ie a radio drama, not just reading out of the book. big (but cheap!) production, full stereo effects, the book was BASED UPON THE RADIO SERIES that DNA wrote, for god's sake. even the radio scripts book is brilliant.

        if you have to ask, you've not heard it. i've got it all on mp3 and it still sounds great.

      • Remember the first two books were novelisations of the radio series even though they were different in many places. For example the first book ends at the point that Douglas Adams had got to when the courier arrived for the manuscript.
        • ...and the continuity knots between the end of the second radio series and the start of the third book will be a nightmare unless the beeb decides to simply ignore them (probably for the best). Let's see - are Arthur and Ford stuck on prehistoric Earth with the Golgafrinchans (book) or is Arthur on the Heart of Gold and Ford, with Zaphod, walking away from a largely unsatisfactory visit to the Ruler of The Galaxy and what it pleases him to think of as his cat (radio)? Will there ever be a supply of small,

    • The BBC have all their radio stations available with Real Audio feeds here [bbc.co.uk].

    • Think about it - when was the last time you actually *looked forward* to something on the radio? And when was the lst time on TV?

      That's why I run an icecast station [fiftyfly.mine.nu] - if I want to hear it, it goes on the 'radio'.

      More seriously, though, there is the odd radio program worth hearing. I try to catch Ideas [radio.cbc.ca] on a regular basis. There's also stuff like Public [ckua.org] Radio [npr.org] that'll often air interesting stuff.

    • when was the last time you actually *looked forward* to something on the radio? When the interview/requiem for DNA was on... so about 2 years ago
    • Most evenings of the week I look forward to listening to Radio3 , expecially Late Junction and Andy Kershaw's world music show.

      On TV I look forward to live football especially when the toon (Newcastle United) are playing, "Taggart" and "Have I got News for You"

    • Although, of course, you could listen to non-normal radio and get a tremendous fix of HitchHiker's Guide, The Goon Show, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Just a Minute, Earthsearch, Sherlock Holmes and a whole host of other comedy and drama radio shows on BBC7 (DAB, Freeview, Cable, Satellite and Internet) [bbc.co.uk]

      Radio 4 [bbc.co.uk], where the new series will be transmitted, is also streamed and quite a lot of recent stuff is also available for a while after transmission (depending on rights). I have a TiVo connected to an old F

    • when was the last time you actually *looked forward* to something on the radio?

      CBC Radio's As It Happens [radio.cbc.ca] weeknights at 6:30PM EST.

    • Think about it - when was the last time you actually *looked forward* to something on the radio?

      Every. Damn. Week. [thisamericanlife.org] So many of This American Life's [thisamericanlife.org] shows have just been completely superb, it's by far my favorite running show of any genre or any medium. Funny. Sad. Uplifting. Depressing. Unforgettable.

      Car Talk [cars.com] is great too, but the main emotional appeal there is "side-splittingly funny". Not that there's anything wrong with that, but TAL can do that when they feel like it, and they branch off in lots

  • Peter Jones... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Jace of Fuse! ( 72042 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @02:38AM (#7404901) Homepage
    Without Peter Jones as "The Book" I'm not sure how I feel about this.

    Also, it's important to point out that there were many differences between the books, the scripts, and the television production.

    Adoption of the remaining three books to Radio by anyone other than DNA himself is something I don't believe will work.
    • I would be happy with Norman Lovett instead.
    • Here [amazon.co.uk] are the 25th anniversary radio scripts. Very good. Very funny.
    • Lame nay-saying whinging.

      Peter Jones was brilliiant, granted, but there was nothing about his style or voice that made him inherently better for the role than dozens of other actors.

      [as a nerdy aside, the guide would probably be written in XML, so could be rendered using XSLT in any medium, written or spoken and in any font or voice]

      On the topic of DNA being the best man for the job to do the adaptation - well of course he would be. Tolkein would have been my choice to do the screenplay for the LOTR tr
      • Peter Jones was brilliiant, granted, but there was nothing about his style or voice that made him inherently better for the role than dozens of other actors.

        <cheeky>except for the long auditioning process which eventually failed to find someone with a sufficiently 'Peter Jones-y' voice, as DNa put it, so Adams and Lloyd hired Peter Jones, of course ;-) </cheeky>

      • Re:Peter Jones... (Score:5, Informative)

        by angusr ( 718699 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @06:35AM (#7405629)
        Sorry, can't agree. Remember that all the way through casting the original series Douglas Adams and the other people involved always said that they were looking for a "you know, a Peter Jones-y sort of voice." Eventually someone pointed out that they could achieve that by casting Peter Jones.

        What DNA was after was a slight air of befuddled incomprehension but total authority, a sort of "I have no idea why this might be the case - but it most certainly is the case" state of mind. If you've heard Peter Jones on "Just a Minute" you'll know why he was perfect for the role.

        I still reckon that the best replacement would have been Oliver Postgate... not only does he have that same befuddled air when narrating the Clangers (et al) but for at least two generations he's a voice you'd instinctively trust. If he said "Don't Panic", you wouldn't...

    • Exactly, without Peter Jones its just not hhgttg.
    • The differences between the versions of the Hitchhikers Guide in its various formats were one of the great strengths of the franchise. There's no other contemporary story that I would read the book, read the scripts, listen to the recording, watch the movie, and watch the TV show. The little twists that DNA added or deleted made each new telling worthwhile.

      I worry that whoever is tasked to write this new version will try to be "true to DNA's legacy", and not add anything to the new telling to distinguish

  • Will it do the books justice? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Max Romantschuk ( 132276 ) <max@romantschuk.fi> on Thursday November 06, 2003 @02:40AM (#7404916) Homepage
    I'm fully aware that the guide started as a radio series in the first place... But I'm still not sure that radio, nor film, can do the books justice. The surreal whimsical quality is just very hard to convey.

    For those who have seen the utterly horrible adaptation of Michael Ende's A Neverending Story, read the book. Really, you should.

    I guess I'm just getting old and cynical or something, but I'm still quite sceptical they'll pull it off.

    • If they take the cue from how the first radioseries turned into books, they probaly chop things up, rewrite the plot, rewrite dialoge, have people act the same way for different reasons (which saves rewriting the dialog) and genraly simply tell the same story ina different way.

      Will it do the books justice? Maybe not, but I think it still might be good. The movies don't do much justice to The Lord of the Rings (I found LotR:TT to do more injustice than justice to the book) but they are still worth seeing,

      • Will it do the books justice? Maybe not, but I think it still might be good. The movies don't do much justice to The Lord of the Rings (I found LotR:TT to do more injustice than justice to the book) but they are still worth seeing, ain't they?

        You make a good point, although I would argue that the LotR movies do the books justice to a much greater degree than most movie-to-book renditions I've seen.

        I guess the fundamental difference is that LotR is a farly simple linear story, whereas the HHGTTG is largel
    • There was also a play that was on in London in the late 70's. After the radio show but before the TV show.

      Some of my friends went to see a 'final' dress rehearsal and it overran by a couple of hours. They were serious hardcore fans and even they hated it.

      So yes, you can the the material and deliver it badly. I hope they do well this time.

      And yeh, Peter Jones - you don't want to be late, as in the late Arthur Dent, it's a threat you know, I'm told they can be quite effective.

      Completely deadpan delive

      • And yeh, Peter Jones - you don't want to be late, as in the late Arthur Dent, it's a threat you know, I'm told they can be quite effective.

        iirc, it was mroe along the lines of (and I've made mistakes here too)

        come quickly, or you'll be late
        late? late for what?
        what is your name earth creature?
        dent. arthur dent
        late as in the late dentartherdent, it's a threat you know, I'm told they can be quite effective :)

        still an excellent bit though, I wonder if they'll have any music by pink floyd that the bbc lawye
    • I'm not sure about this. The thing about the radio plays comming first was that the strange sound affects, tunes and dialogue forced you to imaging just how unbelievably weird everything was with not much description by the characters. The early books were an extrapolation of this. Now with the later books we've all read the books first and so the 'scenery' has been described to us and our imaginations no longer need to work.

      As they say the pictures are *always* better on radio.
    • Michael Ende's A Neverending Story, read the book. Really, you should.

      I did, and it's one of the very, very rare times I think that the movie is better than the book. The first half is alright, but in the end when Bastian becomes all powerful, it's just awful. The book is so boring and so tedious, and Bastian lost all my sympathy. He became a self centered jerk. The only thing I liked about the book was the different colored text to let you know what world things were happening in.
      • Michael Ende's A Neverending Story, read the book. Really, you should.

        I did, and it's one of the very, very rare times I think that the movie is better than the book. The first half is alright, but in the end when Bastian becomes all powerful, it's just awful. The book is so boring and so tedious, and Bastian lost all my sympathy. He became a self centered jerk. The only thing I liked about the book was the different colored text to let you know what world things were happening in.

        The whole point of th
    • But I'm still not sure that radio, nor film, can do the books justice. The surreal whimsical quality is just very hard to convey.

      Quite the opposite: the books never quite captured the atmosphere of the original versions. A lot of effort was put into the sound effects and background music and it paid off.

      TWW

    • I was lucky enough to hear the first series when it was first broadcast (and went to see the play - but the less said about that the better).

      I agree that it is going to be hard for any new incarnations of the story to do it justice. But the real difficulty faced is going to be familiarity with the plot: surely it is one of the most well known about stories of the recent modern age. Part of the captivating thrill of listening to the first series was simply that you had no idea what was going to happen ne
    • In the case of the final book, Mostly Harmless, it is to be sincerely hoped not. They can only make the radio version better.

      Ade_
      /
    • Apparently, the original series had the sound effects workshop up in arms -- Douglas Adams had given them all the instructions they needed, with the wit and clarity well matching the radio series as a whole.

      If you were a sound engineer charged with producing fx, how would YOU react to the sound description of a typical office building flying through space, to pick one example? :-)
      • If you were a sound engineer charged with producing fx, how would YOU react to the sound description of a typical office building flying through space, to pick one example? :-)

        That's easy. First you take the sound of a freight traing passing at moderate speed. You play that back at 2/3 speed, filtering out some highs, and adding hall reverb and flange.

        Then you combine that with the sound of typing and paper shredding.

        Finally add a standard-issue-starship-enterprise-warp-core-hum and we're all done!
    • This is my fear as well. However if someone with a passion for it is acting as producer, hopefully it will work well.
    • For those who have seen the utterly horrible adaptation...

      Or Alan Smithee's extended TV version of Dune..
    • I'm fully aware that the guide started as a radio series in the first place... But I'm still not sure that radio, nor film, can do the books justice. The surreal whimsical quality is just very hard to convey.

      So, you haven't actually heard any of the radio series, yet you're criticzing it?

      *Harumph*

  • Mixed-up order? (Score:3, Funny)

    by KFury ( 19522 ) * on Thursday November 06, 2003 @02:41AM (#7404917) Homepage
    I assume that, in order to pay proper homage to the nature of the migration from radio to books for the original series, they'll rip the three new books apart and rearrange them in seemingly random order?

    (I'm still pissed that the SOBs reordered the Narnia books in current collections. How can you possibly appreciate The Magician's Nephew without having read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Stupidheads.)

    • (I'm still pissed that the SOBs reordered the Narnia books in current collections. How can you possibly appreciate The Magician's Nephew without having read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Stupidheads.)

      Now that's just friggin stupid, CSL had a progression of both world and philosophy throughout the Narnia series that only works with Magician's Nephew late in the series. This progression can be seen to a much greater extent in his Cosmic Trilogy (or Ransom Trilogy) which contains Out of the Silent Pl

    • (I'm still pissed that the SOBs reordered the Narnia books in current collections. How can you possibly appreciate The Magician's Nephew without having read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Stupidheads.)

      well, I don't think they re-ordered as such, the books are in timeline order, but not in order of being written, the magicians nephew is, of course, a prequel.

      I think that nephew and last battle were the worst of the seven, were they written at roughly the same time? I think my favourite was "a horse

    • Re:Mixed-up order? (Score:2, Informative)

      by Jokkey ( 555838 )

      (I'm still pissed that the SOBs reordered the Narnia books in current collections. How can you possibly appreciate The Magician's Nephew without having read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Stupidheads.)

      The reordering was done in an attempt to honor C.S. Lewis's wishes. A couple of quotes, for more information:

      HarperCollins and the C.S. Lewis companiy "renumbered the entire Chronicles of Narnia on the basis of a letter Lewis wrote to a child suggesting that he preferred to read them in Narnian c

  • Wonder how long it'll be before the radioplay makes its way to American radio...
  • I just started reading the third book in the trilogy, too! The probability of this happening must be pretty low..
    • The probability of this happening must be pretty low..

      Well, something this improbable is bound to be the first thing to happen as soon as you consider the improbability drive... :-)
    • I just started reading the third book in the trilogy, too! The probability of this happening must be pretty low..

      "is this sort of thing going to happen everytime we use the improbability drive?"
      "very probably"
      "oh god, zaphod beeblebrox, this is a very large drink. hi!"

  • radiophonics workshop (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I hope the BBC radiophonics workshop is involved once again, since there is no mention of them in the article.
  • I'd love to see this syndicated on public radio, though internet radio will have to do for now. Anyone know of any BBC stations listed on iTunes?

    Damon,

  • The Book (Score:3, Insightful)

    by EngMedic ( 604629 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @02:44AM (#7404938) Homepage
    I'm going to miss Peter Jones as The Book, though...
  • I used to have tapes of the original series when the ABC replayed it years ago (about 1987 or 88 I think), I was about 12 and it blew my mind. They did it in 2x6 hour blocks over two weeks. The first one ended with Ford and Arthur on pre-historic earth. The second one was completely different to the books although there where elements of them in it. Where these two series? And are they available on disc or anything?

    • Re:originals (Score:2, Informative)

      by ColmanReilly ( 632586 )
      Sure, the BBC sell them off their web-site, as do Amazon I expect. CD or cassette sets.

    • I used to have tapes of the original series when the ABC replayed it years ago (about 1987 or 88 I think), I was about 12 and it blew my mind. They did it in 2x6 hour blocks over two weeks. The first one ended with Ford and Arthur on pre-historic earth. The second one was completely different to the books although there where elements of them in it. Where these two series? And are they available on disc or anything?

      Not only did I get mp3's of the radio series off WinMX, I *also* got all 6 television episo

  • Eagles (Score:5, Funny)

    by Doomrat ( 615771 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @03:16AM (#7405031) Homepage

    I wonder if they'll still use The Eagles - Journey of the Sorceror for the theme.

    I had a nightmare about the upcoming movie. I dreamed that Linkin Park covered this song for the soundtrack. I hadn't woken up screaming like that for years. My sheets were wet, and I don't mean with passion.

  • I cannot tell you exactly why - but I'm afraid of the movie, but I am glad to hear about the BBC plans.

    And I know exactly where my towel is...
  • ... if I have to listen to any more 'poetry' I'll gouge out my ears with a spoon...
  • Yes, I admit to being a shameless fanboy of DNA's work. I would read starwars/neon genesis evangelion slash/erotica if someone told me he wrote it. That they're making a radio progamme out of it? Excellent. The movie? I know it's going to suck, but I hope against hope that the story is given at least half of the justice that its due. After reading the books, I tried to write a screenplay to it. I got as far as choosing who to play which parts: Hugh Grant as Dent. The "prodigal roommate" of A Beautif

    • Re:Shameless fanboy (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Joel Rowbottom ( 89350 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @04:19AM (#7405235) Homepage
      ISTR that Douglas himself had a 'dream cast' for the movie, which (from memory) included:
      • Simon Jones as Arthur (naturally)
      • Jeff Goldblum as Ford
      • Eddie Murphy as Zaphod
      I can't remember who the preferred choices for Marvin and Trillian were, but I'm sure you can dig for it somewhere.

      And before someone volunteers Danny John-Jules as Zaphod, no no no no no - he's great as Cat but if he played Zaphod, it'd just be the cat with two heads.

      Hmm, cat with two heads. Let me get my hacksaw...

  • Check out the link to the radio series mp3's :-) http://www.neurotoxin.net/~jsbehr/hhgttg/

  • Why is this the "tertiary" phase, given only one radio series has been made so far? (Was the secondary phase the TV adaptation?)

    Given that the original radio series anticipated a lot of what happened in the first 3 books, it will be interesting to see if the new show takes account of that or if it tries to be a faithful adaptation of the books.

    (BTW, any HHGTTG fan who has not heard the series should definitely do so -- OK so the characters' voices were nothing like what I had imagined, but it's brilliant

    • Re:what was sceond? (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      There were two series of HHGTTG broadcast on the radio, with the second series being waaaaaay different to the storyline in the books.

      See amazon.co.uk [amazon.co.uk]
  • Those joining them will include William Franklyn as the voice of the Book...


    I looked him up on IMDb [imdb.com] and I'm none the wiser.

    I wonder if he'll be doing a Peter Jones impression, or if they'll just explain it away as an upgrade to the book's firmware, or something

    • Personally, I wonder if they'll bother explaining it at all. I wonder because I also can't help but wonder how close of an adaptation this is going to be. If they hedge closely to the books, they'll need to either go to some length to explain the very different place that the second radio series ended up when compared to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe novel, or disregard much of the second radio series entirely. Specifically, they'll need to explain what happens to Ford and Zaphod, reintroduce Tr



  • ...He said, gratuitously
    • First of all, it's "Belgium", not "Belgian".

      Second of all, you didn't use it in a Serious Screenplay.
      • You are, of course, correct. What do you expect of one with somewhat less intelligence than Arthur Dent.

        (We're never quite so dumb as when we are trying to be smart -- Linus Van Pelt)

  • An as to why it took so long.... (Score:4, Funny)

    by red floyd ( 220712 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @11:40AM (#7407792)
    W-E... A-P-O-L-O-G-I-Z-E... F-O-R... T-H-E... I-N-C-O-N-V-E-N-I-E-N-C-E

    [this text is inserted to defeat the lameness filter, because nobody would ever be *quoting* something in all caps, so it's obviously lame]
  • Is it okay to admit that I prefer the BBC TV Series [amazon.com]? Killer music, funky pseudo "advanced" fake computer graphics, and some excellent spaceship models. It's a pity about Zaphod's lame extra head though.
  • You goddamn fuckers! Don't do it! Adams was a genius. You guys are nothing...NOTHING!

    Go make cinderella 3, you fucking Disney media whores. Douglas Adams is DEAD, and nothing will bring him back. DO NOT URINATE ON HIS GRAVE!

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