The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

'What does it say now?' 'Mostly harmless.'

So says the Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy's definition of the recently exterminated Planet Earth, as Arthur Dent goes on a fabulous and very silly journey through space and time without even having time to change out of his pyjamas and dressing gown. He's accompanied by his friend Ford Prefect (so called because he chose the name as the one most likely to blend in), a field reporter for the Guide.

The Guide itself of course is a huge best-seller mainly because it has 'Don't Panic' on the front in big letters ...

I'm watching it again as I write, now knowing every line and enjoying it immensely. It looks inept despite the cost (but the animation to create the computer sequences was good). It gives a few visual pointers to the (superior) radio series of the late 1970s, which had many of the same cast (specifically Peter 'voice of the book' Jones, Simon 'Arthur Dent' Jones, and the totally wonderful Mark 'Zaphod Beeblebrox' Wing-Davey - the sexiest two-headed guy you'll see in deep space).

Added to this version is Sandra Dickinson as Trillian, excellent in her bubble bimbo blonde astrophysicist way; and David Dixon as a charming Ford Prefect. There are other good actors in the cast - Colin Jeavons, Dave Prowse, David Rowlands, Richard Vernon, and Peter Davison. And who can forget Marvin 'I'm feeling very depressed' the Paranoid Android, voiced by Stephen Moore?

Can this BBC class act be topped by the upcoming movie? I doubt it. The good news is that many of the cast from this version will be back on the radio continuing the story very soon. That's something to look forward to.

In the meantime, those of you who are waiting for the film and haven't seen this, please seek the original out. So many highlights and so hilarious, not to mention 'What a Wonderful World'. 'Resistance is useless...'.

Imagine, if you will, Doctor Who, Babylon 5, Galactica and Star Trek compacted into a compost heap and recycled by the hands of the Monty Python troupe. Now you're getting the idea.

Douglas Adams (a co-writer for "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", among other things) takes us on a hilarious romp through the universe and the space-time continuum with wimpy nebbish Arthur Dent, intergalactic field researcher Ford Prefect, a beautiful (hyper-intelligent) earth girl, a two headed drunken ex-galactic-president, and a paranoid android.

With clever asides and witty dialog, the mismatched team discovers the origins of the universe, witnesses the end of same (over cocktails and the dish of the day), and scours the universe for a decent cup of tea. Particularly funny are Adams' (through the voice of the narrator) wry observations on humanity and the oddball track that we supposedly-intelligent lifeforms have taken in the grand scheme of things.

All in all, a most satisfying bit of comedy for people who love to think.

I have read through the reviews and find that many people are questioning whether this series is faithful to the books. It pre-dated most of them! I remember listening to the original radio shows on the BBC – I loved them: the humour, the wit, the sheer mind-boggling grandeur of the concept. Later when Adams rewrote his early radio scripts as a book I read it, but was disappointed: for me, it lacked the immediacy and the warmth of the radio scripts – I personally think the later books that were not radio script rewrites were better, or maybe it's just that I wasn't finding fault with differences between the books and the loved original.

Yes this was first a radio show, then a book (later books) and during the process of writing the books was transcribed from radio to a TV comedy in 6 half hour episodes closely matching the equivalent radio episodes from the first (radio) series. Don't assume you are watching a film or a mini-series – you are not! This was produced, because the Radio series was absolutely cult for many baby-boomers who had listened to it during their University years and the BBC recognised the demand and catered for it. Yes it was low budget, yes of course there were many things wrong with it, but Adams, himself, was involved in the TV scripts and the story changes were his or at least approved by him.

For those of us who had loved the radio series, this was good stuff; the right jokes were there and more importantly the late great Peter Jones was still the voice of the book. In fact we had the same Arthur Dent, Zaphod and Marvin as well. I, personally, was reasonably happy with the new Ford Prefect, but oh so disappointed by Sandra Dickenson as Trillian; for me, as for so many, this character had to have Susan Sheridan's voice and I will never be able to imagine her as blond.

It wasn't the radio series, but it was still very good, so please see this show in context as something between the original radio series and the books: it was never an adaptation of a book it was an adaptation of a radio script as were at least half of the books (I say at least half, since Adams wrote more radio scripts than were ever made and I think some of the later books were first conceived as radio scripts). Finally please remember you are criticising what was designed to be a sort of six episode sitcom it was never a mini-series. And for those of you who are only familiar with the books go back to source, if you can, and revel in the original radio series (12 half hour episodes in two series) and please remember these are not an adaptation of the books: these are the original and were made and broadcast before the first book was ever written.

I first listened to the BBC radio broadcast and loved it. Later I read all the books in the series and became a fan for life.

This series follows the books and radio broadcast almost word for word but as someone pointed out earlier, like most books, your own imagination makes it better, provided you have one. I must say though, being a long time fan, a friend bought me this series on two VHS cassettes which included a paper back copy of the 1st book and have to say, I did enjoy it.

The movie that was made in 2005 was a huge disappointment so if you want to watch it, instead of reading or listening to it. I definitely recommend this series.

Unlike the recent Movie, this mini-series is mostly good, and does an excellent job of capturing the quirky spirit of the radio original.

Probably the biggest reason why this adaptation works well is that the marvelous dialogue of the radio version has not been messed up. There are changes (as there have been in every medium the guide has been adapted into), but unlike the film version, the best and most memorable parts haven't been tampered with – See the memorable quotes section for examples of this. The biggest difference between this version and the film may be that Douglas Adams was directly involved with the production of the Television version, but sadly was not around to oversee the film version, for which the loss is evident.

The special effects aren't great (think Doctor Who, circa 1980), but the performances are enough fun that it doesn't matter all that much. Many of the cast members are the originals from the radio series, and even those that aren't originals mostly do a good job with their characters. The one exception is Sandra Dickinson, who just isn't convincing as Trillian – She's supposed to a very bright astrophysicist, but comes across as a bimbo/airhead. Still, the rest of the casting is excellent, so this one lapse can be forgiven.

The best part of the whole series is the visuals for the actual Guide. These are extraordinarily detailed animations, buttressing Peter Jones' voice-over from the radio original with lots of extra visual jokes and humor. One of the best parts about being able to watch this on DVD is the ability to freeze-frame some of the more interesting bits to be able to better appreciate all of the funny stuff contained within. These visuals were actually accomplished using a painstaking manual animation technique to simulate the computer displays, as 1980-era computers just weren't up to the job of doing things like this. Ironically, the simulated computer animations are a lot funnier than the actual computer animations (with 25 years worth of improved technology) in the film version.

In sum, given the choice between this and the film version, I would take this any time. The DVD version also includes lots of extra material – production notes, making-of documentaries, and a tribute to the late Douglas Adams.