BBC Mini-Series: The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

A gentle greetings to my readers as today we try something a tad more cultured as compared to last week of jiggly girl anime. Dear lord that was painful to sit through. No, this week I took it upon myself to give us something a bit more stimulating, looking into our fellows across the pond. I have noticed thus far of my many recommendations to view this or listen to that, I have not been disappointed. This week shall consist of BBC Mini-Series. Commonly this is a feature via Television that is comprised of 6 episodes ranging roughly between 2 and a half hours to about 4. Today we look at that radio show, that became a series of books into a mini-series and then finally film. So grab your towel, pack your electronic thumb and don't panic. This is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Hmm forgot a line or did one of them break wind?

Brought to use by the Sci-Fi/Comedy stylings of the late Douglas Adams tells the tale of a unsuspecting ape descendant who no longer pick fleas of his guests. His name is Arthur Dent (Simon Jones of BBC2 Playhouse, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Reds, Brideshead Revisited, The Meaning of Life, Brazil, Black-Adder II, Shrinks and Twelve Monkeys) and someone is trying drive a by-pass through his home. His friend of long standing, Ford Prefect (David Dixon of Escort Girls, Heydays Hotel, The Tempest, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Circles of Deceit: Dark Secret, Original Sin, Holding On and The Bill) who is in fact from a small planetoid in the region of Betelgeuse and not from Gilford after all feels compelled to drag Arthur away from the impeding bulldozing for a drink and conversation.

Squaring away with the contractors on waiting until they return, Ford begins to tell Arthur of an impeding doom for Earth itself. A construction fleet of starships drop out of orbit, explain very nicely that the Earth is scheduled to be demolished for a new hyperspace bypass and it should only take a few minutes of their time. Arthur and Ford hitch a lift on board one of the ships via transmat beam as Ford explains he actually does research for a guide book allowing you to see all the marvels of the universe for no more than 40 Allterian dollars a day.

False advertisement. A fun plastic pal to be with, indeed.

Due an extremely painful embark on Vogon poetry, our heroes bluff their way through it only to be chucked into space via airlock without as so much as a by your leave. Possibly 20 seconds worth of air remaining, our twosome is scooped up by another vessel with an improbability of 2 to the power of 260199:1-0 that it is scarcely worth mentioning...unless you are rescued by Zaphod Beeblebrox (Mark Wing-Davey of The Third Part of King Henry VI, Richard III, A Winter Harvest, Big Deal, A Sort of Innocence, Resurrected, One Against the Wind and Final Fantasy XII) Ford's semi-cousin from 4 of his mothers and former galatic president and Trillian (Sandra Dickinson of Cover, Philip Marlowe, Private Eye, Triangle, The Lonely Lady, Supergirl, The Clairvoyant, The Two Ronnies, Eisenhower & Lutz, Blato and Space Truckers) an astrophysicist that Arthur once met at a party and failed to get anywhere with.

Life playing silly buggers with our cast of outcasts they traipse about the universe searching for the imponderables of life, the universe and everything. They are hunted, shot at, ridiculed and in general have quite the adventure in spite of Marvin the paranoid and manically depressed android (Stephen Moore of Play for Today, Rough Cut, Diversion, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Where the Boys Are, The Last Place on Earth, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4, Small World and Thompson).

Originally a 12 part radio play written by Douglas Adams while writing for Doctor Who at the time, the actual voice cast joins the mini-series with the exception of Jeffrey McGiven was replaced by David Dixon. A last minute replacement playing the Dish of the Day at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe was Peter Davison of Doctor Who fame suggested by his now ex-wife Sandra Dickinson.

I'm not getting you down, am I?

Favourite Fours: City of Death

Felicitations Whovians and welcome to Day 4 of Favourite Fours. Journeying further ahead we meet up with The Doctor and second regeneration of Time Lady Romanadvoratreludar or Romana for short... which she dislikes. On a whim, Romana has regenerated into the likeness of Princess Astra of Atrios from the serial Destiny of the Daleks and they are well on their way back to Earth to experience a holiday in Paris. This is City of Death.

Mossman: The Last Starfighter.

400 million years B.C. A pilot Scaroth attempts to break orbit from the prehistoric planet Earth but fails thus killing everyone on board. 1979 A.D. The Doctor and Romana (Lalla Ward of Vampire Circus, The Upper Crusts, Matushka, The Duchess of Duke Street, Doctor Who and Riviera) are enjoying the sites of Paris and decide for a fine dining where the Doctor claims this bistro does a wonderful bouillabaisse. At the restaurant, the Doctor and Romana experience a time loop while a local artist captures Romana in a sketch. As they look over the sketch they see a clock face in the place of Romana's with a crack in it, as if it were a crack in time. Not assuming the lad had a bit of artistic license, the Doctor is worried about time folding in on itself.

Off to investigate but a slight detour is called for as the Doctor takes Romana to the Louvre in order to appreciate the Mona Lisa, a painting in the Doctor's opinion as unique in the universe. Romana does not seem impressed overall but another temporal hiccup occurs and 20 or so seconds repeats itself when the Doctor bumps into a lady, acquires her bracelet, then heads out.

Timelord and lady about Paris.

The Doctor and Romana are followed by a man in a trenchcoat with a gat in the hand. After a few more encounters with this idiot with a gun, Duggan (Tom Chadbon of Tess, Dance with a Stranger, Shooting Fish and Casino Royale) the three of them are whisked away to find why they are so interested in Countess Scarlioni's bracelet as it is an "antique" that happens to be not of this Earth. The Countess (Catherine Schell of Moon Zero Two, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Space: 1999 and The Return of the Pink Panther) is dissatisfied with the Doctor's answers but the lot of them are locked in the cellar for presumably further questioning. With the aid of the sonic screwdriver, the three proceed to further the investigation around the chateau discovering a scientist, Dr. Kerensky (David Graham of Supercar, Fireball XL5, Doctor Who, Stingray and Thunderbirds Are Go!) who is conducting temporal experiments for greater food production in order to end famine. When it is discovered all he is creating is a different space-time continuum he does not know what to make of his failure.

Temporal anamolies, gunsels adhering to a Count and Countess orders and a missing scientist in league. What can the Doctor do to correct these temporal hiccups? How is Count Scarlioni involved?

Some bits of trivia about this serial now. Oh you knew that was on its way.

Accomplished sci-fi/comedy novelist Douglas Adams penned this serial to pay the bills while working The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This serial was watched by no less than 12.5 million for its original release. K9 was unable to operate due to difficulties and had to be completely absent this serial while filming in Paris. This is the first Doctor Who shot outside the UK throughout various spots of Paris. There was supposed to be a pull back shot of the Doctor and Romana on the Eiffel Tower alone when the special fish eye lens they rented from a Spanish firm would not and could not be made to fit the BBC camera.   

Really sir, why do you choose to be without a comforting beard?