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The Original Hitchhiker Radio Scripts
The legendary BBC series did indeed push back the barriers of radio comedy, and in so doing so spawned records, books, a stage production, a TV series, a computer adventure game, even a towel, and attracted a deluge of letters from curious audiences throughout the world.
To satisfy this curiosity, here are the twelve original radio scripts – Hitch-Hiker as it was originally written, and exactly as it was broadcast on Radio 4 for the very first time. They include amendments and additions made during recordings, bits which were reluctantly cut for reasons of time, and notes on the writing and producing of the series by Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins.
For those who have always longed to know why, who, how, when, where, and what its all about, these scripts are essential reading.
To satisfy this curiosity, here are the twelve original radio scripts – Hitch-Hiker as it was originally written, and exactly as it was broadcast on Radio 4 for the very first time. They include amendments and additions made during recordings, bits which were reluctantly cut for reasons of time, and notes on the writing and producing of the series by Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins.
For those who have always longed to know why, who, how, when, where, and what its all about, these scripts are essential reading.
248 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1985
About the author
Douglas Adams
153 books22.5k followersDouglas Noël Adams was an English author, comic radio dramatist, and musician. He is best known as the author of the
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
series. Hitchhiker's began on radio, and developed into a "trilogy" of five books (which sold more than fifteen million copies during his lifetime) as well as a television series, a comic book series, a computer game, and a feature film that was completed after Adams' death. The series has also been adapted for live theatre using various scripts; the earliest such productions used material newly written by Adams. He was known to some fans as Bop Ad (after his illegible signature), or by his initials "DNA".
In addition to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams wrote or co-wrote three stories of the science fiction television series Doctor Who and served as Script Editor during the seventeenth season. His other written works include the Dirk Gently novels, and he co-wrote two Liff books and Last Chance to See, itself based on a radio series. Adams also originated the idea for the computer game Starship Titanic, which was produced by a company that Adams co-founded, and adapted into a novel by Terry Jones. A posthumous collection of essays and other material, including an incomplete novel, was published as The Salmon of Doubt in 2002.
His fans and friends also knew Adams as an environmental activist and a lover of fast cars, cameras, the Macintosh computer, and other "techno gizmos".
Toward the end of his life he was a sought-after lecturer on topics including technology and the environment.
In addition to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams wrote or co-wrote three stories of the science fiction television series Doctor Who and served as Script Editor during the seventeenth season. His other written works include the Dirk Gently novels, and he co-wrote two Liff books and Last Chance to See, itself based on a radio series. Adams also originated the idea for the computer game Starship Titanic, which was produced by a company that Adams co-founded, and adapted into a novel by Terry Jones. A posthumous collection of essays and other material, including an incomplete novel, was published as The Salmon of Doubt in 2002.
His fans and friends also knew Adams as an environmental activist and a lover of fast cars, cameras, the Macintosh computer, and other "techno gizmos".
Toward the end of his life he was a sought-after lecturer on topics including technology and the environment.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
February 6, 2016
I expected these scripts to be exactly like the books, but was pleasantly surprised. I only read them to be a thorough Hitchhiker's Guide enthusiast, I did not expect to find new plots, characters, and yes, even Guide entries.
These are absolutely marvellous and hilarious beyond what the Geneva Convention would approve.
These are absolutely marvellous and hilarious beyond what the Geneva Convention would approve.
April 30, 2021
this one is for Zaphod "Z-Dog" Beeblebrox, the OG boy with the boomin' system
July 13, 2021
The books are better, but hard core fans should read this, too, if only for the sound effects descriptions. There are so many hidden gems in the bits only the crew was able to read.
July 1, 2022
If the late Douglas Adams had a fault, it was that he kept revisiting, and revisiting, and revisiting The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The fact is, he had it right the first time, as this collection of the original radio scripts more than proves.
Aired on BBC radio and later on NPR in the United States, this is the original form of what became a TV series, a film - I think two films - and a series of books. I know all of them have their fans, but they became increasingly accreted with stuff that Adams might have used better in original projects. The radio scripts demonstrate the wacky brilliance of Adams' vision.
This book - well out of print - boasts not only all of the original radio scripts, it includes material that was trimmed, music notes, information on casting, and commentary by both Adams and producer Geoffrey Perkins that simultaneously enlightens and entertains. The process that went into this remains fascinating. The fact that I could read through the book and recognize a lot of material that's still rattling around my brain 40 years later says a lot about not only Adams' originality and creative punch, but also the staying power of the material, the production, and the acting.
Aired on BBC radio and later on NPR in the United States, this is the original form of what became a TV series, a film - I think two films - and a series of books. I know all of them have their fans, but they became increasingly accreted with stuff that Adams might have used better in original projects. The radio scripts demonstrate the wacky brilliance of Adams' vision.
This book - well out of print - boasts not only all of the original radio scripts, it includes material that was trimmed, music notes, information on casting, and commentary by both Adams and producer Geoffrey Perkins that simultaneously enlightens and entertains. The process that went into this remains fascinating. The fact that I could read through the book and recognize a lot of material that's still rattling around my brain 40 years later says a lot about not only Adams' originality and creative punch, but also the staying power of the material, the production, and the acting.
May 15, 2022
Hmm, an interesting book.
I found the book difficult to understand, but amusing at the same time. I think some of the messages to take away from the book are: 'Don't panic', humans take themselves far too seriously, and learn to accept that there are many things that are not in our control.
It is quite funny that when the whole planet is about to be destroyed, Arthur's main concern is that his house was being demolised.
Thought provoking quote: “I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
I found the book difficult to understand, but amusing at the same time. I think some of the messages to take away from the book are: 'Don't panic', humans take themselves far too seriously, and learn to accept that there are many things that are not in our control.
It is quite funny that when the whole planet is about to be destroyed, Arthur's main concern is that his house was being demolised.
Thought provoking quote: “I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
July 28, 2022
Na al die jaren nog steeds leuk. Heerlijk gestoord en chaotisch om de originele scripts te lezen. Wat moeten die gasten een lol hebben gehad tijdens de opnamen.
December 4, 2011
25th Anniversary Edition of the scripts that launched a billion quips.
March 1978 saw the first ever transmission of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" on BBC Radio 4; the beginning of a cult phenomenon. This 25th Anniversary edition of the scriptbook includes a previously unpublished Hitchhiker script, 'Sheila's Ear'; a new introduction by producer Geoffrey Perkins; and a Who's Who of all those involved in the radio series.
As well as all the new material, of course there are the twelve original radio scripts - Hitchhiker as it was written and exactly as it was broadcast for the very first time. They include amendments and additions made during recordings and original notes on the writing and producing of the series by Adams and Perkins.
For those who have always loved Adams, as well as for his new generation of fans, these scripts are essential reading - with the previously 'lost' script making this edition a must-have piece of Adams memorabilia.
From the Inside FlapThe original, complete, and totally unedited scripts from the now famous BBC "Hitchhiker Radio Show." Join Douglas Adams on an epic adventure in time and space--including some helpful advice on how to see the universe for less than 30 Altairian dollars a day.
About the AuthorDouglas Adams created all the various and contradictory manifestations of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: radio, novels, TV, computer game, stage adaptations, comic book and bath towel. He lectured and broadcast around the world and was a patron of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and Save the Rhino International. Douglas Adams was born in Cambridge, UK and lived with his wife and daughter in Islington, London, before moving to Santa Barbara, California, where he died suddenly in 2001. After Douglas died the movie of Hitchhiker moved out of development hell into the clear uplands of production, using much of Douglas' original script and ideas. Douglas shares the writing credit for the movie with Karey Kirkpatrick.
December 18, 2007
I picked up a copy of The Original Hitchhiker Radio Scripts several months ago, about the same time I was re-listening to the show tapes. I finished reading thru this just in time for the movie.
Arthur Dent, an unremarkable human on an unremarkable planet in an unremarkable part of the galaxy, is swept up in a wholly remarkable adventure when his planet is destroyed to make way for an interstellar bypass. He is rescued by a writer for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; they in turn are rescued by Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Galaxy who stole the ship Heart of Gold in order to search for a mythical planet. Things start getting complicated at this point.
Not only do the scripts replicate the radio shows, but some of the lines that were cut for time or other reasons have been restored. In addition, notes about each episode are included, as well as forewords by Adams and Geoffrey Perkins. Having first been introduced to the Hitchhiker universe via the novels, I found it quite interesting to see how the story evolved from this version to the novels, since a good chunk of the later episodes ended up in The Restaurant at the End of the Galaxy. If you're not used to reading scripts, sifting your way thru the directions can be a bit of a challenge at first, but worth the work.
Recommended to Adams fans, whether or not you already have the radio shows or not.
Arthur Dent, an unremarkable human on an unremarkable planet in an unremarkable part of the galaxy, is swept up in a wholly remarkable adventure when his planet is destroyed to make way for an interstellar bypass. He is rescued by a writer for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; they in turn are rescued by Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Galaxy who stole the ship Heart of Gold in order to search for a mythical planet. Things start getting complicated at this point.
Not only do the scripts replicate the radio shows, but some of the lines that were cut for time or other reasons have been restored. In addition, notes about each episode are included, as well as forewords by Adams and Geoffrey Perkins. Having first been introduced to the Hitchhiker universe via the novels, I found it quite interesting to see how the story evolved from this version to the novels, since a good chunk of the later episodes ended up in The Restaurant at the End of the Galaxy. If you're not used to reading scripts, sifting your way thru the directions can be a bit of a challenge at first, but worth the work.
Recommended to Adams fans, whether or not you already have the radio shows or not.
April 29, 2015
I shall never forget sitting on the school coach home one day, with my friend Becky telling me about this absolutely brilliant new radio programme on BBC Radio 4. So, although I’d missed the first episode, I caught the second, and immediately became completely and utterly hooked. I hadn’t been much of a radio listener before that, but here was a series that had everything: the well-paced plot was imaginative yet believable, well-acted, very funny, and the sound effects were absolutely fantastic. Prior to HHGTTG the only space fiction I’d read much of came from the pens of HG Wells and Arthur C Clarke; both of whom now seemed so terribly serious!
Though I later bought and read all of the HHGTTG books, I eventually gave them away; because it’s the radio scripts which I like to return to. Like Shakespeare, HHGTTG entered my stream of consciousness; quoting in everyday conversation such gems as “The Milliard Gargantuabrain? A mere abacus, mention it not” when (for example)talking about Fourier-Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy! Another of my favourites, when problem solving was “We just have to sidle up to the problem sideways when it’s not looking and … pounce!” Even when I use that line today, very often someone will smile at me knowingly and say “Ford Prefect!”
The advantage of radio over television lies in, of course, the imagination of the listener. Reading and re-reading the HHGTTG scripts is almost as good as listening to a recording of the radio programmes again; better in some ways because the reader can pause on the page, and simply enjoy the sheer craftsmanship of it all.
Though I later bought and read all of the HHGTTG books, I eventually gave them away; because it’s the radio scripts which I like to return to. Like Shakespeare, HHGTTG entered my stream of consciousness; quoting in everyday conversation such gems as “The Milliard Gargantuabrain? A mere abacus, mention it not” when (for example)talking about Fourier-Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy! Another of my favourites, when problem solving was “We just have to sidle up to the problem sideways when it’s not looking and … pounce!” Even when I use that line today, very often someone will smile at me knowingly and say “Ford Prefect!”
The advantage of radio over television lies in, of course, the imagination of the listener. Reading and re-reading the HHGTTG scripts is almost as good as listening to a recording of the radio programmes again; better in some ways because the reader can pause on the page, and simply enjoy the sheer craftsmanship of it all.
December 24, 2015
After reading a few plays by Stoppard and Sophocles, these Radio Scripts were quite a breeze-through!
It's great to find the beginning of a franchise that's spawned numerous incarnations (by the same, original author)--such as a television series, a movie, a five-book trilogy and a stage play--telling the same story in slightly different ways. Douglas Adams would write according to how the product would be presented; For TV he would re-write parts that would better translate (ie, could actually be done), but for radio when he got the green light he just had at it! No scenerio was too rediculous! No character too bizarre!
It was simple to read the pages and imagine the characters speaking. Douglas would explain what sound effects he'd want, how they should sound here and there, how an actor should speak their dialogue and what bits of music to use and it really showed his creativity attempting to convey what was in his head to others on the page. The end of every episode or "fit" had neat little trivia about it, including what music was used or how they achieved certain sound effects. Also, you'd get the background on classic Hitchhiker traits, such as the infamous obsession with towels (wasn't even introduced until episode seven!)
A great read for any Hitch-hiker fan, and hey, maybe now that I've READ the radio series, I'll have a listen!
It's great to find the beginning of a franchise that's spawned numerous incarnations (by the same, original author)--such as a television series, a movie, a five-book trilogy and a stage play--telling the same story in slightly different ways. Douglas Adams would write according to how the product would be presented; For TV he would re-write parts that would better translate (ie, could actually be done), but for radio when he got the green light he just had at it! No scenerio was too rediculous! No character too bizarre!
It was simple to read the pages and imagine the characters speaking. Douglas would explain what sound effects he'd want, how they should sound here and there, how an actor should speak their dialogue and what bits of music to use and it really showed his creativity attempting to convey what was in his head to others on the page. The end of every episode or "fit" had neat little trivia about it, including what music was used or how they achieved certain sound effects. Also, you'd get the background on classic Hitchhiker traits, such as the infamous obsession with towels (wasn't even introduced until episode seven!)
A great read for any Hitch-hiker fan, and hey, maybe now that I've READ the radio series, I'll have a listen!
December 16, 2018
If you mention this book to your average British bookworm their eyes light up and they get super excited - similar sight when someones mentions Harry Potter to me. You can tell their are avid fans. In fact, this book is a prominent series in British popular culture, and as well as becoming a international phenomenon. This is just the first book in a 6 part series, it's got a radio show (thats actually how it started!), TV series, stage shows, video games, comic books and most recently a film starring Martin Freeman. The world is positively obsessed!
Sadly, I cannot say I fall into that category. Trust me, no one is more upset about this news then I am. I just did not find it entertaining, funny or prolific in any sense of the word. There were several factors for disliking this book, and I've managed to narrow it down to two things; characters and theme of absurdity.
I struggled with the fact that all the characters were quite annoying, meaning I wasn't really rooting for anyone. You have Arthur, the main protagonist, who is meant to represent the human race and I believe the reader as well, that is just shocked for most of the novel and confused (as are we!). Then there is his vague and preoccupied best-friend alien Ford Prefect, who occasionally answers Arthur's questions and seems a bit on edge for most of the book. He's meant to represent the nomad journalist longing for adventure and wanting to update his guide to the universe. There is also a depressed robot (who I probably relate to most on this book while reading it), an arrogant president of the Imperial Galactic Government, Zaphod Beeblebrox (slightly more intelligent than Trump). I understand that most of his characters are trying to prove a certain point i.e. Vogons are a stab at the beaurocrats while the mice are meant to be a higher intelligent version of humans, etc but the author wrote the book made these characters like subjects in a lab rather than characters that you can sympathise or get to know better.
The other struggle for me was the theme of absurdity that forms the basis of this book. I understand that this is Douglas Adams just poking fun at the government, establishments and the absurd world we call home. It just really didn't fly with me, if anything it agitated me as it was hard to follow the plot and get into the book. What kind of absurdities do you say? Take the entire page written about the importance of towels. Yes, you've read it correctly:
A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value...more importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. (22)
I guess he was trying to be funny here? Just not really a laugh out loud moment for me. There are other things, that aren't only absurd, but that happen randomly, without any cause of meaning. Take Ford Prefect's question to Arthur whether he was busy, when he was trying to stop the bulldozer from destroying his home:
'Ford! Hello, how are you?'
'Fine,' said Ford, 'look are you busy?'
'Am I busy?' exclaimed Arthur. 'Well, I've just got all these bulldozers and things to lie in front go because they'll knock my house down if I don't, but other than that...well, no not especially, why?' (11)
What a hilarious and unexpected response! I could just hear the audience laughing in the background. I can tell that these are meant to be funny, and highlight the absurdity of what was happening but I kept just looking at how many pages were left in the chapter and hoping it would get better I'm afraid to say!
There are many contradictions throughout the novel as well. Such as mice ruling the human race, instead of them being our lab rats. Or the name of the ship that Zophad commands is called Heart of Gold, implying someone that is caring and nice, which is a contradiction because he's a devious, narcissistic and irresponsible fellow. The fact that he's the president of the Imperial Galactic Government just shows us how Douglas Adams views government officials and how manipulated the government body is. Most of the other characters and machines that they encounter in the galaxy are all selfish individuals who are pretending to be all sorts of things if it benefits them.
Douglas Adams is also trying to test our understanding of intelligence, by shattering our view that humans are the more intelligent life forms on the planet, and instead declaring that dolphins and mice are actually the more superior species in the galaxy, for the dolphins knew about the destruction of Earth and tried to, unsuccessfully to warn the humans, and we learn that it was the mice who had actually commissioned Earth to be made:
'Earthman, the planet that you lived on was commissioned, paid for, and run by mice...they are merely the protrusion into our dimensions of vast hyper-intelligent pan-dimentional beings.' (138)
I know this comedy/science fiction novel is meant to be a satire and a stab at establishment and authority but I just couldn't get into it at all. The most fun I had was actually writing this review and looking back and trying to analyse some of the passage and their meaning. He's a brilliant guy and I applaud him for trying something a bit different with this novel, I just can't say I enjoyed the journey particularly. Maybe if I read it a third time...
Check out my other reviews here: https://friendlybookworm.wordpress.co...
Sadly, I cannot say I fall into that category. Trust me, no one is more upset about this news then I am. I just did not find it entertaining, funny or prolific in any sense of the word. There were several factors for disliking this book, and I've managed to narrow it down to two things; characters and theme of absurdity.
I struggled with the fact that all the characters were quite annoying, meaning I wasn't really rooting for anyone. You have Arthur, the main protagonist, who is meant to represent the human race and I believe the reader as well, that is just shocked for most of the novel and confused (as are we!). Then there is his vague and preoccupied best-friend alien Ford Prefect, who occasionally answers Arthur's questions and seems a bit on edge for most of the book. He's meant to represent the nomad journalist longing for adventure and wanting to update his guide to the universe. There is also a depressed robot (who I probably relate to most on this book while reading it), an arrogant president of the Imperial Galactic Government, Zaphod Beeblebrox (slightly more intelligent than Trump). I understand that most of his characters are trying to prove a certain point i.e. Vogons are a stab at the beaurocrats while the mice are meant to be a higher intelligent version of humans, etc but the author wrote the book made these characters like subjects in a lab rather than characters that you can sympathise or get to know better.
The other struggle for me was the theme of absurdity that forms the basis of this book. I understand that this is Douglas Adams just poking fun at the government, establishments and the absurd world we call home. It just really didn't fly with me, if anything it agitated me as it was hard to follow the plot and get into the book. What kind of absurdities do you say? Take the entire page written about the importance of towels. Yes, you've read it correctly:
A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value...more importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. (22)
I guess he was trying to be funny here? Just not really a laugh out loud moment for me. There are other things, that aren't only absurd, but that happen randomly, without any cause of meaning. Take Ford Prefect's question to Arthur whether he was busy, when he was trying to stop the bulldozer from destroying his home:
'Ford! Hello, how are you?'
'Fine,' said Ford, 'look are you busy?'
'Am I busy?' exclaimed Arthur. 'Well, I've just got all these bulldozers and things to lie in front go because they'll knock my house down if I don't, but other than that...well, no not especially, why?' (11)
What a hilarious and unexpected response! I could just hear the audience laughing in the background. I can tell that these are meant to be funny, and highlight the absurdity of what was happening but I kept just looking at how many pages were left in the chapter and hoping it would get better I'm afraid to say!
There are many contradictions throughout the novel as well. Such as mice ruling the human race, instead of them being our lab rats. Or the name of the ship that Zophad commands is called Heart of Gold, implying someone that is caring and nice, which is a contradiction because he's a devious, narcissistic and irresponsible fellow. The fact that he's the president of the Imperial Galactic Government just shows us how Douglas Adams views government officials and how manipulated the government body is. Most of the other characters and machines that they encounter in the galaxy are all selfish individuals who are pretending to be all sorts of things if it benefits them.
Douglas Adams is also trying to test our understanding of intelligence, by shattering our view that humans are the more intelligent life forms on the planet, and instead declaring that dolphins and mice are actually the more superior species in the galaxy, for the dolphins knew about the destruction of Earth and tried to, unsuccessfully to warn the humans, and we learn that it was the mice who had actually commissioned Earth to be made:
'Earthman, the planet that you lived on was commissioned, paid for, and run by mice...they are merely the protrusion into our dimensions of vast hyper-intelligent pan-dimentional beings.' (138)
I know this comedy/science fiction novel is meant to be a satire and a stab at establishment and authority but I just couldn't get into it at all. The most fun I had was actually writing this review and looking back and trying to analyse some of the passage and their meaning. He's a brilliant guy and I applaud him for trying something a bit different with this novel, I just can't say I enjoyed the journey particularly. Maybe if I read it a third time...
Check out my other reviews here: https://friendlybookworm.wordpress.co...
April 6, 2022
There's something about reading these radio scripts which is actually better than listening to the recordings: they actually sound better – modern audio equipment is too good, when I read the scripts I can 'hear' the sound quality of 1978 when these were first broadcast! I can hear Simon Jones and Geoffrey McGivern as Arthur and Ford, Peter Jones as the Book, the Stephen Moore's wonderful portrayal of Marvin.
"Hitch-Hiker's", of course, started off as a radio programme. I was a student when the first two seasons were broadcast. Nothing else on this planet – with the possible exception of Debbie Harry appearing on "Top of the Pops" – could have got me out of the pub.
Lovely introduction by Geoffrey Perkins hinting at the chaotic excitement of those extraordinary radio shows. We've become used to images of TV shows and movies put together with seamless efficiency, suited execs sitting round in plush offices organising scripts and designing entertainments by committee … bottomless budgets, all the magic and resources of modern technology. They churn out anodyne, instantly forgettable product.
And then there's the originality, genius, flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants near chaos of "Hitch-Hiker's", held together by players who could inject character into scripts with only a few second's notice. You can 'hear' this in the scripts – the actors walking that tightrope, no safety nets, stepping into legend. Unforgettable performances – you read these scripts and you marvel at the quality of the people cobbling this show together with seconds to spare. Printed words which drip with excitement and adrenalin.
Genius is inspirational – it can have an infectious immediacy. It's not designed by committee or authorised by executive decision, it doesn't adhere to a rigid timetable. It's a very English production (I'm Scottish), very Southern English, very middle class, and the radio shows are in the highest tradition of English literature and theatre.
If you're a "Hitch-Hiker's" fan, you need these scripts. If you're new to the stories, read these scripts before you listen to the programmes … get a sense of the pressures the actors and sound crew were under producing the tales. Read this, listen to the broadcast, watch the TV versions, read the books – ignore the execrable movie.
As a bonus, the book offers a 1985 introduction by Adams himself … tending to undermine the apocryphal account of how he came up with the idea of the Guide … and how bored he must have been with people asking that bane of writers, "Where do you get your ideas from?" There's a lovely insight – "I wanted Hitch-Hiker's to sound like a rock album – he's already described the impact of "Sergeant Pepper".
And, of course, even this introduction was written before the PC colonised the world's desks, before laptops and mobile phones became ubiquitous, before the Internet and social media and Wikipedia … none of which, of course, have "Don't Panic" written all over them.
Listening to those first broadcasts in 1978, the idea of having a handheld device on which you could look up anything … I mean, life, the universe and everything … that idea was beyond science fiction. It was lunacy.
"The Original Radio Scripts" is like a time machine … it reaches into (at the time) an unimaginable future of World Wide Web … and back nearly half a century into nostalgia. It's as emblematic of 1970s England as the Beatles are of the 1960s.
Read … enjoy … marvel.
"Hitch-Hiker's", of course, started off as a radio programme. I was a student when the first two seasons were broadcast. Nothing else on this planet – with the possible exception of Debbie Harry appearing on "Top of the Pops" – could have got me out of the pub.
Lovely introduction by Geoffrey Perkins hinting at the chaotic excitement of those extraordinary radio shows. We've become used to images of TV shows and movies put together with seamless efficiency, suited execs sitting round in plush offices organising scripts and designing entertainments by committee … bottomless budgets, all the magic and resources of modern technology. They churn out anodyne, instantly forgettable product.
And then there's the originality, genius, flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants near chaos of "Hitch-Hiker's", held together by players who could inject character into scripts with only a few second's notice. You can 'hear' this in the scripts – the actors walking that tightrope, no safety nets, stepping into legend. Unforgettable performances – you read these scripts and you marvel at the quality of the people cobbling this show together with seconds to spare. Printed words which drip with excitement and adrenalin.
Genius is inspirational – it can have an infectious immediacy. It's not designed by committee or authorised by executive decision, it doesn't adhere to a rigid timetable. It's a very English production (I'm Scottish), very Southern English, very middle class, and the radio shows are in the highest tradition of English literature and theatre.
If you're a "Hitch-Hiker's" fan, you need these scripts. If you're new to the stories, read these scripts before you listen to the programmes … get a sense of the pressures the actors and sound crew were under producing the tales. Read this, listen to the broadcast, watch the TV versions, read the books – ignore the execrable movie.
As a bonus, the book offers a 1985 introduction by Adams himself … tending to undermine the apocryphal account of how he came up with the idea of the Guide … and how bored he must have been with people asking that bane of writers, "Where do you get your ideas from?" There's a lovely insight – "I wanted Hitch-Hiker's to sound like a rock album – he's already described the impact of "Sergeant Pepper".
And, of course, even this introduction was written before the PC colonised the world's desks, before laptops and mobile phones became ubiquitous, before the Internet and social media and Wikipedia … none of which, of course, have "Don't Panic" written all over them.
Listening to those first broadcasts in 1978, the idea of having a handheld device on which you could look up anything … I mean, life, the universe and everything … that idea was beyond science fiction. It was lunacy.
"The Original Radio Scripts" is like a time machine … it reaches into (at the time) an unimaginable future of World Wide Web … and back nearly half a century into nostalgia. It's as emblematic of 1970s England as the Beatles are of the 1960s.
Read … enjoy … marvel.
July 15, 2021
Obviously, the real way to experience the radio show is to listen to it, but if you haven’t got the recordings and a listening device to hand, here’s a book. The neat bit with the book is that , as well as the scripts for the series, you get some extras with various comments and footnotes from Geoffrey Perkins (the series Producer).
This volume contains the scripts for the original, first two series of H2G2 (the Primary and Secondary Phases), written and broadcast to great success before any of the books were written or published – together, they sort of cover the same ground as the first two books (Earth destroyed by Vogans, Earth as mega-computer working on The Question, Zaphod’s quest for the man who runs the Universe, stranding on prehistoric Earth) but do it in a very different order and with some bits lost and some different bits added.
Which is where the interest here lies. Many fans will argue that the Radio show is The definitive version; but as someone who came to the party via the novels, I like to think that the radio show was the raw first draft and the novels are the True Version of the H2G2 story (a bit like how “The Star Wars” scripts represent a first draft; the movies of Episodes 4-6 are the Real Star Wars). The radio shows certainly veer into a different direction – most of the second series is taken up with bizarre running around on a planet ruined by the Shoe event horizon (talked about in the books but less important) and a colossal statue of Arthur Dent throwing a cup of tea. Trillian is gobbled up by the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (or at least, some alien that thinks it’s the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal) And the lead female is a series of clones that…. And so on. The finale of the series has a matching scene in the books but also contains a much darker twist.
These are for the fans really; the notes from Geoffrey Perkins are interesting but the actual storyline is not as finely crafted as the books. However, Adams’ vast imagination, intellect and seriously funny writing are all on full display and that’s only ever a wonderful thing.
This volume contains the scripts for the original, first two series of H2G2 (the Primary and Secondary Phases), written and broadcast to great success before any of the books were written or published – together, they sort of cover the same ground as the first two books (Earth destroyed by Vogans, Earth as mega-computer working on The Question, Zaphod’s quest for the man who runs the Universe, stranding on prehistoric Earth) but do it in a very different order and with some bits lost and some different bits added.
Which is where the interest here lies. Many fans will argue that the Radio show is The definitive version; but as someone who came to the party via the novels, I like to think that the radio show was the raw first draft and the novels are the True Version of the H2G2 story (a bit like how “The Star Wars” scripts represent a first draft; the movies of Episodes 4-6 are the Real Star Wars). The radio shows certainly veer into a different direction – most of the second series is taken up with bizarre running around on a planet ruined by the Shoe event horizon (talked about in the books but less important) and a colossal statue of Arthur Dent throwing a cup of tea. Trillian is gobbled up by the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (or at least, some alien that thinks it’s the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal) And the lead female is a series of clones that…. And so on. The finale of the series has a matching scene in the books but also contains a much darker twist.
These are for the fans really; the notes from Geoffrey Perkins are interesting but the actual storyline is not as finely crafted as the books. However, Adams’ vast imagination, intellect and seriously funny writing are all on full display and that’s only ever a wonderful thing.
March 28, 2018
The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy is the first of 5 books in the series by Douglas Adams
The novel features the disgruntled character of Arthur Dent an ordinary man with a rather bleak outlook on life.
That soon changed whence a long time friend, Ford Prefect reveals that the world is about to end and that he is in fact an alien who happens to be an expert at navigating the nooks and crannies of the galaxy. The book takes you through their various adventures throughout the galaxy.
The characters in the book were quite unique but a bit too outlandish and one dimensional. Douglas uses characters like waves in the ocean and it was quite annoying as a reader to constantly have to move planets and adapt to a new set of rules and people.
The plot has a similar vibe to this since the characters and their objectives are ever changing. Douglas proves to be humorous as promised however many of his ideas sound like something out of a comic drawn by an eight year old. The ending of the book was quite a good twist but it feels a bit anticlimactic and unsatisfying because of all the effort a reader puts to reading it.
Overall, this book is like a drug. Addictive. As soon as you get bored it drags you back in with a fresh and exciting twist. I can see why it is a bestseller and popular amongst teenagers but it is a bit childish for my liking. Personally I don't think it was worth the time and the overdue notice in my inbox. I would highly recommend it to children below the age of 14 however not for older kids and adults.
The novel features the disgruntled character of Arthur Dent an ordinary man with a rather bleak outlook on life.
That soon changed whence a long time friend, Ford Prefect reveals that the world is about to end and that he is in fact an alien who happens to be an expert at navigating the nooks and crannies of the galaxy. The book takes you through their various adventures throughout the galaxy.
The characters in the book were quite unique but a bit too outlandish and one dimensional. Douglas uses characters like waves in the ocean and it was quite annoying as a reader to constantly have to move planets and adapt to a new set of rules and people.
The plot has a similar vibe to this since the characters and their objectives are ever changing. Douglas proves to be humorous as promised however many of his ideas sound like something out of a comic drawn by an eight year old. The ending of the book was quite a good twist but it feels a bit anticlimactic and unsatisfying because of all the effort a reader puts to reading it.
Overall, this book is like a drug. Addictive. As soon as you get bored it drags you back in with a fresh and exciting twist. I can see why it is a bestseller and popular amongst teenagers but it is a bit childish for my liking. Personally I don't think it was worth the time and the overdue notice in my inbox. I would highly recommend it to children below the age of 14 however not for older kids and adults.
January 1, 2023
4 stars for series 1, 2 for 2, which, boy, is not great. One can understand why Mr. Adams rewrote so much for the novelizations. The lack of Trillian is especially egregious, as well as the ending. Sure, Adams thought they were going to series 3 right away, and thus the ending shouldn't be held against them, but still. This is where you get upset and hurl back at me my usual line of "but it's more time with these characters, which is all we fans really want." Fair enough. Okay, 4 stars instead of 3, but series two is not great.
January 11, 2018
A very good read. Not only do we get to relive our favourite scenes in this weird galaxy of ours, but we get an inside look at how the radio programme was made. The sections detailing how sound effects were produced was particularly interesting, as were the details about the development of the storyline (did you know that Marvin, the paranoid android, wasn't originally meant to be a steady character?).
Worth reading, if you can find it.
Worth reading, if you can find it.
January 12, 2020
Obviously, I prefer listening to the actual recordings than reading the radio scripts, but I think the novels are the best, even though the radio broadcasts were the original medium. Douglas Adams was notorious for his procrastination and missing deadlines (he loved the whooshing noise as they flew past) and the novels have that extra bit of polish. That said, well worth a read for any Hitchhiker fan
March 16, 2020
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of the greatest influences on me in my formative years. I'll talk about that more when I reread the novel series, but for now, let me focus on this book. If you've read the novels, this book (and the radio shows produced from these scripts) tell a story fairly different from the ones you might be used to in the novels. There are many similarities, but by the end of this book they're two different stories. It's a great read for any HHGTG completist.
September 25, 2019
Some very interesting Hitchhiker's Guide ephemera - the original scripts to the original radio program. Included are many small sections and jokes which never made it onto the air, and lengthy footnotes detailing what went into the sound effects and the general making of the series. Great fun for any Douglas Adams fan.
January 14, 2020
It's super funny. You find yourself exhaling through your nose for quite a bit of the book. It's a good read when you want to take a break from being heavily involved in a plot; it allows the reader some breathing room in terms of the ease with which one can imagine such otherworldly characters and places, all the while remaining light-hearted and thoroughly enjoyable.
August 7, 2022
I spent years trying to get my hands on a copy of this book, and it was a justified quest.
The radio scripts are almost, but not quite, entirely unlike the novel.
Most of the first half is just the original version of plots that were in the first two books, but the second half gets into some good stuff that were never put into the books, or put in in a much more miniscule way. Real froody book.
The radio scripts are almost, but not quite, entirely unlike the novel.
Most of the first half is just the original version of plots that were in the first two books, but the second half gets into some good stuff that were never put into the books, or put in in a much more miniscule way. Real froody book.
May 26, 2018
I never listened to the full series; and the radio scripts are interesting not just because of the deviation of the plot line from the books, but also for the notes from Geoffrey Perkins about how the programme was actually made. I can't help think that it must have been a nightmare to make.
February 6, 2017
It was great to read the origins of the books. A lot of this was in the books but I don't think all of it is.
January 17, 2018
I technically listened to these rather than read them, but I own the book; this script is hilarious and just what I expect from Adams.
April 25, 2018
A pleasant read. The usual amusing style of writing. And I have enjoyed the notes at the end of each chapter.
March 8, 2019
IT is a funny way to deliver a otherwise serious storyline
Read
August 10, 2019Roots! Many many many changes in the later versions, but this is (close to) the start of it all.
July 20, 2020
My fav
September 28, 2021
ცოტა განსხვავებული ეპიზოდებია ვიდრე წიგნებში. ზოგი რამე უკეთაა ახსნილი. ზოგი პირიქით.
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