The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy: What's your favourite version?

[SiHart]

Yesterday I had a marvellous time watching the whole of the TV series of The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. But with there being so many different versions available these days, I wonder what PS's favourite version is and why you all like the version you do.

Si xx

[Lissa]

I voted for the radio series because it is the original version and the one Adams wrote with the most freedom. He could literally go anywhere and do anything. The lack of planning and the lack of structure only adds to the story. When Adams had a fully worked out plot in advance, the results were either baffling (Dirk Gently) or boring (Life, the Universe and Everything). The radio series is free, fast and loose and rather marvellous.

It also contains stuff you don't get anywhere else - the series 1 material that John Lloyd co-wrote and most of series 2 - that is as good as anything anywhere else in the franchise.

I feel strangely cold about the newer radio series - it's very well made and does feel part of the same thing when you hear them back to back inspite of the huge gap. I think that's probably just the material they are adapting being less good than the first two parts.

That said, I like all the versions I've see, read and heard. The film has some wonderful moments in it (and Zooey Deschanel is gorgeous) and I hope one day they make a sequel. It certainly doesn't deserve its poor reputation.

[Dirk Gently]

By some divine guidence no doubt you have listed them in order of my preference.
Radio Show first, TV series then Books & then the movie.
It did make me laugh when people were critising the movie for being too different to the book when they bear little resemblence to the original Radio Show or the later TV series. It is a series that has no format as such & can change itself faster than a Haggunenon changes shape.

[SiHart]

The TV Series for me, because it was my very first encoutner with Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect. I adored when i first saw it aged 11 and I as evidenced by my sitting down and watching the whole thing yesterday I still love it now.

I then read the books, which are mostly a delight. But I do love the radio series (even the new ones) but I'm nearly as fond of them because I came to them so much later. The second series is rather good though, even though it's mostly ignored in the continuity these days.

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

The radio series contains some pretty dire stuff, such as the shoe event horizon and even the Lintilla faffing about, which thankfully never saw the light of day again. Against that, it also contains such wonderful moments as the wise old bird, and the cup held in the air by art, neither of which sadly ever saw the light of day again. It also has the man in the shack, just brilliant.

The more recent radio series I've not really listened to after the first couple of episodes, because for me somehow they didn't exhibit anywhere near as much 'freeness' - maybe because I already knew the books and therefore they could only ever come across as 'adaptations' rather than 'new' material.

I'm a bit torn - the radio series and the TV series are both lovely, and like Si my first exposure to HH was the TV series... and yet the books are great too (I'm in what's apparently a minority, in that I like the third and fifth books enormously).

Hmm...

[Perry Vale]

I went for the TV series, as it's the first encounter I had, plus it's classic BBC sci-fi of the time.

I agree with Lissa about the movie, it's far better then it's reputation would suggest.

[Lord President]

The radio series is the original and the best, containing DNA's finest work. I even love the Shoe Event Horizon! ;-)

[WhiteCrowNZ]

The TV series to me was perfection - why they never made the second series I'll never know.

The radio series is a close second. Alas I never felt it really had the same magic in book form. It's like it was designed to be spoken.

Oh and what about the kind of CGI comic version of the mid-90s? Never bought it, but it looked stunning.

[Captain Tancredi]

It must be about seven years since I read the books and more like twenty since I heard the radio series. But yes, the film does get an unfairly bad press- possibly in part because fans had had twenty years of Simon Jones playing Arthur and Peter Jones as the Book, and partly because it changes some of the main characters so they're either black or American. Also Douglas Adams had died by the time it was finished, and there's often a temptation in those circumstances to treat an author's original work as holy writ. But Adams was a habitual reviser of his own work and it's only natural that revisiting the story after twenty years should lead to changes.

[Andrew Curnow]

I'm going for the book. It is after all a wholly remarkable book. More to the point, although the TV series was my first exposure (and I can actually remember it was bruv who had noticed it was on, and 'made' me watch it - I don't think I realised it was supposed to be a comedy though!!) I then quickly went out and got the book. And the second book. And the third book (I can remember being quite shocked at the use of the word **** in the book). Somehow, for me, it just feels 'right' being in book form. And as I said above, although SLATFATFish is a rather thin, and unsatisfying, read, books three (Krikkit) and particularly five (Mostly Harmless) really appeal to me. I always liked the whole Agrajag thing (I'm sure it was largely made up on the fly, but it feels as if it could have been some masterplan all along, and I'm a sucker for anything like that) and the pay off in the closing pages of MH is, IMHO, superbly done. Plus by the time of the last book there's something terribly real about the characters (BTW, Arthur in love was one of the highlights of the generally low SLATFATFish) and in amongst all the insanity, the notion of a Trillian who DIDN'T go with Zaphod is quite haunting.

So, books for me.

[Wayne]

I've only seen a bit of the tv series, & frankly i thought was just rubbish.
About as funny as having teeth pulled.
The polite me says "I don't get Doug Adams" - The bolshy me says: "Doug Adams is wank".

[Andrew Curnow]

Who's voted for the towel?!

[Rob McCow]

Listen Andrew, it's a tough galaxy out there. There's all kinds of people trying to do you, or con you. If you're going to survive, you've really got to know where your towel is.

It was Wayne.

[Andrew Curnow]

Unless you're a fan of the radio series, which didn't mention it!!

[Wayne]

I was being sarcastic of course, voting for the towel.

[Martin Penny]

I also voted for the towel...and am generally with Wayne...

I might feel differently if I actually read the books of course, but I thought the TV series and the film were pretty terrible.

[Andrew Curnow]

The towel is now in third place...

[Wayne]

I'd love it if it won.

[Lord President]

Those of you who don't 'get' Douglas Adams, or just don't like Hitchhikers, should read some of DNA's non HH articles. Then you might appreciate true genius. Hitchhikers is a great piece of fiction, but to write truly funny and inciteful atricles about faith, technology, dog ownership, dongles, hotel rooms etc without ever being boring, that takes brains and style.

[Wayne]

Those of you who don't 'get' Douglas Adams, or just don't like Hitchhikers, should read some of DNA's non HH articles.

Read? READ? READ?

[Lord President]

Read? READ? READ?

I'm sure you could get someone to read them to you Wayne, there are some long words in there!

[Wayne]

[Paul Monk]

Hitchhikers is a great piece of fiction, but to write truly funny and inciteful atricles about faith, technology, dog ownership, dongles, hotel rooms etc without ever being boring, that takes brains and style.

Agreed. Last Chance to See is fantastic. Its a shame you can't get hold of the original radio series though. I'd also mention any of his lectures on evolution and also the documentary Hyperland from 1990 which not only co-stars a certain Tom Baker but also predicts most of what we're sitting here doing on the internet.

[Paul Monk]

Just had a look and the Last Chance to See programmes are now available on the BBC site.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/lastchancetosee...o_dragon.shtml