"The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" (1981) TV series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

30 October 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi | Adventure

Tagline:

Don't panic!

Plot:

An Earth man and his alien friend escape Earth's destruction and go on a truly strange adventure as space hitchhikers.

Plot Keywords:

Space | Alien | Meaning Of Life | Planet | Time Travel

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Peter Jones	...	The Book (6 episodes, 1981)
Simon Jones	...	Arthur Dent (6 episodes, 1981)
David Dixon	...	Ford Prefect (6 episodes, 1981)
Sandra Dickinson	...	Trillian (5 episodes, 1981)
Mark Wing-Davey	...	Zaphod Beeblebrox (5 episodes, 1981)
Stephen Moore	...	Marvin / ... (5 episodes, 1981)
David Learner	...	Marvin (4 episodes, 1981)
David Tate	...	Eddie / ... (3 episodes, 1981)
Martin Benson	...	Vogon Captain (2 episodes, 1981)
Richard Vernon	...	Slartibartfast (2 episodes, 1981)
Rayner Bourton	...	Newscaster (2 episodes, 1981)
Douglas Adams	...	Man in Ocean / ... (2 episodes, 1981)

Also Known As:

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

Australia:32 min (6 episodes) | Germany:152 min (2 parts) | USA:25 min (7 episodes) (original release) | USA:33 min (6 episodes) (subsequent syndication) | 33 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Stereo (video release)

Certification:

Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | UK:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

In the opening sequences the "sun" appearing over the horizon was actually a light bulb.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In episode 4 computer Deep Thought is speaking about building the computer Earth, and he calls it "the computer who will give the answer to the ultimate question". Actually the sentence should be the other way round: "the question to the ultimate answer" - they already have the answer (42).

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Marvin: I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in What the Pythons Did Next... (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Journey of the Sorcerer

My most favorite mini-series!

I absolutely love "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"! This is one of the funniest, most satirical, and most memorable mini-series I've ever seen! I've listened to the BBC radio broadcast, read all of the books, and now I've seen the TV series! It's awesome, and a very involving story with realistic and believable characters! The satire lies in how the aliens in the Universe perceive the planet Earth, which was destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. It reflects our bureaucracy, and how the people of our world live in it. People wonder what there role in existence really is. "The Hitchhiker's Guide" doesn't give the answer, but it does show people who are searching for it. This could've been made into a theatrical production, although it probably would have been far too long. I love the characters, because their presence just makes fun of everything in their pathway. Much of the purpose of the character's existence, I think, is to make fun of the other characters they will meet later in the story. I love the talking electronic book, which narrates the story and gives a sort of "average person's" answer to everything. Simon Jones, who played Arthur Dent in the BBC audio broadcast, reprises his role with the same confused, yet humanistic personification. Mark Wing-Davey also reprises his role as the conceited Zaphod Beeblebrox. Peter Jones is back too, as the electronic book, as is David Tate as the annoying, overly eccentric computer. What effect will this have on someone's life? Only that it reflects the insecurity of much of our population, and how insignificant it all is compared to the rest of the universe. We already know this, but we never take it into mind. This also satirizes our modern world, without making any direct references to the people it's poking fun at. This is a great story which should be read, listened to, and likewise, seen with this miniseries. This isn't just pure entertainment, satire, and comedy. This is something that will make you think about the world you live in, and what your existence in life means to the universe itself!