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

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:

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

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)

Series Directed by
Alan J.W. Bell		(6 episodes, 1981)

Series Writing credits
Douglas Adams		(6 episodes, 1981)

Series Produced by
Alan J.W. Bell	....	producer (6 episodes, 1981)
John Lloyd	....	associate producer (6 episodes, 1981)

Series Film Editing by
Glenn Hyde		(4 episodes, 1981)

Series Production Design by
Andrew Howe-Davies		(6 episodes, 1981)
Tom Yardley-Jones		(2 episodes, 1981)

Series Costume Design by
Dee Robson		(6 episodes, 1981)

Series Makeup Department
Joan Stribling	....	makeup artist (6 episodes, 1981)

Series Production Management
Michael Cager	....	production manager (6 episodes, 1981)

Series Art Department
Douglas Burd	....	graphic designer (6 episodes, 1981)

Series Sound Department
Paddy Kingsland	....	radiophonic effects (6 episodes, 1981)
Michael McCarthy	....	sound director (6 episodes, 1981)
Paul Roberts	....	dubbing mixer (6 episodes, 1981)

Series Special Effects by
Dave Jervis	....	electronic effects (6 episodes, 1981)
Dave Chapman	....	electronic effects (2 episodes, 1981)

Series Visual Effects by
Jim Francis	....	visual effects designer (6 episodes, 1981)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Bert Postlethwaite	....	studio lighting (6 episodes, 1981)
Peter Hall	....	camera operator: film camera (4 episodes, 1981)
Dave Thomson	....	camera operator: studio cameras (4 episodes, 1981)
Godfrey Johnson	....	camera operator: film camera (2 episodes, 1981)
Jeff Oliver	....	camera operator: studio cameras (2 episodes, 1981)

Series Animation Department
Rod Lord	....	animator (6 episodes, 1981)
Kevin Davies	....	animator (3 episodes, 1981)

Series Editorial Department
Ian Williams	....	editor: video tape (6 episodes, 1981)
Chris Gage	....	vision mixer (3 episodes, 1981)
Angela Wilson	....	vision mixer (2 episodes, 1981)

Series Music Department
Paddy Kingsland	....	radiophonic music (6 episodes, 1981)
Bernie Leadon	....	composer: song "Journey of the Sorcerer" (unknown episodes)
Richard Rodgers	....	composer: song "You'll Never Walk Alone" (unknown episodes)
Tim Souster	....	music arranger: title music (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Norman Brierley	....	technical manager (6 episodes, 1981)
Jean Peyre	....	design effects (6 episodes, 1981)
Cliff Pinnock	....	assistant floor manager (6 episodes, 1981)
Vicky Pugh	....	production assistant (6 episodes, 1981)
Chris Gravel	....	film recordist (3 episodes, 1981)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1981) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Encore Entertainment (1998) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• BBC Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• BBC Video (????) (UK) (VHS)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (????) (USA) (TV) (original US airing)

Special Effects

• Pearce Studios

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:

Douglas Adams chose 42 as the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything simply because he thought it was the funniest-sounding of all two-digit numbers. "A completely ordinary number, a number not just divisible by two but also six and seven. In fact it's the sort of number that you could, without any fear, introduce to your parents."

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Ford and Arthur meet Zaphod for the first time in the series (near the end of the first episode) the operator of Zaphod's third arm can be seen (they can be seen in other episodes, too, notably the third)

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Arthur Dent: So this is it... we're going to die!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inside 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Journey of the Sorcerer

A suitable adaption for fans of the novels and British humor in general

I've been into Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide" series since grade school where it was introduced to me. So when I learned that I could have it presented to me in visual form, I was interested...just how could they adapt this novel, which strays every which way from the central story, into a mini-series of epic proportions?

Easy. As long as the Brits do it.

Get yourself a heard of young but experienced talent, who are no stranger to the airwaves in the UK, and stick close to the story. You're assured a winner. The book tells amazingly well on the screen, and the characters are pretty close to what your mind would imagine from descriptions in the text. Important points in the story occur when Adams strays from the main plot, and jumps into a description of the history of a certain object, person or event as described by the "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy", a futuristic electronic know-all dictionary. The mini takes this to heart so it seems, and sticks with it, showing viewers animated sequences to what the Guide would be showing it's user. This is where the film turns in it's most brilliant sequences.

Granted, some of the effects are cheesy, but for the time of the film (1981) and the budget of a mini, I say they did well. So Zaphod's second head is a motionless blob of plastic, with a moving mouth for about three sequences. The look, and attitude of Marvin the depressed robot is just fantastic and should be ranked up there with C-3P0 and Data as one of the greatest androids to appear on a screen.

The final word on this one is that once again, the BBC has put together another gem. It may scare you, being on two tapes and all, but it's worth a look. A genuine quality piece.