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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Primary Phase (Dramatized)
- Narrated by: Peter Jones, Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey, Susan Sheridan, Stephen Moore, full cast
- Series: Hitchhiker's Guide (radio plays), Book 1
- Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
- Radio/TV Program
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Drama & Plays
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Secondary Phase (Dramatized)
- Written by: Douglas Adams
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- Unabridged
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Stranded on Prehistoric Earth since the end of the first series, Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are once again trying to hitch their way off the planet. Zaphod finds his visit to the offices of the Guide rudely interrupted by Frogstar fighters, who further threaten to feed him to the Total Perspective Vortex. Eventually reunited, the three fetch up on the planet Brontitall and discover the indigenous species in something of a flap. Arthur meets Lintilla (several of her), Marvin gets to be a hero once again, and there is a meeting with the Man in the Shack who apparently runs the Universe....
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fabulous as always
- By Myrna Gauthier on 2018-03-31
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Tertiary Phase (Dramatized)
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Don't panic! The Hitchhiker's saga continues with a brand new full-cast dramatisation of Life, the Universe and Everything, the third book in Douglas Adams's famous 'trilogy in five parts'.
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Quandary Phase (Dramatized)
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- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
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Don’t panic! The Hitchhiker’s saga returns once again with a full-cast dramatisation of So Long and Thanks For All the Fish, the fourth book in Douglas Adams’s famous ‘trilogy in five parts’. The Earth has miraculously reappeared and, even more miraculously, Arthur Dent has found it. Returning to his cottage after...well...ages, he falls in love with the girl of his dreams. But Ford Prefect is on to something which might well burst Arthur’s bubble.
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Quintessential Phase (Dramatized)
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Full Cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins
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While frequent flyer Arthur Dent searches the universe for his lost love, Ford Prefect discovers a disturbing blast from the past at The Hitchhiker’s Guide HQ. Meanwhile, on one of many versions of Earth, a blonder, more American Trillian gets tangled up with a party of lost aliens having an identity crisis. And just when Arthur thinks he has found his true vocation on the backwater planet of Lamuella, the original Trillian turns up with more than a little spanner in the works. A stolen ship, a dramatic stampede and a new and sinister Guide lead to a race to save the Earth...again. But this time, will they succeed?
Written by: Douglas Adams
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Hexagonal Phase (Dramatized)
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- Written by: Eoin Colfer, Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Jane Horrocks, Sandra Dickinson, Mark Wing-Davey, and others
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The brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast series based on And Another Thing… the sixth book in the famous Hitchhiker’s Guide 'trilogy'. Forty years on from the first ever radio series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent and friends return in six brand new episodes, in which they are thrown back into the Whole General Mish Mash in a rattling adventure involving Viking Gods and Irish Confidence Tricksters, with our first glimpse of Eccentrica Gallumbits and a brief but memorable moment with The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast Of Traal.
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passable
- By Mark Harcourt on 2019-07-10
Written by: Eoin Colfer, and others
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Albums
- Two Full-Cast Audio Dramatisations
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Full Cast, Peter Jones, Simon Jones, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins
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When Earthman Arthur Dent learns that first his house and then his planet are about to be bulldozed, it’s the beginning of an interplanetary adventure for him and his friend, Ford Prefect. After fleeing Earth they hitch a lift with hoopy frood Zaphod Beeblebrox, who hurtles from one improbability to another - literally. With Trillian and Marvin the Paranoid Android in tow, the answer to life, the universe and everything is soon revealed: 42. But what was the question?
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Secondary Phase (Dramatized)
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Peter Jones, Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Stranded on Prehistoric Earth since the end of the first series, Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are once again trying to hitch their way off the planet. Zaphod finds his visit to the offices of the Guide rudely interrupted by Frogstar fighters, who further threaten to feed him to the Total Perspective Vortex. Eventually reunited, the three fetch up on the planet Brontitall and discover the indigenous species in something of a flap. Arthur meets Lintilla (several of her), Marvin gets to be a hero once again, and there is a meeting with the Man in the Shack who apparently runs the Universe....
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fabulous as always
- By Myrna Gauthier on 2018-03-31
Written by: Douglas Adams
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Tertiary Phase (Dramatized)
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Full Cast
- Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
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Don't panic! The Hitchhiker's saga continues with a brand new full-cast dramatisation of Life, the Universe and Everything, the third book in Douglas Adams's famous 'trilogy in five parts'.
Written by: Douglas Adams
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Quandary Phase (Dramatized)
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Full Cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
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Don’t panic! The Hitchhiker’s saga returns once again with a full-cast dramatisation of So Long and Thanks For All the Fish, the fourth book in Douglas Adams’s famous ‘trilogy in five parts’. The Earth has miraculously reappeared and, even more miraculously, Arthur Dent has found it. Returning to his cottage after...well...ages, he falls in love with the girl of his dreams. But Ford Prefect is on to something which might well burst Arthur’s bubble.
Written by: Douglas Adams
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Quintessential Phase (Dramatized)
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Full Cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
While frequent flyer Arthur Dent searches the universe for his lost love, Ford Prefect discovers a disturbing blast from the past at The Hitchhiker’s Guide HQ. Meanwhile, on one of many versions of Earth, a blonder, more American Trillian gets tangled up with a party of lost aliens having an identity crisis. And just when Arthur thinks he has found his true vocation on the backwater planet of Lamuella, the original Trillian turns up with more than a little spanner in the works. A stolen ship, a dramatic stampede and a new and sinister Guide lead to a race to save the Earth...again. But this time, will they succeed?
Written by: Douglas Adams
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Hexagonal Phase (Dramatized)
- And Another Thing...
- Written by: Eoin Colfer, Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Jane Horrocks, Sandra Dickinson, Mark Wing-Davey, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 39 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast series based on And Another Thing… the sixth book in the famous Hitchhiker’s Guide 'trilogy'. Forty years on from the first ever radio series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent and friends return in six brand new episodes, in which they are thrown back into the Whole General Mish Mash in a rattling adventure involving Viking Gods and Irish Confidence Tricksters, with our first glimpse of Eccentrica Gallumbits and a brief but memorable moment with The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast Of Traal.
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passable
- By Mark Harcourt on 2019-07-10
Written by: Eoin Colfer, and others
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Albums
- Two Full-Cast Audio Dramatisations
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Full Cast, Peter Jones, Simon Jones, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Earthman Arthur Dent learns that first his house and then his planet are about to be bulldozed, it’s the beginning of an interplanetary adventure for him and his friend, Ford Prefect. After fleeing Earth they hitch a lift with hoopy frood Zaphod Beeblebrox, who hurtles from one improbability to another - literally. With Trillian and Marvin the Paranoid Android in tow, the answer to life, the universe and everything is soon revealed: 42. But what was the question?
Written by: Douglas Adams
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Dirk Gently: Two BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramas
- Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Harry Enfield, Olivia Colman, Jan Ravens, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
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The complete BBC Radio collection bringing together two full-cast dramatisations of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently novels. In Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Dirk Gently has an unshakable belief in the interconnectedness of all things, but his Holistic Detective Agency mainly succeeds in tracking down missing cats for old ladies. Then Dirk stumbles upon an old friend behaving bizarrely - and he's drawn into a four-billion-year-old mystery that must be solved if the human race is to avoid immediate extinction....
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Made me want to reread
- By Dave Gagnon on 2022-05-17
Written by: Douglas Adams
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Don't Panic
- Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Written by: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Simon Jones, Neil Gaiman
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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First published in 1986 and updated several times since, Don’t Panic is in an in-depth exploration of Douglas Adams’s cultural phenomenon The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - from its beginnings as a UK radio series, to its expansion into a wildly popular book trilogy, and onto incarnations in various media including stage, records, film, computer games, and even, um, tea towels.
Written by: Neil Gaiman
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Life, the Universe, and Everything
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Book 3
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Martin Freeman
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The unhappy inhabitants of planet Krikkit are sick of looking at the night sky above their heads - so they plan to destroy it. The universe, that is. Now only five individuals stand between the killer robots of Krikkit and their goal of total annihilation.
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Quick Pace. Great wit.
- By Steiny76 on 2019-03-08
Written by: Douglas Adams
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The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Book 2
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Martin Freeman
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Facing annihilation at the hands of the warlike Vogons? Time for a cup of tea! Join the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his uncommon comrades in arms in their desperate search for a place to eat as they hurtle across space powered by pure improbability.
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Letdown
- By Brent on 2019-06-06
Written by: Douglas Adams
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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Martin Freeman
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Back on Earth with nothing more to show for his long, strange trip through time and space than a ratty towel and a plastic shopping bag, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription, the mysterious disappearance of Earth's dolphins, and the discovery of his battered copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy all conspire to give Arthur the sneaking suspicion that something otherworldly is indeed going on.
Written by: Douglas Adams
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Agency
- Written by: William Gibson
- Narrated by: Lorelei King
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Verity Jane, gifted app whisperer, takes a job as the beta tester for a new product: a digital assistant, accessed through a pair of ordinary-looking glasses. "Eunice", the disarmingly human AI in the glasses, manifests a face, a fragmentary past, and a canny grasp of combat strategy. Realizing that her cryptic new employers don’t yet know how powerful and valuable Eunice is, Verity instinctively decides that it’s best they don’t.
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A decent cyber romp
- By Mike Reiter on 2020-06-15
Written by: William Gibson
Publisher's Summary
A dynamic remastering of the original BBC Radio 4 full-cast serial - Fit the First to Fit the Sixth - which spawned a phenomenal hitchhiking legend.
The original series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, remastered by Dirk Maggs (director of the Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases) to give a full, vibrant sound, now with Philip Pope’s version of the familiar theme tune and specially re-recorded announcements by John Marsh.
Join Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Trillian, Zaphod Beeblebrox and Marvin the Paranoid Android in their first series of adventures as they witness the destruction of Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass, stumble upon the ancient planet of Magrathea, dine at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe and seek an answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and everything.
Peter Jones, Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey, Susan Sheridan, Stephen Moore and a full supporting cast star in these BBC Radio 4 episodes.
A special 55-minute bonus programme, Douglas Adams's Guide to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, explores the genesis of the radio series and its incredible success, with contributions from the original cast and production team.
Audio files were replaced in April 2021.
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What listeners say about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Primary Phase (Dramatized)
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Marlin Brendo
- 2019-09-19
All time favorite.
Hilarious, must listen to! The book by Douglas Adams is fantastic, the BBC Radio play based off the book takes the story to a whole other level.
2 people found this helpful
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- Col_Lollipop
- 2018-03-14
a Must!
if you read one book make it this one! Douglas Adams is brilliant and worth every minute
1 person found this helpful
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- Philippe Choquette
- 2022-05-28
Some parts are missing. But overall same as the or
Missing the part where they arrive on the planet and marvel play pink floyd.
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- Nishkarsh Asdhir
- 2021-04-16
Poor audio design and quality
Great story, horrendous presentation. Sound effects don't always make things better. They ended up overpowering the speech which in this upload was especially muddy to begin with.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2011-05-09
Do Not Get This Version
I bought the "non-special edition" a few years back, ripped it myself and it sounded great. I can't find my digital versions, so I bought the special edition, regardless of the other negative comments. DO NOT IGNORE THESE COMMENTS!!! This is a horrible version. The sound mix is bad. It really does sound like the guys were in different rooms.
Please, I beg you, do not get this one. If you can find the "non-special edition" get that one. Or, buy the CDs and rip it yourself.
84 people found this helpful
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- Thomas
- 2012-08-19
Difficult to listen to in the car!
This review is specifically about the audio quality of the book. While the plethora of character voices were great, this is a radio program recording from a loooooong time ago and the quality of the audio shows. My wife and I both found it difficult to listen to in our cars because some of the voices are quiet and you have to turn it up, then all of a sudden you get a really loud high pitched space noise that blows your ears out. Constant volume knob adjustment is necessary if listening to in the car. I found listening to it at home on headphones much easier.
118 people found this helpful
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- Walter
- 2013-10-04
Possibly the best thing written in my lifetime
OK - those are strong words, and there really has been a lot of great writing in the last 50 years (I did say "possibly"). But the combination of imaginative genius, over-the-top humor and just enough philosophical thought makes H2G2 a true standout. The radio plays predated the published books, and were my first exposure to Douglas Adams in the early 1980s - they remain the best way to experience The Hitchhiker's Guide.
There are only a few audio books that I return to and listen a second time. H2G2 is an audio book that I am moved to listen to at least every two years. Basically, I'd be lost without the Guide... If I could give it six stars, I would.
P.S. Years after I fell in love with the books, I learned that Adams had been a script writer and editor for the BBC's Doctor Who, and that he was a friend of Richard Dawkins - he introduced Lalla Ward (who played Romana on Doctor Who) to Dawkins, they subsequently married. Lalla Ward co-narrates Dawkins' audio books, which I also recommend. That serves to illustrate "the interconnectedness of all all things" (which is something you'll come upon in another of Adams' books - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
32 people found this helpful
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- Peter
- 2009-08-14
Classic Comedic Genius
If you are a fan of science fiction, or just comedy in general , this is a worthwhile listen. The form of humor in this series of radio shows has a very Monty Python feel, bizarre and perhaps a little random at times; however unlike python's sketch comedy and more akin to their feature films the comedy is tied together into a clever and original story arc. Whether it is proving that there is no life in the universe or finding the meaning of life in the universe, you'll find an interesting and comedic explanation to all your questions.
For those who may have seen the movie the story arc is longer and differs in some large ways, the radio show is also funnier (this is not an opinion it is a fact).
The only thing keeping this audio production from a 5 out of 5 is production quality. The production quality is over all pretty good, especially when one keeps in mind when it was produced. There are, however, a few spots in the recording where I had trouble understand what was being said due to effects placed on vocals.
All in all I would recommend this audio show to anyone who enjoys chuckling at the bizarre.
10 people found this helpful
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- earonesty
- 2013-10-02
Terrible audio quality
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
It's just not converted to digital format well. Whispering and loud bangs, the levels are terribly normalized. Maybe if you use noice cancelling headset, and a volume knob... but not suitable for an ipod!
27 people found this helpful
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- riki
- 2018-05-31
Great story... Flawed by terrible volume balance!
Love the writing... Love the performances... Hate the sound balance, or whatever you want to call it.
The narrator is LOUD... Ford is normal, while Arthur is quiet.
Very annoying, makes it hard to listen to.
6 people found this helpful
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- Joseph Norton
- 2008-12-06
A Must for Hitchhiker fans
On Wednesday, March 8th, 1978, listeners to BBC Radio 4 first learned about what is perhaps the most remarkable, certainly the most successful book ever to come out of the great publishing corporations of Ursa Minor, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy. Now, at long last, it's available through Audible! Hear how it all started. This came before the books, before the TV series and before the movie. Get it now! Don't think twice! Don't miss any of the adventures of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect and the other characters as they take you with them on a romp through the galaxy you'll never forget! If you think you know it all because you read the books, think again. And, most of all, Don't Panic!
24 people found this helpful
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- Ilana
- 2011-10-22
Zillions of Times Better than the Book
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was the first radio comedy show to be recorded in stereophonic sound and it was acted out by a full cast of professional actors, but what really sets this show apart is the sound effects which were completely innovative at the time. "One of Adams's stated goals was to be experimental in the use of sound. Being a fan of Pink Floyd and The Beatles (and especially the experimental concept albums both bands produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s), Adams wanted the programme to have the feel of a "rock album...to convey the idea that you actually were on a spaceship or an alien planet — that sense of a huge aural landscape". (From Wikipedia)
Of course today, there is a quaint quality to those sound effects, but that only adds to the overall charm of the experience. I first discovered this show in the late 80s when a local radio station aired the series, and must say that more than 20 years later, a reading of the book (which not surprisingly seemed awfully flat) it felt just as fresh, off the wall and yes, innovative as it did the first time around.
23 people found this helpful
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- David
- 2009-05-13
Brilliant
Always preferred the radio series. Superb. Takes me right back !! What great memories. What a great production. If your a hitchhiker fan and dont have the radio series, buy them - you wont be disappointed.
7 people found this helpful
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- Delennish
- 2021-04-29
So many confused reviews.
Some history for folks considering buying this remastered version of the original radio series:
1. The first radio series came BEFORE the novels. This is not a dramatization. They're very different in certain ways.
2. Adam's did radio, print, tv, and film versions (though he was dead by the time the film was released), and they are very different creatures. You may not like one version or another. He fit the series to the medium and sometimes it lost something in the translation.
3. There's a reason effects sound like they're from the 70s. The remastering was done in 2008. That doesn't change the fact that the original (being remastered here) was done in the 70s.
Having said all that, I agree with some of the more knowledgeable reviews that the original (not remastered) was better. This version reminds of me Big Finish audio plays, and they can be a bit loud, weirdly mixed, and overwhelming.
2 people found this helpful
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- Nigel
- 2016-07-17
Classic sci-fi comedy
What a pleasure to rediscover this classic radio production on Audible. So full of ideas and imagination, that made me laugh out loud.
Highly recommended
1 person found this helpful