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

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:

Earth | Alien | Meaning Of Life | Spaceship | Time Travel

Awards:

5 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)

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	....	hair department head / 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)
Stuart Moser	....	film recordist (3 episodes, 1981)

Series Visual Effects by
Graham Brown	....	visual effects assistant (6 episodes, 1981)
Jim Francis	....	visual effects designer (6 episodes, 1981)
Dave Jervis	....	electronic effects (6 episodes, 1981)
Dave Chapman	....	electronic effects (2 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: title music (6 episodes, 1981)
Tim Souster	....	arranger: title music (6 episodes, 1981)

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)

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)
• Pan Vision Oy (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• 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 | Finland:K-7 (2003)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

In the original radio broadcast, the worst poet in the universe was given a name of a real person (Paul Neil Milne Johnstone, a classmate of Douglas Adams). Under threat of legal action, Adams altered the name slightly for the television series and novel.

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:Life. Don't talk to me about life.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Screenwipe: Episode #3.4" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Journey of the Sorcerer

Sophisticated Scifi Humor for Intelligent People

Imagine, if you will, Doctor Who, Babylon 5, Galactica and Star Trek compacted into a compost heap and recycled by the hands of the Monty Python troupe. Now you're getting the idea.

Douglas Adams (a co-writer for "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", among other things) takes us on a hilarious romp through the universe and the space-time continuum with wimpy nebbish Arthur Dent, intergalactic field researcher Ford Prefect, a beautiful (hyper-intelligent) earth girl, a two headed drunken ex-galactic-president, and a paranoid android.

With clever asides and witty dialog, the mismatched team discovers the origins of the universe, witnesses the end of same (over cocktails and the dish of the day), and scours the universe for a decent cup of tea. Particularly funny are Adams' (through the voice of the narrator) wry observations on humanity and the oddball track that we supposedly-intelligent lifeforms have taken in the grand scheme of things.

All in all, a most satisfying bit of comedy for people who love to think.