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S1.E1
The story of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy begins when a 6-foot ape descendant named Arthur Dent is saved from the destruction of planet Earth thanks to Ford Prefect, who is in fact from a ...
S1.E3
Zaphod Beeblebrox is certain he's located the fabled planet of Magrathea, the richest planet of all time. Here customers could place an order to have their own dream planets constructed. Soon the '...
S1.E5
Arthur, Ford, Trillian and Zaphod travel in time by way of an exploding computer to Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe. Here people can enjoy a good meal while watching the end of ...
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Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
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5 wins.
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Cast
| Complete series cast summary: | |||
| 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 | |
|
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Stephen Moore | ... | Marvin / ... 5 episodes, 1981 |
|
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David Learner | ... | Marvin 4 episodes, 1981 |
|
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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 | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Arthur Dent is your average middle-class Briton. One day, while trying to prevent his house being destroyed to build a highway, his friend Ford Prefect whisks him away to the pub and explains that the Earth is about to be destroyed and they need to escape. Intergalactic, inter-time adventures ensue. Written by grantss
Plot Keywords:
friend | cult favorite | unidentified flying object | humanoid alien | earthman |Taglines:
Don't panic!Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
30 October 1982 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy See more »Filming Locations:
BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK See more »Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
(6 episodes) | (2 parts) | (7 episodes) (original) | (6 episodes) (subsequent syndication) | (6 episodes)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
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Arthur Dent: And are you?
Slartibartfast: No. That's where it all breaks down, of course.
See more »
(title music)
Written by Bernie Leadon
Arranged by Tim Souster
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Jack May appeared this same year as Theoden in the BBC Radio drama The Lord of the Rings. Playing Sam was Bill Nighy, who appeared in the film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). Also appearing in that film were Martin Freeman and Stephen Fry, who both appeared in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013). See more »Goofs
The person operating Zaphod's third arm can be seen on multiple occasions. See more »Quotes
Slartibartfast: I'd much rather be happy than right, any day.Arthur Dent: And are you?
Slartibartfast: No. That's where it all breaks down, of course.
See more »
Crazy Credits
Animator Kevin Davies, credited from episodes four to six, receives a different, humorous title each time. The job titles are: Mouse Trainer, Milliways Catering and Bath Superintendent. See more »Alternate Versions
Several different versions of the series survive on video. It was originally made as a six-episode BBC TV series (based on 'Douglas Adams''s radio scripts) but for the video cut was re-edited in places. The HHG was done on two SP tapes and also on one large SLP/EP tape. The SLP/EP runs continuously (though subtitled "Part One") and is cut into a sort of "movie." The ends of episodes are sometimes hard to distinguish, except in a bad cut toward the end where Arthur says "Mice?" and the music climaxes then cuts abruptly. The SP version comes in two parts and seems to come in both the unedited episodes and the "movie." All of these differ in some ways from the original broadcasts. Scenes like the one in the Vogon Airlock were cut from some re-broadcasts; they appear here. Other scenes "previously unaired" include Arthur and Ford searching for Slartibartfast's signature on a glacier and only appear on a few versions. See more »Soundtracks
Journey of the Sorcerer(title music)
Written by Bernie Leadon
Arranged by Tim Souster
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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.