The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 

Arthur Dent and his friend Ford Prefect escape the destruction of Earth only to face incredible trials, tribulations and adventures in space and time.

Stars:

Simon Jones, David Dixon, Peter Jones

5 wins.

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
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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | earth | meaning of life | alien | spaceship | 

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Taglines:

Don't panic!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (web project by Douglas Adams)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

32 min (6 episodes) 152 min (2 parts) 25 min (7 episodes) (original) 33 min (6 episodes) (subsequent syndication) 33 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono Stereo (video release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paddy Kingsland composed the incidental music and designed the sound effects. Most of the music was written to accompany the animated sequences. Kingsland always made sure that the beeping sounds of the scrolling text were in the same key as the accompanying music.

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Goofs

The person operating Zaphod's third arm can be seen on multiple occasions.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Marvin: Life. Don't talk to me about life.

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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.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Journey of the Sorcerer
(title music)
Written by Bernie Leadon
Arranged by Tim Souster

User Reviews

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!