The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

E01

Episode 1

The Making of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

1993-01-01 · 58m

Kevin Davies' hour-long documentary from 1993. Packed with unbroadcast and archive material, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Simon Jones, David Dixon, Mark Wing Davey, Sandra Dickinson, Douglas Adams and Alan J. W. Bell.

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E02

Episode 2

Don't Panic!

2002-04-30 · 26m

Kevin Davies revisits his footage from "The Making of..." documentary, to bring together a further 20 minutes of interviews and other material that didn't make it into the final program.

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S0E3 E03

Episode 3

Douglas Adams Omnibus

2001-08-04 · 35m

A profile of the late Douglas Adams - creator of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'. Features contributions from many of hsi famous collaborators and friends, such as Stephen Fry, Terry Jones, Clive Anderson and Griff Rhys Jones.

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E04

Episode 4

Introduction by Peter Jones

1981-01-05 · 8m

The first episode was screened to a selected audience at the National Film Theatre and featured a specially recorded introduction by voice-of-the-book Peter Jones -- his only on-screen appearance in his "Hitchhiker's" Capacity.

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E05

Episode 5

Communicate!

1981-01-05 · 10m

As part of a BBC Education programme, cameras were given access to the radio studios of "Hitchhiker's" during the production of the second episode, just in time to record things going not-terribly-well with the Nutrimat Drink Dispenser.

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E06

Episode 6

Original Trailer

1981-01-01 · 2m

The BBC2 trailer for the first episode of "Hitchhiker's."

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E07

Episode 7

Behind the Scenes

1981-01-05 · 7m

The final minutes of studio recording for Episode Two on Saturday, 8th November 1980, were a fraught affair, with time seriously running out. A 15-minute overrun was formally agreed but it still meant lights-out at 10:15PM, whether the scene was completed or not. Watch the timecode as it counts down towards the cut-off point of 22:15:00 and you'll begin to feel some of the tension experienced by all concerned.

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E08

Episode 8

Pebble Mill at One

1981-01-23 · 6m

An appearance by animator Rod Lord and producer/director Alan J. W. Bell on the 23rd January 1981 edition of the programme, talking about "Hitchhiker's" with Donny McLoud. This footage is sourced from the only surviving off-air recording.

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E09

Episode 9

Deleted Scene from Episode 2

1981-01-12 · 2m

A short sequence cut from Episode Two prior to transmission.

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E10

Episode 10

Out-Takes

2002-04-30 · 9m

Whoopsies and bloopers of 16mm film clips rescued from the editors trim bins

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E11

Episode 11

Tomorrow's World Sequence

1981-02-12 · 2m

At the time, Zaphod Beeblebrox's second head was at the cutting edge of robot animatronics. The 12th February 1981 edition of the BBC's long-running science programme Tomorrow's World took a closer look.

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E16

Episode 16

Original Opening Titles

1981-01-01 · 1m

The first composited version of the title sequence borrowed obvious elements from the 1970s Doctor Who slit-scan tunnel effect. Alan J.W. Bell ordered a new tunnel for broadcast

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E17

Episode 17

Mostly Hand Drawn

2018-01-01 · 31m

All the Hitchhiker's series award-winning graphics have been re-mastered from original film into one mesmerizing sequence. Rod Lord's complex animation, enhanced by Paddy Kingsland's rich and delightful music with comedy legend Peter Jones' inimitable voiceover. Presented in Mono, as per the original

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E18

Episode 18

Life, The Universe & Clapperboards

2018-01-02 · 24m

Live-action excerpts, newly re-mastered from surviving archive reels. Most of the original film from the series no longer exists, purged as usual in the way of big broadcasters, who thought they needed the shelf space more. Luckily, the animators saved their reference work-prints and other random bits of film. These aren't always in the best of condition, but they do offer fascinating glimpses into the production process.

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E19

Episode 19

Recorded at the End of The Universe

2018-01-04 · 25m

Flashes of life on the studio floor at BBC Television Centre. The Inventive cast and crew furch between the mindless tedium and bursts of action. These were the usual dynamics of programme-making, in those analogue days of 1980. To be honest, very little has changed since.

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E20

Episode 20

Writing Hitchhiker's

2018-01-05 · 15m

From archive video, three people who knew Douglas Adams very well, remember his battles to write the earliest episodes. His younger half-brother James recalls the old typewriter thundering through the fabric of the family home. Radio Series Producer Geoffrey Perkins and Douglas Adams official biographer Nick Webb shed more light on his struggles. (Sadly, Perkins and Webb also died unexpectedly, way too young, as per their famous friend.)

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E21

Episode 21

Saturday Review

1985-06-01 · 9m

Douglas Adams explains to Minnette Marrin his ideas for interactive CD-Rom audio drama, whilst in Birmingham the fans gathered for a Hitchhiker-themed games convention. Features a spoof animated Guide entry on Douglas.

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E22

Episode 22

Tertiary Phase Trailer

2004-01-02 · 6m

The show made a triumphant return to its original medium on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004, with surviving cast members and some terrific guests, including Richard Griffiths as Slartibartfast and the recently deceased Douglas Adams himself, as Agrajag!

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E23

Episode 23

Douglas Adams on Paperbacks

1981-04-15 · 6m

A quaint book programme where Robert Kee discussed Douglas Adams' second novel with the author.

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E24

Episode 24

Douglas Adams on BBC Micro Live

1985-03-08 · 6m

Interviewed about his fiendish new Nitthiker's Gundo compoter game. The energetic presenter Freff recalled in 2018 how Douglas had had a headache, yet after two good rehersals, the segment was extended by 2 minutes.

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E25

Episode 25

The Radio Series Trailers

2005-05-02 · 6m

Recently made available again on newly packaged CDs, (and also for the first time, on shiny red vinyl!) the various Phases of the radio series-adapted from the books in style by producer Dirk Maggs - are seen being recorded in these lengthy promos. (Originally made by Kevin Jon Davies for online use by Above The Title Ltd and BBC Radio 4, these have now been re-mastered, pluggling the 2018 re-releases.)

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E26

Episode 26

Marvin and Zem

2004-05-03 · 6m

A look at how Stephen Moore recorded Marvin for The Tertiary Phase, with an annoyingly cheerful swap mattress called Zem. This was one of the video extras on the little-known 2006 DVD-Audio in 5.1 Surround of The Tertiary Phase

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E27

Episode 27

Open Door: The Sound of Love

1980-03-02 · 5m

A March 1980 edition of the public access programme. Young, unemployed Anthony Hodgins conducted the earliest known filmed interview with Douglas Adams, on the subject of his unhappy childhood. An audio extract from Hitchhiker's is illustrated with library footage, the earliest visual interpretation on TV.

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E28

Episode 28

Simon Jones on BBC Breakfast

2012-05-25 · 5m

Never heard of International Towel Day? Simon Jones explains, whilst also plugging the 2012 Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Show Live UK tour.

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E29

Episode 29

Douglas Adams on Nationwide

1980-12-05 · 3m

The first broadcast glimpse of the new Hitchhiker's TV series was during this Nationwide clip, when presenter Sue Cook interviewed "Richard, er, Douglas Adams."

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E30

Episode 30

Marvin on Blue Peter

1981-06-25 · 3m

The Paranoid Android made his first bid for chart success with this whimsical appearance on the legendary BBC's flagship children's magazine show.

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E31

Episode 31

Hexagonal Phase Trailer

2018-02-02 · 2m

Made by Perfectly Normal Productions for BBC Radio 4, adapted by Dirk Maggs from the Eoin Colfer book And Another Thing.. plus some material newly discovered among Douglas Adams' papers. Once again, surviving cast members gathered at The Soundhouse in London, and welcomed some wonderful guest stars including Mitch Benn, Ed Byrne, John Lloyd and Sir Lenny Henry, with Jim Broadbent as Marvin.

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E32

Episode 32

Radio Times Trailer

1980-01-01 · 1m

The only time the BBC's listings magazine ever granted Hitchhiker's the honour of a front cover, they also made this promo, with unique narration. Luckily, the producer kept this copy. (NB: Edited for music copyright reasons.)

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E33

Episode 33

The Sound of Sypher

1980-01-03 · 14m

The world of proto-digital audio production was examined here in this highly technical explanation of the BBC's newest dubbing suite, featuring the BAFTA-winning sound supervisor Mike McCarthy, at work on Hitchhiker's. Warning: May also contain beer barrels.

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E34

Episode 34

Ten Short Films

2009-01-04 · 29m

Made in 2009 for Penguin Books' launch evert and website for the Eoin Colfer (6th Official) Hitchhiker's novel And Another Thing. These films about various aspects of Hitchhiker's were online for 2 years, in very low resolution, but have been up-sealed here. Douglas Adams features in archive footage from the early 80s. 1.Towels 2. Radio Origins 3. ICA Stage Show 4. Rainbow Theatre 5. BBC TV Series 6. Guide Graphics 7. Promos & Porsches 8. The Movie 9. Premier Party 10. This Never Happened.

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E35

Episode 35

Heart of Gold

3m

35mm widescreen animation sequences used for back-projection on the set

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E36

Episode 36

Explosion of Earth

1m

The unexpurgated explosion, filmed at high speed, by looking up at a pyrotechnic

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