h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Did you read my British Super Hero article, it doesn't matter if you did or didn't I wonder why such good formats as The Human-Guinea couldn't be a Film and latterly TV series, the by line anything could happen as he was subjected to time travel, hi-tech home, mind trips ect ect.

They did. Its called Doctor Who

Hi-tech home = Tardis
Time Travel possible = Hes a time lord, he doesnt seem to have anything else to do
Mind trips = He freaking regenerates. Thats a mind trip in itself!

Arh your joking, his first story was having a mind altering drug that took him back to the Korean War, he travelled to the future and society was computer controlled, energy was at a premium so the humans were sent on a day long entertainment programme, sports morning, cinema mid morning, our hero though will not be a number, it reflects the times. But your right in your way a vehicle to go anywhere.

Sounds like a mash actually. Of lots of things.

Mind altering drugs = I wouldnt try that. Anything remotely contected with psycadellic drugs gets pounced on

That second bits the Matrix. Computer controlled society, our hero wont be a number (Rearrange neO a few times and see what you get lol)


The best sitcoms have a normality, disruption, and a resolution. Sure they draw upon experiences but this is the usual set peice. Got have a look - you'll find it everywhere. If hes going back and forth its more a series of short stories then a serial. The biggest problem lyes in being original. Something like and Warner Bros would have you on a plate

Yes they were short stories in the comic but in each there was a gradual understanding between the professor that subjected him to some strange stuff, at first he seemed sadistic, but we got to understand it wasn't cruelty for cruelty's sake, something that science seems to have forgotten, call them mini modern morality stories without being preachy. High Chaperell late 60's TV show had had a developing story arc but the studio didn't care which episode it put out, NYPD Blues couldn't be run well not being in sequence, surely Dr. Who's assistant must progress on a learning curve, their character won't be the self same person that was in the first show to their bow out? And if Eccelston is the ninth incarnation what do the BBC do when we have the last reincarnation, who follows?

They can blag the doctor thing by the fact that hes travelled through time for so long the regular rules wouldnt apply perhaps.

The Doctors assisstant usually doesnt have much of a learning curve. Sure they'll pick up on small things that will carry over but never radically altered as the idea is that were the assisstant - think about it. The current assisstant is an average joe-saphine.

Its slightly tricky to do something like that. Science isnt seen as horrifically brutal anymore, so what you have to do is making him appear brutally masacistic man in the first episode and then chage that completely within an hour (of a film, allowing for necessary redemption) or within 3 (30 min serial show, no redemption necessary, no chance for a second series though because you lose the edge of the show)

I never thought of the serial losing its edge and not continuing though its perfectly obvious, but if studios are always saying they want to stretch the envelope can't they do one off serials and use the locations again for the next years new show? This year the Avengers, next Mother, so you have a minor connection? And on and on through the different branches of the Secret Service and agencies like they seem to be doing with Canadian Nikita. That way they don't run into the expense of retaining too much of the original acting crew, Friends team seemed obscene at the end but if the advertisers willing. BBC to employ an American comedy producer who's buying into three options to develope here, and she's hit paydirt very often before.

I am writing from my experience when I have writen a story I often would like to develope the minor characters in stories of their own, partly its dbecause I've given such great names it seems a shame to throw them away, a story I have left fallow for a long time is of a stage magician employed to find out how her estranged father disappeared from the stage of a penthouse resturant in Hong Kong, the pay off at the end is his model maker and stage designer has killed him, due to the fact he is smuggling Chinese artifacts out as stage props, but I have a Dan Sin, a Police Captain, I could play games with Dan Sin in the rain, Dan Sin on holiday ect, ect.

"I never thought of the serial losing its edge and not continuing though its perfectly obvious, but if studios are always saying they want to stretch the envelope can't they do one off serials and use the locations again for the next years new show?"

But then who makes the first set? And it never a minor connection when it comes to set. In fact its the biggest charecter. Look at farscape - extremely original main set that cant be reused because its moya, and anyone whose seen both will know its moya.

Certain things you can do it with granted, but they have to be linked. Cant think of a good example - Series 6 of red dwarf uses the starbug set of earlier series for example. But doing an entirely different show wont happen. Strange as it sounds, ripping a set down and starting again will make more money then reusing the set.

"I have a Dan Sin, a Police Captain, I could play games with Dan Sin in the rain, Dan Sin on holiday ect, ect."
No... No you couldnt. Because no one would let you.
Twenty/thirty years ago in the heady days of carry on (insert title here) or conan the destroyer, names could be used in such amusing ways. But now you get leaped on for being non-pc. Plus if lets say, if china takes offence, they have no reason to buy the show. You alienate roughly 1/6 of the planet....

When they revived Van der Valk, first series old Police Station, second a whole new one with ever mobile lifts, third and a boring concrete box station, highly distracting, it looked like the second series maybe they got more money but third finance took a nose dive, and they didn't explain it.