The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Future With Douglas Adams is a new series on BBC Radio 4, broadcast on Wednesday 4 October 11.00am BST¹, that's 10am GMT². Programme Two will be broadcast at the same time on Wednesday 11 October.

Douglas Adams presented his informed vision of the digital future, focusing on key industries which will be transformed by technology. The four-part series covers areas of digital technology development relevant to people regardless of their age or occupation.

In the first programme he looked at the impact of the Internet on music and the music business. Artists such as David Bowie have chosen to release their latest albums direct to the Internet while the distribution of music will also be dramatically altered by digital technology. All areas of music are covered, and as well as offering a clear analysis of what is happening to the music business, the series is a practical guide to sourcing music on the net.

Douglas Adams outlined how the technology works and how the non-computer-literate listener can get to grips with the fast-changing environment. Those taking part include former Monkee Michael Nesmith, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds and Brian Eno.