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

I'm going to get this horrendously wrong - but hopefully the gist of it will come across.

From the (second) radio series - Arthur has fallen out of a giant marble cup, landed on the back of a passing bird, been shown a 15 mile high statue of himself and has been taken to meet the colony of birds currently living in his right ear. When he gets in the ear it is 1) very noisy, and 2) absolutely covered in large bird 'doings'. There is a rather strained conversation with the bird he arrived with :

"It's filthy in here."

"What?"

"You could have cleaned it up a bit?"

"What?"

"I said "Why don't you clean my ear out"?"

"I can't hear YOU"


Oh - listen to the blooming show yourselves!

The leader Arthur was attempting to speak to was called "The Wise Old Bird" which I thought was amusing and apt.

But the casting - John le Mesurier (he of Dad's Army) was quite brilliant. And I thought other castings were magically right, too: I mean Lintilla was (were?) perfect. Slartibartfast - sublime. Marvin - magnificent.

Rapture

Arthur was introduced to The Wise Old Bird just after this bit...

And don't forget David Jason as the ever-bathing captain .

Well well well .....

I never realised it was David Jason. I can see it now. Bloody Hell.

You live and learn....

(Goes off muttering like Wise Old Bird).....