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

I missed the first episode, and I caught the second one purely by chance just because I had the radio on that night, but I was hooked from the first moment and cancelled all engagements for... whatever night of the week it was until the series ended, except for the final episode. When they broadcast Fit the Sixth I was in a van on the M1 moving from London to Manchester, and you can be sure I had the radio on.

When they announced the 'Christmas special' and the second series I was happy. When they trailed the tv series I was happier, and was not disappointed by the production - translations from radio or book to tv or movie often don't come off because you've already got a picture in your head of the characters and the situations. I wish they'd made a tv production of the second series too.

Like Ashley though, I've never read the books

I was intrigued by Radio Times billing Peter Jones as the Voice of the Book, and I can't read anything of Douglas's without Peter Jones narrating it in my head.
But then, I've always been a bit strange

My boyfriend of the time heard the first episode and taped the repeat for me. From then on we were addicted to it.

Ironically, my eldest stepson was born on the day of the first broadcast. And when his Dad left, the stepson had my copy of all the CDs. Never got them back

I think we heard an advert for the radio series & it sounded just our cup of tea. So it was!
We followed up by watching the TV series & later I read the books.

The cassettes got worn out through so much use by our children (we also have the video, but that doesn't get so much play time).

I was in the Army serving in Germany in the days when there was no BFBS TV, just radio or the native German TV which was...German TV! There was little in the way of electronic entertainment apart from entertainment centres bought from the NAAFI at tax-free prices. It was relatively late in the evening I remember when my cassette finished and the system clicked onto BFBS Germany and introduced me to the Guide. Very H2G2! I was hooked.

This was about 1979 and I kept listening although interrupted by field exercises, leave and duties.

I bought the books and watched the TV version. The problem is, that TV leaves little to the imagination. This spoils the little pictures I had built up from the radio and the books. Sadly also H2G2.

Coach driver's usually have pretty boring evenings. One night I was sitting in my coach in a hotel car park, waiting for a party to finish and the group to stagger back to the coach for a run home.

To pass the time I was flicking through the radio stations trying to find something to listen to and caught the announcement for a new series called The Hichhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

Being an avid SF fan I stayed tuned and was immediately hooked. I had to arrange the following weeks to make sure I caught the subsequent episodes.

Then I bought the books and read them again and again.

Then I taped the TV series which I thought was good at the time - but looks a bit shaky now. (I suppose we've been spoilt with all the big budget special effects in SF films).

I taped the rerun of the radio series then later bought the CD set and recently bought the DVD set of the TV series.

My brother in law is also a fan and when we meet up we usually end up firing Guide questions at each other.

Like Gosho, I heard the second episode in the original broadcast.
We were at Uni. A friend there had heard the first, and went on about it incessantly.
A couple of us listened to the second episode more or less to humour him, with low expectations because his enthusiasm was so irritating.
For once the friend (later to be my Best Man) was right about something.