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

Last Wednesday, along with a sizable contingent of former TDVers, I was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie.

I arrived in Leicester Square quite early, and sat in the square for a while, reading and watching them set up the lighting system. It was a couple of hours before it all started, but there were already people waiting to watch.

Tim and Sean arrived at about 5:20. They looked so smart I almost didn't recognise them. I put on the last of my outfit - the sparkly waistcoat and the fantastic tie that Bernadette painted for me, featuring Marvin, the Heart of Gold and the movie's thumb logo, and we went to get something in Starbucks and wait for the doors to open.

Shortly afterwards, Bernadette arrived with the children and her sister Miriam. They'd come to watch, and maybe get some autographs, so we'd have at least one person in the crowd cheering for us

We left Bernadette and the kids and wandered around to where we thought we had to go in, onto the blue carpet. Cue lots of confused meandering as nobody was quite sure which way we were supposed to go. But we did meet several former TDV people along the way. We eventually found or way back to practically where we'd started. I surrendered my digital camera to the copyright police and went through onto the blue carpet. Bernadette was just there, so I went over to talk to her and the children, and the chap standing next to her was quite impressed by this, obviously thinking I was some important person on the movie (hah!). He told me, quite earnestly, that they should have got Chris Foss and Jim Burns to do the concept art for the movie, or any movie, really. Which seemed a bit out of the blue, but I assured him that I would let all of my movie friends know what he said.

Saying a last goodbye to Bernadette and the kids, I went into the cinema, where we milled around for a while, meeting up with other TDV alumni, like Yoz and Sophie, and we were eventually ushered into the auditorium (presumably to make room in the foyer for all the Eastenders actors who inevitably turn up at events like this).

Still, no bad thing. Inside the cinema they were showing the interviews on the blue carpet, and each seat had a complimentary towel, bottle of water and small pack of pringles. So we got to see Robbie getting interviewed, as well as some of the stars. The interviewer was pretty awful, frankly. She couldn't pronounce Vogon and she insisted on asking all the interviewees 'What's the meaning of life'. Terrible. But it's a mark of their professionalism that not one of them punched her in the face.

Stephen Fry made a nice comment at one point. When asked if fans would be happy with the movie, he said that some fans would only be happy if you pointed a camera at a copy of the book and turned the page every 40 seconds. I think that sums up some of the reaction I've seen.

Eventually, everyone was persuaded into the auditorium, and the Chairman of Disney, Dick Cook, introduced a rather long list of the film's producers. I was pleased to note that Robbie got the biggest cheer (helped by our contingent). Robbie said a few words, Stephen Fry said a few words. Then Nick and Garth (producer and director) came up (to another enormous round of applause) and said a few more words.

After all that, we finally had the film. This is the fourth time I've seen it now, and I still enjoyed it just as much. See my previous review (F124?thread=623566) for more details.

After the movie (pausing only to watch my name go by in the credits again ) we all walked the short distance to the party, which was held at the Freemason's Hall at the top of Long Acre, which is where they filmed one scene of the movie. The weather was fantastic, which was lucky since if it had been raining I suspect a fleet of taxis would have been needed to get there.

They'd certainly made an effort for the party. Different rooms were decorated in different ways, and they had some props from the movie there. The waiters were dressed as various characters, and there was at least one Vogon guard lumbering about having pictures taken.

It was fun just wandering the party. We chatted with people we knew - Richard Creasey was there so I chatted with him for a while. I wasn't particularly good at spotting celebrities, as I haven't a clue who most of them were, but I did get to speak to Reece Shearsmith from The League of Gentlemen (while Yoz buttonholed Mark Gatiss to gush about his Doctor Who episode). We chatted a bit about the movie, then about the League's forthcoming movie, which he was very excited about. He said it was quite tough, being a short shooting period, but also having some scenes in which he played three different characters, so they'd have to shoot the same scene so many times with the different actors playing different characters. But it sounds like fun and he was clearly very excited about it coming out.

I chatted briefly to Zooey Deschanel, who was charming. Bernadette told me afterwards that the girls had thought Zooey was wonderful on the blue carpet, because she was wearing a yellow dress that made her look like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I also got to chat briefly with Martin Freeman, so naturally I gushed about how good I thought his performance was. He genuinely seemed to think that he wasn't an obvious choice as Arthur, but perhaps that's why his performance seems so fresh and unforced. He was very nice.

I also spoke at some length with Joe Cornish (off of Adam and Joe). I resisted the strong temptation to open my conversation with 'Hello Adam or Joe' which I thought was very grown up of me. We had a fairly long conversation about the film, fan reaction, and when I (or possibly Sean) mentioned that we used to work with Douglas, he asked if we knew his girlfriend, who was working on publicity for the movie. When he introduced me to her her eyes widened and she said 'Wow! You're Jim Lynn. You're really important.' which was completely not the reaction I was expecting. I think Robbie has been overselling us to the publicity people, but I can't deny I was flattered.

We eventually left when the party wound up at around 1:30. We resisted the temptation to make off with some of the big board posters, or the jewelled scuttling crabs that decorated one of the rooms (although others weren't so strong willed) and caught a taxi home. When I got home I discovered, in our living room, a large board poster for the film. Bernadette had taken one home from the blue carpet, so I'm glad I didn't try.

There's a few (frankly not very good) photos here: http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1357626

So that was the premiere. The movie has opened today, and it's also h2g2's sixth birthday. I think Douglas would be proud.

Ah you got to go to the premier, was the publicity person Emma? because I sat next to her, and your right she was amazed just to find out I was a member.

sorry that should be 'party' you got to go to the party, swine!

No her name was Annabel, but there I do know an Emma who does publicity and she was there, so that's probably who you met.

Yes, from Digital Outlook, she wanted to know what I thought of the film, and for some reason is very clued up on web site companies, she knew the one I work for.

Careful MO, she's probably a stalker. You'll go down to the kitchen one night and find your PowerBook boiling in a pot

"PowerBook boiling in a pot"

oooh! digital witch...

I was thinking more along the lines of the Bunny Boiler scene from Fatal Attraction

Well I had my cheesy looking digital watch on.

my powerbook never leaves my side!

It should be noted that easily the worst photos in Jim's collection are the two I tried to take of Jim in the cinema. I'm so sorry, Jim.

Why do I bother with digital cameras? Why? I just can't hold them still. In an age where casual photography is growing in leaps and bounds, this is a major disability.

(But the party was lots of fun.)

What I didn't understand is why you turned the flash off in the first place...

cool, so how did you get to go to the party?

"cool, so how did you get to go to the party?"

They sent me MJ Simpson's ticket by mistake. Cheers, MJ!

Traveller in Time falling off his chair
""

I was hoping that after I said I would give my right arm to be at the premier that it might work to get to go to the party but no luck. I gues just a brief brush with the stars was my lot.

So I take it with credits Jim, you were some kind of comunity adviser? luky sod.

I've just started watching the 'Making Of...' documentary on my copy of the DVD and about half an hour in, there's two pasty geeks muttering about the Inifinite Improbability Drive. Any idea who they could be?

B