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

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2003/11/04/7768.shtml

"Production is under way on the Tertiary Phase of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with episodes due to begin airing on Radio 4 in spring 2004.

"As we reported in September, independent company Above the Title have the rights to adapt Douglas Adams' novels for radio. It's now become clear that three of the Hitchhikers' novels are indeed getting their first radio adaptation.

"A six-part adaptation of Life, the Universe and Everything will be up first in the spring. This will be followed towards the end of 2004 by an eight-week serialisation combining So Long and Thanks for All the Fish with Mostly Harmless.

"The news comes just weeks after confirmation that the planned movie version of the original Hitchhiker's is finally emerging from mothballs.

"As Hitchhiker's expert archivist (and Douglas Adams biographer) MJ Simpson says, "People have been talking for years about a feature film or a new radio series, but for both to be announced within a month of each other is, to coin a phrase, infinitely improbable."

"On the production front, the great news is that the series will be written and directed by the massively experienced Dirk Maggs - Adams' own choice, as Simpson points out. Maggs' vast output includes previous radio serials featuring Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and Judge Dredd, plus several Agatha Christie serials via Above the Title.

"The Hitchhiker's production is set to re-unite six members of the original cast: Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey, Susan Sheridan, Stephen Moore and announcer John Marsh. Those joining them will include William Franklyn as the voice of the Book and Richard Griffiths as Slartibartfast. The late Douglas Adams himself will appear as Agrajag (a cameo he favoured playing) thanks to recordings made for Dove Audio's unabridged book readings.

"As Simpson says, this is marvellous news. "Every sci-fi fan wants their old show to be reborn. Fans of Doctor Who have a new series to look forward to, and Thunderbirds fans have a feature film – but Hitchhiker’s Guide fans have both."

What can one reply to that... apart from...












Sowwy, got slightly carried away there...

Hmm, No, I don't see people getting particularly excited at this

Words and emoticons largely fail me. But, and I think this is the first and likely only time I will use this particular one, I have to at least admit that I am doing this:



Ahem. Yes, enough of that. Well, one more thing:

THANK YOU RADIO 4!!

(just please be sure to offer it on CD at some point, for us in the USA)


- JD

The beauty of it going to be on Radio 4 means it'll be listenable (is that even a word?) via the web based Radio Player

Woo!

And, pressumbably with the 'play back' or whatever they call it, you can pressumbably be able to listen to each episode anytime for seven days after the broadcast; helping with awkward things like time differences and the kind

Except I've never managed to figure out why our firewall doesn't like BBC real audio streaming... it's got no problems with windows media player versions... just hates Real

I find most of the BBC online streaming audio really very awful; no problem streaming American radio stations, Spanish radio stations or anywhere else for that matter; But the BBC seems to havea a problem with audio fullstop; the audio on the terrestrial TV broadcasts is terrible, so distorted they just output/record from mics at too high a level ITV and C4 seem to have it under control a lot better, Hmm, maybe the audio is better with the digital TV broadcasting, though I suspect not as the streaming audio on the net is often so poor *gripe over*

If we're really lucky they will rerelease the original two series along with the new ones on cd for us across the pond.




Count Zero

The originals are readily available on P2P

Naughty!

Well lets face it... if the beeb are daft enough to bring out a cd with the original series in MP3 format... what the heck did they expect to happen....

Honestly, some marketing people have their heads in the clouds!

So that's what the Daily Tory was on about last week

Glad to see some activity in Bush House.
Licence renewal folks...hop, skip..get to it!

Licence? What's a licence?

Can not wait!!!!