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

I heard the original transmission of episode 1 of HHG. I have a sound system all over the house, and ironically I was lying is the bath at the time, rather like the B Ark Captain. When the television series appeared I was a Lecturer at the BBC Engineering Training Centre. We were expected to keep up to date, so I was able to go to the Television Centre and Ealing Film Studios and talk to people who had been directly involved in the production. HHG was unusual in using a mixture of film and electronic pictures for the Colour Separation Overlay effects. Some glass shots were also used in television work, another film originated method.

Much later, my manager (AHETD) sent a note to all his staff about a technical book the department was to produce and edit; the note asked us all to say what colour the cover should be and nothing about the content! So I wrote back “ ‘What colour is the wheel?’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Series 1, Episode 6”. It probably didn’t do my career any good!