 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series: Encyclopedia II - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series - Episode summaries
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series - Episode summaries
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series - Episode One
- First Broadcast on BBC Two, 5 January 1981
Cast (in order of appearance):
- The Book (narrator): Peter Jones
- Arthur Dent: Simon Jones
- Mr. Prosser: Joe Melia
- Ford Prefect: David Dixon
- Workman One (uncredited): Terry Duran
- Workman Two (uncredited): George Cornelius
- Alien (girl): Cleo Rocos
- Alien (guy): Andrew Mussell
- Man at end of bar (uncredited): Douglas Adams
- Barman: Steve Conway
- Barfly (uncredited): Steve Trainer
- Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz (Vogon Captain) and Vogon Guard (uncredited for the latter): Martin Benson
- Sandwich-board man (uncredited): David Grahame
- Irritated man hitting radio (uncredited): Bill Barnsley
Episode One begins with a pre-credits sequence, the only one of the TV episodes to have one. A countdown to the end of the world is displayed through animation, and the narrator begins telling the story of the Guide and Arthur Dent's connection to it as the sun rises over the English countryside for the final time. Arthur wakes, discovers the threat to his house from a yellow bulldozer by looking out the window, and the camera pulls back to the credits. This episode closely follows the plot and dialog of the first episode of the radio series, cutting the speech by Lady Cynthia Fitzmelton. It ends at a slightly earlier point than the radio episode, after Ford's line "he might want to read us some of his poetry first", and on a cliffhanger that Arthur and Ford are about to be discovered in a Vogon storeroom, but before the Vogon poetry is actually read.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series - Episode Two
- First Broadcast on BBC Two, 12 January 1981
Cast (in order of appearance):
- The Book: Peter Jones
- Unhappy man (uncredited): Douglas Adams
- Arthur Dent: Simon Jones
- Ford Prefect: David Dixon
- Vogon Captain: Martin Benson
- Vogon Guard: Michael Cule
- Trillian: Sandra Dickinson
- Zaphod Beeblebrox: Mark Wing-Davey
- Marvin (costume): David Learner
- Marvin (voice): Stephen Moore
- Newscaster: Rayner Bourton
- Gag Halfrunt: Gil Morris
- Eddie the Computer: David Tate
The episode opens with a recap of the story, with Ford and Arthur about to be captured. After being read Vogon poetry, they are thrown out of an airlock and improbably rescued by the Starship Heart of Gold, which has been stolen by Ford's semi-cousin Zaphod Beeblebrox, accompanied by Trillian, a young woman who Arthur once met at a party. Ford and Arthur are escorted to the bridge by Marvin the Paranoid Android and meet Zaphod and Trillian. The episode ends after they are introduced, with no cliffhanger.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series - Episode Three
- First Broadcast on BBC Two, 19 January 1981
Cast (in order of appearance):
- The Book: Peter Jones
- Spaceman (uncredited): John Austen-Gregg
- Spacewoman (uncredited): Zoe Hendry
- Handmaiden One (uncredited): Nicola Critcher
- Handmaiden Two (uncredited): Jacoba
- Handmaiden Three (uncredited): Lorraine Paul
- Handmaiden Four (uncredited): Susie Silvey
- Rich Merchant (uncredited): John Dair
- Ford Prefect: David Dixon
- Zaphod Beeblebrox: Mark Wing-Davey
- Trillian: Sandra Dickinson
- Arthur Dent: Simon Jones
- Eddie the Computer: David Tate
- Holographic Magrathean and Slartibartfast: Richard Vernon
- Marvin the Paranoid Android: David Learner
- Voices of the Whale and Marvin: Stephen Moore
The episode opens with a guide entry explaining the legendary planet of Magrathea, which manufactured planets millions of years ago, until the Galactic economy collapsed. Zaphod has been explaining to Ford that he has found the legendary planet of Magrathea, whilst Trillian tends to a pair of white mice. Zaphod orders the computer to land on the planet surface.
Before long, they receive a transmission from the Commercial Council of Magrathea, informing them that the planet is closed for business and asking them to leave. They ignore this and later receive another message, noting that nuclear missiles have been sent at the ship. Attempts to evade the missiles fail, and Arthur uses the ship's Infinite Improbability Drive, which ends up turning the missiles into a very surprised looking whale and a bowl of petunias. Trillian discovers that during the chaos, her mice escaped.
The five characters go onto the surface, where they find it desolate. Zaphod suggests they lived inside the surface. They split into two groups - Trillian, Zaphod and Ford explore a tunnel, whilst Arthur and Marvin remain on the surface. Trillian, Zaphod and Ford's thread ends on a cliff-hanger, with them seeing something alarming at the end of the corridor.
Meanwhile, Arthur and Marvin watch the sunset. Eventually, Slartibartfast arrives, and asks Arthur to come with him. He explains that the Magratheans were in hibernation for the last five million years. They get into his air-car, and descend deep into a tunnel.
A guide narrative intervenes, explaining that whilst humanity had always assumed that it was the most intelligent species on Earth, in fact the dolphins were more intelligent, and had left the planet some time before. However, both the dolphins and humans were less intelligent than the mice.
Meanwhile, Slartibartfast shows Arthur the vast tract of hyperspace that acts as the Magrathean's "factory floor", and that they have been brought out for a special commission — "the Earth Mk 2, we're making a copy from our original blueprints". The Earth was originally made by Magrathea for mice; and it was destroyed five minutes too early. The episode ends here.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series - Episode Four
- First Broadcast on BBC Two, 26 January 1981
Cast (in order of appearance):
- The Book: Peter Jones
- Arthur Dent: Simon Jones
- Slartibartfast: Richard Vernon
- PA Voice (uncredited): David Tate
- Lunkwill/Loon-Quall (latter uncredited): Antony Carrick
- Fook/Phougg (latter uncredited): Timothy Davies
- Deep Thought: Valentine Dyall
- Guard (uncredited): Richard Reid
- Majikthise: David Leland
- Vroomfondel: Charles McKeown
- Alien Robot (uncredited): Eddie Sommer
- G'Gugvunt Leader (uncredited): Eric French
- Vl'Hurg Leader (uncredited): James Muir
- Trillian: Sandra Dickinson
- Zaphod Beeblebrox: Mark Wing-Davey
- Ford Prefect: David Dixon
- Benjy Mouse: David Tate
- Frankie Mouse: Stephen Moore
- Bang Bang: Marc Smith
- Shooty: Matt Zimmerman
Note: The part of "Loon-Quall," one of the two computer programmers who hears Deep Thought announce "The Answer," is stated by the DVD production notes as being played by David Leland. However, the idea of the role was for that character to have been descended from the earlier programmer, Lunkwill, played by Antony Carrick.
This episode ends on the cliff-hanger of Ford, Arthur, Trillian and Zaphod being confronted by the galactic police, and the computer bank that they are hiding behind being shot and then exploding.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series - Episode Five
- First Broadcast on BBC Two, 2 February 1981
Cast (in order of appearance):
- The Book: Peter Jones
- Arthur Dent: Simon Jones
- Ford Prefect: David Dixon
- Trillian: Sandra Dickinson
- Zaphod Beeblebrox: Mark Wing-Davey
- Garkbit (Head Waiter): Jack May
- Girl on stairs (uncredited): Mary Eveleigh
- Hotblack Desiato: Barry Frank Warren
- Bodyguard: Dave Prowse
- Max Quordlepleen: Colin Jeavons
- Dish of the Day: Peter Davison
- Marvin (costume): David Learner
- Marvin (voice): Stephen Moore
- The Great Prophet Zarquon: Colin Bennett
The episode ends on the cliff-hanger of the black ship about to start a dive into the sun of Kakrafoon.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series - Episode Six
- First Broadcast on BBC Two, 9 February 1981
Cast (in order of appearance):
- The Book: Peter Jones
- Arthur Dent: Simon Jones
- Ford Prefect: David Dixon
- Trillian: Sandra Dickinson
- Zaphod Beeblebrox: Mark Wing-Davey
- Marvin (costume): David Learner
- Marvin (voice) and Radio voices (latter uncredited): Stephen Moore
- Newscaster: Rayner Bourton
- Number One: Matthew Scurfield
- Number Three: Geoffrey Beevers
- B Ark Captain: Aubrey Morris
- Marketing Girl: Beth Porter
- Hairdresser: David Rowlands
- Management Consultant: Jon Glover
- Number Two: David Neville
The episode ends with Arthur and Ford being stuck on pre-historic Earth, lamenting the eventual destruction of it. The regular theme music follows the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.
Other related archives12 January, 16 May, 19 January, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1992, 1993, 2 February, 2 July, 2000, 2001, 2002, 26 January, 28 October, 4 August, 5 January, 5 July, 7 June, 8 May, 9 February, Adams, Douglas, Arthur, Arthur Dent, Aubrey Morris, BBC Radio 4, BBC Two, Babel Fish, Bernie Leadon, Beth Porter, Charles McKeown, Colin Jeavons, Dave Prowse, David Dixon, David Leland, Disaster Area, Douglas Adams, Ford, Geoffrey Beevers, Geoffrey McGivern, Geoffrey Perkins, Heart of Gold, Hotblack Desiato, Infinite Improbability Drive, Jack May, John Lloyd, Journey of the Sorcerer, Kevin Davies, Life, the Universe and Everything, Louis Armstrong, Magrathea, Marc Smith, Mark Wing-Davey, Marvin the Paranoid Android, Neil Gaiman, October, PBS, Paddy Kingsland, Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters, Peter Davison, Peter Jones, Prosser, Richard Reid, Richard Vernon, Sandra Dickinson, Simon Jones, Slartibartfast, Stephen Moore, Stuart Murdoch, Susan Sheridan, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts, Tim Souster, Trillian, Valentine Dyall, Vogon poetry, Vogons, Zaphod, Zaphod Beeblebrox, animatronic, bowl of petunias, dolphins, first episode of the radio series, mice, radio series, stage show at the Rainbow Theatre, stage shows
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Episode summaries", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
