The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Tertiary Phase (BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatization) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Douglas Adams (Author), Simon Jones (Narrator), Geoffrey McGivern (Narrator), Susan Sheridan (Narrator), Stephen Moore (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2005

The brand new third installment of Douglas Adams's classic time travel tale, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Tertiary Phase, is now available on audio. The long-awaited CD—which revives the BBC's popular radio series with this new six-part dramatization of Adams's book Life, the Universe and Everything—features 25 minutes of exclusive and previously unheard footage and features the author himself playing the role of Agrajag. The plot picks up where the second radio series left off: Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect escape from prehistoric Earth on a time-traveling sofa while a pack of homicidal robots blow up Lords Cricket Ground. Armed only with a rabbit bone, a worn dressing gown, and a spaceship that looks remarkably like an Italian bistro, Arthur embarks on an intergalactic journey to save the universe.

Several members of the original BBC Radio 4 cast reunited for this special audio production, including Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect, Susan Sheridan as Trillian, Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Stephen Moore as Marvin the Paranoid Android. Richard Griffiths, Chris Langham, Joanna Lumley, and cricket commentators Fred Trueman and Henry Blofeld also star in this brilliant satire replete with incisive comedic wit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. American readers may not be aware that Adams's sci-fi parody classic started out as a BBC radio production. This audio, which contains a portion of that radio serial, will have listeners glued to their CD players. Never a dull moment passes in this uproarious dramatization, as Arthur Dent—a refugee from Earth, which was destroyed to make way for a galactic freeway—escapes from prehistory, and self-imposed insanity, on a time-traveling sofa along with his alien friend, Ford Prefect, who is a reporter for the eponymous guide. The pair find themselves reunited with old friends (such as Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed president of the galaxy) and swept up in an attempt to stop the explosively xenophobic denizens of the planet Cricket from wreaking havoc on all of existence by behaving remarkably like players of the British sport of the same name. Each CD contains two episodes full of hilariously appropriate sound effects, dramatic music and witty fake advertising, and every performer brings his or her character to life with aplomb, including Adams, who makes his appearance in one scene as Agrajag, an entity that is killed and reincarnated innumerable times. Fully embodying the zany otherworldliness of the series, this audio production is a treat for anyone familiar with the Hitchhiker's books (the first of which will debut as a major motion picture from Touchstone in May). (Apr.)
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From AudioFile

It's been more than a quarter century since Douglas Adams's original radio series was first broadcast. In the able hands of director Dirk Maggs, Adams's third novel about Arthur Dent, LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERYTHING, has been adapted as a radio drama and brought to life with most of the original cast from the first two series. Simon Jones reprises his role as the chronically disgruntled Arthur Dent, an earthman cast about in time and space when the earth is destroyed. Geoffrey McGivern is back as the easy-going Ford Prefect, and Mark Wing-Davey is the two-headed hipster, Zaphod Beeblebrox. Fans will be pleased by the return of Susan Sheridan as Trillian, who was conspicuously absent from the second series. Even Douglas Adams, who passed away in 2001, makes an appearance as the continuously reincarnated Agrajag. Through the wonders of digital sound editing, dialogue from an audiobook version of LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERTHING read by Adams was seamlessly spliced in, along with Simon Jones reading Arthur Dent's parts. Roger Gregg of Crazy Dog Audio Theatre plays Eddie the Shipboard Computer, giving a cheerful counterpoint to Stephen Moore's hilariously depressing Marvin the Paranoid Android. All in all, a delightfully manic treat. S.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America (March 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572704691
• ISBN-13: 978-1572704695
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #486,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good follow up to the series, April 21, 2005

By 

otiliorules (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Tertiary Phase (BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatization) (Audio CD)

When I heard they were going to continue the radio series, I found myself being both extremely happy and a little puzzled. After all, Douglas Adams has been dead for a number of years.

I grew up listening to the original radio show and have gone to sleep with it playing for more nights than I can count. As far as Tertiary Phase goes, it is certainly better than all 53 things you can do in zero gravity and is more exciting than a zerbra crossing.

If your a big fan of the original two series, these are the things you need to know: The voices are different but the same! Sadly, Peter Jones died in 2000, before the series was recorded so the voice of the book is a different actor. However, despite the differences in voice the new actor does a comendable job. Despite Peter's passing, they have managed to get all the same actors back again. Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod, Simon Jones as Arthur, and even Stephen Moore for Marvin. While it's awesome that they all came back, you can tell how much they have aged. Zaphod's beech-bum style of talking sounds oddly strange coming from an "old man's" tone of voice. Despite this, all the actors bring the same great performances they did in the original.
There's also a bit score for this series which is a good addition.

Dirk Maggs, who is this series producer has managed to create Douglas' world again without making it seem like someone other than Douglas was creating it.

All in all, if you enjoyed the first two series, I am certain you will enjoy this one. And for those of you just looking at this because you saw the movie or read the book, get the Radio Show and listen to it now! (Be sure to get the other parts first).

39 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The magic is gone, June 11, 2005

By 

R. Gale (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Tertiary Phase (BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatization) (Audio CD)

As a fan of the original radio series from way back, I was delighted when I heard that the BBC was going to do 6 more radio episodes with the original cast. Unfortunately, this is like listening to a reunion concert of an old rock group -- they try, but they can't recapture the original energy, and their new material isn't as good as their old hits. To be sure, there are some wonderful bits scattered throughout these 3 hours (such as "Bistro Math"), but not enough to make up for a lot of tedium, either from lackluster gags or overlong scenes that simply wear out their welcome. Much of this is due to the material itself, given that HHGTHG after its first original six episodes became something of a shaggy dog story. Still, the "secondary phase" had a manic energy, perhaps because all concerned were in some sense working with a proverbial gun to their heads, scrambling to come up with the next episode and get it on the air, mixed with great chemistry in the cast. That sort of energy just can't be recaptured, and the chemistry is gone. Although Arthur Dent remains a solid anchor, Zaphod sounds like a tired old shell of himself, and Ford, with little to do, isn't firing on all cylinders. Marvin, who was always a one note gag, isn't funny this time -- we heard the joke enough before. None of the nice sound effects and production can compensate for what's missing in the script and performances.

Bottom line: I can't imagine ever listening to these episodes a second time, which to me is the ultimate gauge of whether you should spend this much money to buy audio entertainment (much less invest 3 hours listening to them all). The old episodes on the 4th listening are still more enjoyable than these are on the 1st listening. You can't go home again.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life, the Universe and Everything., May 9, 2005

By 

rnorton828 "rnorton828" (Riverbend, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Tertiary Phase (BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatization) (Audio CD)

Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy returns to the radio in this BBC Radio production of HHGG: The Tertiary Phase. The "Tertiary Phase" is a radio adaptation of Adams' third Hitchhiker's Guide novel Life, The Universe and Everything. Producer Dirk Maggs and his cast have put together a very good, highly entertaining production of Book Three. Many of the original cast from the first two Hitchhiker's radio series have returned, including Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect, Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox, Susan Sheridan as Trillian and Stephen Moore as the terminally depressed Marvin the Paranoid Android. Other cast members include Richard Griffiths, Joanna Lumley (of Absolutely Fabulous), Chris Langham as well as cricket commentators Henry Blofeld and Fred Trueman. The late Douglas Adams himself voiced the character Agrajag, a creature who has lived many lives, only to have each one ended accidentally at the hands of Arthur Dent, although Agrajag believes Arthur is deliberately murdering him each time. The storyline picks up where the previous radio series left off, as Arthur and Ford escape prehistoric Earth on a space-time eddy manifested in the form of a sofa. They arrive at Lords Cricket Ground where a group of homicidal robots who strangley resemble cricketers proceed to blow the place up. Arthur and Ford reunite with Slartibartfast and embark on a mission to save the Universe from these xenophobic murderers from the planet Krikkit. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Tertiary Phase is a hilarious adaptation of Book Three in the Hitchhiker's Guide series, and I look forward to the Quandary and Quintessential Phase radio adaptations of Books Four and Five.