The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Hexagonal Phase (Dramatized)

And Another Thing...

By: Eoin Colfer, Douglas Adams

Narrated by: Jane Horrocks, Sandra Dickinson, Mark Wing-Davey, Geoffrey McGivern, Simon Jones, Ed Byrne, Lenny Henry, full cast

The brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast series based on And Another Thing… the sixth book in the famous Hitchhiker’s Guide 'trilogy'.

Winner of the 2019 Audie Award for Science Fiction.

Forty years on from the first ever radio series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent and friends return in six brand new episodes, in which they are thrown back into the Whole General Mish Mash in a rattling adventure involving Viking Gods and Irish Confidence Tricksters, with our first glimpse of Eccentrica Gallumbits and a brief but memorable moment with The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast Of Traal.

Starring John Lloyd as The Book, with Simon Jones as Arthur, Geoff McGivern as Ford Prefect, Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox, Sandra Dickinson and Susan Sheridan as Trillian, Jim Broadbent as Marvin the Paranoid Android and Jane Horrocks as Fenchurch, the cast also includes Samantha Béart, Toby Longworth, Andy Secombe, Ed Byrne, Lenny Henry, Philip Pope, Mitch Benn, Jon Culshaw and Professor Stephen Hawking.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018, the series is written and directed by Dirk Maggs and based on And Another Thing… by Eoin Colfer with additional unpublished material by Douglas Adams. This edition also includes over 50 minutes of unbroadcast bonus material.

Listeners are reminded that the relaxed attitude to danger provided by Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses is no substitute for running around, screaming.

Cast:

The Voice Of The Book…John Lloyd

Arthur Dent…Simon Jones

Ford Prefect…Geoff McGivern

Zaphod Beeblebrox…Mark Wing-Davey

Trillian/Tricia McMillan…Sandra Dickinson

Trillian…Susan Sheridan

Random…Samantha Béart

Jeltz/Wowbagger…Toby Longworth

Constant Mown…Andy Secombe

Left Brain/Thor…Mitch Benn

Fenchurch…Jane Horrocks

Hillman Hunter…Ed Byrne

Cthulu…Jon Culshaw

Marvin…Jim Broadbent

The Guide MkII…Professor Stephen Hawking

The Consultant…Lenny Henry

Heimdall/Barzoo/Buckeye Brown/Eccentrica /Gunner Vogon…Tom Alexander

Aseed Preflux/Sub-Etha Voice/HOG Door …Philip Pope

Modgud/The Viking…Theo Maggs Baldur… Phillipe Bosher

Announcer…John Marsh

Music by Philip Pope

Production research by Kevin Jon Davies.

Written and directed by Dirk Maggs.

Based on the novel And Another Thing… by Eoin Colfer, with additional material by Douglas Adams.

Recorded at The Soundhouse Ltd. by Gerry O'Riordan.

Sound Design by Dirk Maggs.

Produced by Dirk Maggs, Helen Chattwell and David Morley.

A Perfectly Normal Production for BBC Radio 4.

©2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

"Don't Panic"

Douglass Adams in his element, Life, Universe and Everything...
This recorded adaptation of his story is absolutely brilliant, you can literally see it payout in your head...

awesome

awesome ending to the series. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is something of a Bible to me I love it.

Nice Try, But No Fish for You

I appreciate that the Adams family asked for him to continue the story, but he is no Douglas Adams. It came across as it was written: a homage. Yes, you can hear Douglas Adams words, but not his wit, which just proves how unique Douglas Adams was. The key to listening to the story is lowering your expections. The voice acting, sound and direction are perfect, but the story doesn't have the unexpected / unhinged concepts that is the mark of Adam's work. I am thinking a 2nd listen at a later date is needed to get a less biased assessment. It is a good effort, but I didn't laugh out loud once, I just felt good a few times. Damn, I do miss Douglas Adams.

Eoin Colfer should feel incredibly proud

So, interesting thing, I was not paying much attention, perhaps distracted by my digital watch, but I read this assuming it was written by Douglas Adams.
Can I just say, that before I get into my nitpicky complaints, the fact that I read through this whole book without realizing it was not Douglas Adams who wrote this, is immensely huge praise. If the author is reading this I hope you know that is an amazing feat and I hope you realize how accomplished you are to pull that off.
Okay, with that out of the way. Please understand that I am reviewing this essentially as if Adams wrote it, so I am holding it to a high standard indeed.
This was not my favorite Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy book, but it was also not my least favorite.
Two things detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
One, the book was often, especially at the start, self-referential. It was trying hard to remind you that it was a HGttG book. Nudging you with its elbow and with a wink saying "Hey! Remember that one time? That was fun."
Two, the book's political satire was too on the nose and not done as artfully. Thankfully it only occurred once or twice.
What I did love was the plot was more interesting than many of the other books. The characters felt right and were spot on.
Most of the book I drifted through it with a happy smile on my face. Glad to be back in this universe and with these characters.
The ending felt a little out of place. Feeling a bit more American than a proper British ending if you catch my drift. I am sure the fans love it, but it didn't sit exactly right with me. Still I did not hate it.
So, not my favorite, but I hope Eoin Colfer that you know you pulled off something amazing and should feel incredibly proud of what you accomplished.

Absolutely loved it!

Since the first minute I couldn’t stop! I binge-listened to it one after the other! Greatly recommend! The performances were amazing!

Great end to a great series.

I've listened to the entire series, and have appreciated them all. This production, with the different actors, allowed my imagination to be fully engaged. Enjoy!

a must listen

a must listen start with primary and work through hexagonal. great team of preformers. awesome

A Happier End

When I first heard of the concept of this book: “blasphemy” was the first word that came to mind.
But as Douglas Adams was a passionate atheist, I knew that I had to re-think things…:

I have read somewhere that Douglas Adams was a little unhappy with the Hitchhiker’s Ending.
The last book was written during a particularly “crappy” time of his life, and the book reflected that.
He thought long and hard about writing one more book, just to “set things right”.

This is Not Douglas Adams's book. 
It is missing “this and that”, and it’s missing it “here and there”.

All that being said, let’s look at what this book is to me:

A “last bow-out” of the characters, introduced to us by Douglas Adams.
An attempt to stitch things up, to bring to a happier end…
It reads to me like a friendly celebration of Douglas Adams's story, by someone that obviously read - and loved the H2G2 series, not an evil “money-making, coattail riding” blasphemous hack.

The book made me smile, even laugh, it gave me a warm feeling around the cockles, and was genuinely able to transport me back to the time when I first heard of “Dentrassi”, “Vogons” and “Golgafrinchans”.

If one is willing to forgive the writers that they are not Douglas Adams, one is hard-pressed not to get at least some enjoyment out of this ending.

A Fitting Conclusion

I could not have asked for more from the conclusion to this radio series 🥰✨ To anyone who may be hesitant due to the posthumous nature of it, I say Don't Panic. Just click play! The involvement of so much of the original cast and crew has ensured continuity, as well as proper respect to the late Douglas Adams. This final installment wraps things up nicely, gives homage to all the events that had transpired during the series until this point, and it may even bring a bittersweet tear to your eye by the end!

Not Douglas Adams, But Still Fantastic!

This books as the sixth book in the H2G2 trilogy is a fantastic addition to the Douglas Adams five. Some of the points and changes to story of the last (5th) book I can overlook for story and the joy of getting to see the characters once more. The pace feels different than the Douglas Adams written stories, but it still holds up on it's own.