Archive Douglas Adams/Hitchhiker’s Guide news for February 2004

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28th February 2004
Roger Gregg interview at Le Guide Galactique
It seems like everywhere you look there’s an interview with or by Roger Gregg, the Dublin-based, ex-pat American who plays Eddie in the Tertiary Phase. This is because Roger is not just an actor, he is also the motive force behind Ireland’s award-winning Crazy Dog Audio Theatre and is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world on the subject of audio drama. Now Roger has been interviewed by Nicolas Botti for Le Guide Galactique. As always, there is an English version on-line and a French translation coming soon.

24th February 2004
Susan Sheridan interview on-line
Roger (Eddie the Computer) Gregg has added another Tertiary Phase interview, complete with more in-studio photographs, to his Crazy Dog Audio Theatre website. This time it’s Trillian herself, Susan Sheridan.

21st February 2004
Atheist site reviews Wish You Were Here, paperback announced
A site called atheisthistorian.org has reviewed Nick Webb’s book Wish You Were Here. Reviewer MR Nyholm gives the book 3 out of 5 but this seems to be more for its discussion of Douglas Adams’ atheist beliefs (which Nyholm quotes at length) than the book itself. “It reads like it was intended for a select inside group, all of them contemporaries with the author, who share his upbringing and interests and come from the exact same background,” says Nyholm, who is evidently American and completely unfamiliar with British comedy. “This means that it is frequently close to unreadable (and often very boring) for the ordinary reader.”

Nyholm complains about Webb’s overenthusiastic way of describing everything as ‘brilliant’ and adds: “Another agonizing thing is the mind-numbing repetitiveness in Webb’s continual and relentless descriptions of how ‘amazingly funny,’ ‘unbelievably funny,’ even ‘horribly funny’ (!) some forgotten sketches were from Adams’ school days and very early career (all of them co-written by all those ‘incredibly brilliant’ buddies that surrounded Adams). Words can’t describe how annoying it gets to plod through Webb’s gushing like this page after page.” But he does concede that, “When we eventually get to the part after Adams has left Cambridge, it gradually gets better … and for those who are fans of his, it’s well worth plodding through.”

In a related story, The Bookseller’s paperback preview for 2004 lists Wish You Were Here as scheduled for publication in July.

21st February 2004
Nicolas Botti interviews Jenz Kjellberg
France’s number one HHGG fan, Nicolas Botti, webmaster of Le Guide Galactique, has added to his collection of interviews a chat with Sweden’s number one HHGG fan, Jenz Kjellberg aka The Duke of Dunstable, webmaster of the Douglas Adams Continuum. You can read the interview in English here and a French version is forthcoming. But one question not asked is why anyone from Sweden would choose a nickname referring to a small market town in Bedfordshire…

20th February 2004
More names added to IMDB
A couple more crew names have been added to the IMDB listing for the Hitchhiker’s Guide movie. Production co-ordinator Deryn Stafford has numerous film and TV credits include a couple of genre shows – The Hunger and Invasion: Earth. Although the IMDB is not noted for its accuracy, the fact that Stafford’s involvement has not been announced suggests that he has added the credit himself, which makes it believable. Casting director Susie Figgis – already identified by this site (she’s a friend of a friend!) – has also been added.

20th February 2004
MJ Simpson radio interview tomorrow
I will be talking about Hitchhiker’s Guide on BBC Radio Cleveland tomorrow on the Saturday lunchtime show, Gobstopper, presented by Bob Fischer. I will also be on The Late Show, broadcast across BBC local radio in the Midlands, on Monday 8th March.

18th February 2004
New SFX has HHGG feature, news, competition
The new issue of SFX magazine is now on sale, including an exclusive, six-page, behind-the-scenes feature on the Tertiary Phase, which was due to have started yesterday but which is still in ‘broadcast date limbo’. The mag also has two pages of news on the movie including a timeline of the entire 25-year saga. And there is also the chance to win a signed (by me!) copy of Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams.

16th February 2004
Tertiary Phase sound engineer interviewed
Roger (Eddie the Computer) Gregg has added a second great Tertiary Phase interview to his Crazy Dog Audio Theatre site. This time it’s Paul Deeley, sound engineer extraordinaire, discussing some of the more technical aspects of audio drama in general and Hitchhiker’s Guide in particular. It’s a fascinating chat, even for those of us who don’t understand answers like: “I use the stereo Neumann SM 69 which is the two mono-capsules with switchable polar diaphragm”! As with Roger’s Dirk Maggs interview, the text is accompanied by loads of great photos of the Tertiary Phase recording session.

15th February 2004
Martinfreeman.com launches HHGG movie page, announces game
Jamie Freeman, brother of Martin and webmaster of Martinfreeman.com, has taken the well-advised step of adding a dedicated page about the Hitchhiker’s Guide movie to the site. There’s not much there yet (obviously) but it will be a good place to keep an eye on over the next few months. For now, Jamie has posted the teaser that his company Message Digital Design Ltd are “working on a cool little game featuring Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent”.

14th February 2004
The Times reviews Hitchhiker
The review of Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams in The Times today must win some sort of award for the most extraordinary yet published – but Iain Finlayson seems to like the book, even if he doesn’t understand who it’s aimed at. “Galactic Hitchhikers, a sub-division of Trekkies and only marginally less deranged than Doctor Who wonks … give new meaning to the word ‘aficionados’,” he claims, apparently never having met anyone who actually reads Douglas Adams novels. The review seems to have suffered from the work of some sub-editor as it not only refers to those two little-known Adams books “Goodbye and Thanks for All the Fish” but does so in a convoluted, almost unreadable sentence. Still, it’s all good publicity.

12th February 2004
‘Douglas Adams’ to feature in spurious Graham Chapman biopic
Open auditions have been announced to find actors to portray the six members of Monty Python in Gin and Tonic, a proposed biopic of Graham Chapman, and the company responsible says on their website that they will be casting for the role of Douglas Adams in the near future. However, even if you’re a 6’5” actor with a large nose, don’t get your hopes up. This film has been rumoured for many years but has never, so far as I can tell, got anywhere near pre-production. These auditions – to be held in Hollywood on 20th March – are plainly the most ludicrous publicity gimmick. Why would any reputable film cast six major roles, including the lead, from unknowns? And why cast in America when five of the roles are British?

It should come as no surprise that the man behind the ‘film’ is the notoriously obstreperous Jim Yoakum, an aspiring US ‘comedy writer’ who was appointed Chapman’s literary executor on the comedian’s death and has milked his fleeting moment of fame-by-association ever since. Yoakum, who publicly fell out with Douglas over the Out of the Trees and Ringo Starr scripts, has recently redesigned the Graham Chapman Archives to feature more of his own sub-Python humour including this bizarre page dedicated to Douglas. No friend of this author, Yoakum sent childishly abusive e-mails objecting to being quoted in the original UK hardback of Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams, without having seen the book. He was also responsible for the removal of Douglas’ short story ‘The Private Life of Genghis Khan’ from later editions of The Salmon of Doubt.

Yoakum claimed for years to be working on Chapman’s biography but fortunately this has now been written by Bob McCabe (in collaboration with Chapman’s partner David Sherlock). The book, which should feature Douglas Adams in one or two chapters, will be published in October.

11th February 2004
Cinesite contracted to provide 300 digital effects for HHGG movie
This industry site reports that leading London effects house Cinesite (Europe) Ltd has been contracted to supply more than 300 digital effects in the Hitchhiker’s Guide movie. The visual effect supervisor will be Sue Rowe, whose previous credits include Die Another Day and Tomb Raider. Cinesite CEO Colin Brown is quoted as saying: “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a highly original and quintessentially British comedy/science fiction piece of its era, with a script by Douglas Adams; it seems right that it should be made in the UK. Personally I am a great fan, so I am really excited that Cinesite will be working on it.”

The company’s work will include “computer generated spaceships, virtual environments, talking computer generated animals and composites with models to create fantasy planet environments.” However, it is known that a lot of model and prosthetic work will also be featured, including full-body Vogon suits and model spaceships. Cinesite is also currently working on Alien vs Predator and Harry Potter III.

11th February 2004
Hitchhiker recommended on another ‘best of 2003’ list
Interzone, Britain’s long-standing, award-winning magazine of SF/fantasy fiction, has included Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams on its list of recommended works from 2003. This follows a similar recommendation by trade mag Locus.

8th February 2004
Tertiary Phase interview and photos on-line
Roger (Eddie the Computer) Gregg has revamped the website of his Crazy Dog Audio Theatre including the addition of a lengthy interview with Tertiary Phase adaptor/director Dirk Maggs. Dirk and Roger discuss the whole field of audio production including Hitchhiker’s Guide and the fascinating chat is accompanied by a bunch of photographs which Roger took in the studio.

There is still no news whatsoever regarding a broadcast date for the Tertiary Phase. I will post here as soon as I hear anything in that regard.

7th February 2004
Guardian reviews Hitchhiker
Today’s Guardian includes a short review of the new British paperback of Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams. “This exhaustively researched life is an impressive feat of devotion,” says Steven Poole, although he observes that I am “not an uncritical biographer.“ Poole finds that Douglas himself comes over in the book, “as a loveable character and as a truly awesome expert in the black arts of procrastination, as he leaves a wake of indulgent publishers and agents waiting for the next novel.”

5th February 2004
Sam Rockwell cast as Zaphod
Earlier today sites across the web started carrying a story that Sam Rockwell had been cast as Zaphod in the movie. The news originated in this Hollywood Reporter story – although no source was cited – and has now been confirmed here. The actor’s previous credits include Galaxy Quest, The Green Mile, Charlie’s Angels and the sublimely brilliant Confessions of a Dangerous Mind in which he played a dangerously unreliable borderline psychotic, nationally famous for being weirdly eccentric and over the top, secretly vested with an unhealthy amount of responsibility. Sounds familiar.

4th February 2004
Second Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture announced
The Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture is an annual event “in celebration of the Life and Universe of Douglas Adams” and raising money for his two favourite charities, Save the Rhino International and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. This year’s lecture, ‘Mission Antarctica’ will be given by Robert Swan, the first man to walk to both the North and South Poles. As last year, the event takes place on Douglas’ birthday, 11th March, at the Royal Institution, Albemarle Street, London W1. Kick-off is 7.30pm. Tickets are £15 for the main theatre or £12 for the gods and must be booked in advance; they will be sent out at the beginning of March.

4th February 2004
Warwick Davis confirmed for movie
The douglasadams.com movie page has added Warwick Davis as (the body of) Marvin to its list of confirmed movie cast. Bill Nighy, who last weekend won the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy, is still not listed because his contract has not yet been signed.

4th February 2004
Locus recommends Hitchhiker
The February issue of science fiction trade mag Locus includes the annual ‘recommended reading’ list. The list is “a consensus by Locus editors and reviewers and other professionals. It takes at least two positive mentions to make the final list.” There are about 300 titles on the list including 13 non-fiction works – one of which is Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams.

4th February 2004
Book & Magazine Collector, Starburst both place Hitchhiker’s Guide 20th on list
The new issue of Book & Magazine Collector has a feature on The Big Read, listing the top 21 books in order of ‘value of first edition.’ By this criterion, Hitchhiker’s Guide – voted fourth in the programme – comes a miserable 20th, beating only Harry Potter Vol.4. Even allowing the Arthur Barker hardback edition (which was published three months after the true, paperback first from Pan), Hitchhiker’s Guide is only worth £200-£300 at current auction prices. This is the same as Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, although the de Bernieres book has a variant first worth considerably more than the Pan edition of Hitchhiker’s. Apart from these three titles and Birdsong, all the other books are worth four or five figures with the winner being Wuthering Heights: a fine condition first of that will set you back fifty grand!

Hitchhiker’s is coincidentally also placed 20th in the current issue of Starburst, although as this is a list of 50 it’s a more respectable showing. The readers’ poll of favourite science fiction/fantasy things includes films, books and TV shows and is topped, not unexpectedly, by Star Wars.

2nd February 2004
Temporary official HHGG movie site launched, IMDB listing changed
The three URLs which previously showed only a pink ‘Don’t Panic’ logo – ‘www.hitchhikers.com’, ‘www.hitchhikersmovie.com’ and ‘www.hitchhikers-movie.com’ – now lead you here, an adjunct of www.douglasadams.com which will function as the official movie site until such time as the ‘official official’ movie site launches. Anything on this site is true, anything not on the site must be considered rumour or supposition. And try out the ‘Frequently Questioned Answers’, a stroke of genius!

In related news, the Inaccurate Movie Database has rejigged its listing for the movie, correctly removing Stephen Moore on the grounds that, as I have been patiently pointing out, the role of ‘voice of Marvin’ has not been cast yet. Now included in the listing is art director Frank Walsh, whose credits include Tomb Raider 2 and Terry Gilliam’s The Brothers Grimm, although there’s no mention of Hitchhiker’s Guide on his site. Also listed is casting associate Nadia Aleyd (who recently helped to cast the Eddie Murphy horror comedy The Haunted Mansion), although Hitchhiker’s casting director Susie Figgis is not listed.

It goes without saying that nothing here should be considered accurate unless it is also mentioned here.

2nd February 2004
Hitchhiker UK paperback on sale, shortlisted for award
The British paperback of Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams officially goes on sale today, although copies have been in some shops since last week. Published by Coronet, it costs £8.99 although Amazon.co.uk have it for £7.19.

The book has now been shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Awards (Best Non-Fiction) where it is up against three rather academic treatises and a book review. The awards are voted on by members of the BSFA and members of this year’s British National SF Convention or Eastercon.

1st February 2004
Hitchhiker’s Guide live on stage in Florida
It has been quite some time since the last amateur stage version of Hitchhiker’s Guide, so I’m delighted to report that residents of Naples, Florida will have the chance to enjoy a production by the Orpheus Players next Sunday (8th February) and the three Sundays following. The story is being presented as a “live radio show”, an idea which has successfully been tried before by other companies. The performances will take place at Holmes House Restaurant, 2500 Estero Boulevard, Fort Myers Beach and tickets cost $15 or $35 if you want dinner as well; there’s no information as to whether Algolian zilbatburgers or Arcturan megacow steaks are on the menu. For more information, call (239) 463-5519.