Dirk Gently

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (Dramatised)

By: Douglas Adams

Narrated by: Harry Enfield

Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Harry Enfield stars once again in a brand new full-cast dramatisation of Douglas Adams's second Dirk Gently novel, directed by the award-winning Dirk Maggs

Harry Enfield exuberantly returns as Dirk Gently, who, fallen on hard times and dressed as a gypsy woman, is using his irritatingly accurate clairvoyant powers to read palms. He is saved when a frantic client turns up with a ludicrous story about being stalked by a goblin waving a contract accompanied by a hairy, green-eyed, scythe-wielding monster. When Detective Superintendent Gilks decides a headless body found in a sealed room is the result of a particularly irritating suicide, Dirk is plunged into a mystery where the interconnectedness of all things is tested to the limit...

This is the second of three series adapted from the Dirk Gently books, directed by Dirk Maggs (chosen by Douglas Adams to conclude the award-winning Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy). Guest stars include Peter Davison (Doctor Who), Jan Ravens (Dead Ringers), Philip Jackson (Poirot), John Fortune (Bremner, Bird & Fortune), Morwenna Banks (Absolutely), Stephen Moore (The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy) and returning cast members Olivia Colman (Peep Show), Jim Carter (The Golden Compass) and Billy Boyd (The Lord Of The Rings). This release contains over 30 minutes of additional unbroadcast material.

©2008 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2008 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

So much wilder than the original book

I wasn't a huge fan of the Dirk Gently books when they first came out, only because I was such a closed minded H2G2 fan at the time. I only wanted Douglas Adams to write in that one universe (or for Doctor Who). With that said, I enjoyed the second book some what, because of all the Norse Gods stuff. However, in both audio drama adaptations, Dirk Maggs has taken the books to the next level. Partially with the fine cast and production, but mostly because of how he took some liberties in the adaptations. The first one was pretty faithful. But this one just took it to the next level in comedy, action and awesome. I wish this was about 10 hours longer, because this is not only the best audio drama that I've ever heard, it's like...my most favorite thing in the world. It's ironic how I enjoyed this almost more than H2G2 now. I don't want to give away any surprises, but there's just a bounty of Easter Eggs, and a cast that will make your inner BBC fan boy/fan girl go SQUEE for days. Anyway my final thoughts is, is you had the unfortunate encounter with that awful TV adaptation on BBC America, please take a listen to these to clear your eye's mind. Dirk Maggs understands Dirk Gently as well or even more so than Adams. (Maybe it's because it's in the first name)

Humour one expets from Adams

A fun light read.. Science and related ethics hidden in a non preachy, fun, light storym

Smart humor.

Seriously funny. Brilliant combination of terrific writing and a fabulous cast of narrators. Loved it!

Douglas Adams and Dirk Maggs with another winner.

Dirk Maggs does a brilliant job adapting this sequel to Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Great show just one problem

You will love the show. But the song, Hot Potato, will get stuck in your head and unlike the Krikkit Masters' song, A full length version has never been released. 😭

Liked the performance

bit more só much the story. Compared to the first Dirk Gently boom, this one leaves a lot to bem desired.

Excellent, Reminds me of BBC sitcoms.

This more fun to listen to then most audiobooks. The full cast really made it a lot of fun.

A laugh a minute.

I was glad to hear of the BBC's adaptations of the Dirk Gently novels. After listening to and being thoroughly impressed with their handling of holistic Detective Agency I took a listen to the sequel, Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul. Again I found myself laughing so hard I was surprised when I didn't pee my pants. They made some changes to the story to bring it into the modern age, and while I generally hate it when people make such changes, it worked surprisingly well here. It helped that they picked an excellent cast for these whacky characters.
It all started while Kate Schechter was waiting to catch a plane to Norway. Already running late as it was, she's delayed even more by a big, angry Nordic man who also wants to catch the flight but is prevented from doing so by is lack of a credt card, bank account, passport or any kind of identification. Any chance of either of them making the flight is irrevocably lost when the check-in desk suddenly shoots up through the ceiling engulfed in a ball of orange flame.
Meanwhile, holistic investigator Dirk Gently is forced by poverty to make ends meet by putting his frustratingly accurate powers of clairvoyance to use as a cross dressing fortune teller. Things get hectic when Dirk is retained by a rich record company executive who claims to be pursued by a gobblin waiving a contract signed in blood and a giant, hairy green-eyed monster with a sythe. Though initially skeptical of this excentric's story, Dirk begins to take it seriously when he arrives several hours late for an appointment with his client only to find him brutally decapitated with his head sitting squarely in the center of his record player's turntable, which happens to be playing a copy of a record he helped get released. As Dirk digs deeper he discovers shocking truthes behind his client's murder, truthes that may even have a bearing on the bizarre incident at the airport as well as the disappearance of the girl working at the exploded check-in desk and a fighter pilot who went missing during a mission over the North Sea.
All in all this is an excellent adaptation well worth adding to your library, particularly if you like British humor. And despite his absence from the actual novel I actually liked how they brought Richard MacDuf back for this presentation since it gives a bit more of a sense of continuity. I also got to wondering if the Kate from the original novel of Holistic Detective Agency is the same Kate who features prominently in this presentation, now carrying a different name. If you havent given this a listen yet I wholeheartedly recommend it. You might just be in for a good time.

Improving series, but still no Guide

Dirk Gently is still not on the level of Hitchhiker's Guide, obviously, but this sequel is a better read than the first. Easier to follow, and very funny, the story is intriguing. Can't lose with mythological consumerism!

I do wonder though, with the irreverent Norse gods hanging around, did this or American Gods come out first?

Clever, Creative, Engaging and Imaginative.

A tale with enough wit and plot twists to give the mind's eye a colorful story to visualize. Intelligent details. Captivating dialog, with enough respect for the reader to avoid polluting the text with profanity. Delightful storytelling. An author that dances with the intellect of his audience. An under appreciated style of humor. I hope to discover another similarly brilliant author. Thank you , Mrs. Ann H.