The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Quintessential Phase (Dramatized)

By: Douglas Adams

Narrated by: Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Full Cast

Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Don’t panic! The Hitchhiker’s saga returns once again with a full-cast dramatisation of Mostly Harmless, the fifth book in Douglas Adams’s famous ‘trilogy in five parts’.

While frequent flyer Arthur Dent searches the universe for his lost love, Ford Prefect discovers a disturbing blast from the past at The Hitchhiker’s Guide HQ. Meanwhile, on one of many versions of Earth, a blonder, more American Trillian gets tangled up with a party of lost aliens having an identity crisis. And just when Arthur thinks he has found his true vocation on the backwater planet of Lamuella, the original Trillian turns up with more than a little spanner in the works. A stolen ship, a dramatic stampede and a new and sinister Guide lead to a race to save the Earth...again. But this time, will they succeed?

Simon Jones returns as Arthur, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford, Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox, Susan Sheridan as Trillian, Sandra Dickinson as Tricia McMillan, and Stephen Moore as Marvin. William Franklyn is the Book, Rula Lenska is also the Book and Samantha Béart is Random. Guest stars include Miriam Margolyes, Griff Rhys Jones, John Challis, Roy Hudd, Saeed Jaffrey, and Jonathan Pryce.

This extended edition features 40 minutes of material not heard on BBC Radio 4.

Listen to the rest of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy".

Want to learn more about the new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie? Listen to this interview with Robbie Stamp, close friend of Douglas Adams and executive producer of the film.

©2005 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2005 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Critic reviews

• Winner of Audio Publishers Association 2007 Audie Award, Audiobook Adapted from Another Medium

Beautiful!

If you've gotten this far in the radio series, there's no reason to stop now! This installment was not only just as humorous and mind-bending as all the previous ones, it even ended in such a way as to patch up the heart that the Quandary Phase broke 💖 I honestly had happy tears in my eyes at the end. It was so moving! And with all the probability and multiversal stuff that's been thrown around since the very beginning, it was perfectly believable, even if it was different from the original novel.

This ends the material I had some familiarity with (even if I had forgotten most of it). Next, the Hexagonal Phase, which I have absolutely no idea about. I haven't read the book it's based on yet (though I do have it ready in my library!), all I know is that it was posthumously written by another author. I'm actually quite looking forward to it!

A happy ending at last

I love the series, but was always sorry about how book 5 ended. I'm glad that the BBC production goes a little bit beyond the book for this.

They saved the best for last

I found many portions of the first four "phases" to be overproduced with loud sound effects and unintelligible character voices that resulted in a cacophony which detracted from my enjoyment of the genius that was Douglas Adams. This final phase, however, was thoroughly enjoyable.

surprisingly great , even better than the book

this dramatization is great it moves fast and has some minor changes to keep it under 3 hrs.
if you know the book mostly harmless, you know that it is the darkest of all the series. this adaptation is very enjoyable.

A satisfying end to the adventures of Arthur Dent.

With the exception of more unnecessary gross humor similar to the New York River Monster from a previous installment, this is a satisfying conclusion to the adventures of our motley crue, in all their probabilities.

The last brings the best!

This is last part (five of five) of the Hitchhiker's Guide radio plays. Just simply loved this entire series of the Hitchhiker's Guide, being the original BBC radio series. I recommend the whole series wholeheartedly!

(Since I appear unable to add a review to a returned book, here's some free advice: Stay away from "The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time". It is a motley collection of some recovered writings of Adams and other essays.)

love

I loved it I had forgotten that Auther had a daughter
and it just fun to listen to.

Finally, what I was waiting for

If you listened to the previous BBC radio productions of Douglas Adams "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series (including the "Tertiary Phase" and the "Quandary Phase"), you've probably already decided to complete the story by getting the "Quintessential Phase." You're in for a treat.

In my reviews of the previous two "phases", I said that portions were over-produced and too faithful an adaptation of the novels. All four radio episodes that make up the "Quintessential Phase" are free of those problems. Well, mostly free; there are one or two spots when there's too much going on. But they are brief, and you can figure things out afterwards.

If you've read the fifth book in the HHG series, "Mostly Harmless," you know that Adams ended the series on a depressing note. It was a clear message to his readers: that's the end of the story, there will be no more.

The radio series includes that ending. I listened to it... then saw on my iPod that there was still ten minutes of audio left to go. Huh?

I don't know if this was Adams' intent before he died, or a decision on the part of the writer who adapted the series for radio, but the radio story goes on. It ends on a glad note, not a sour one as in "Mostly Harmless." I laughed out loud at the inventiveness of it, for the first time since I started listening to the "phases." I don't mean to imply that the rest of the radio series is humorless, but I'd read all the books and was already familiar with the jokes. This was new... and funny.

It is a fitting celebration to the end of the story, and a touching tribute to Douglas Adams' creation. If you're fan of HHG, it's worth getting this audiobook for the ending alone. It even explains the transition between the end of the second BBC HHG radio series, and the start of the "Tertiary Phase." A neat trick!

I hope that someday Audible will make the first two BBC radio productions of HHG available, so new listeners can hear all five in sequence.

rarefied air

and they all lived happily ever before/during/after! put the LP on , " Come fly with me "

Fun last installment

While the story was not quite as engaging as the first three in the series, it is still fun. The overall narration and production are excellent.