The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

For the first time in the history of the universe, the complete Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is available in high definition! The cult classic British series from the mind of Douglas Adams is back in this very special edition. Featuring all episodes in full HD and 5.1 audio plus over 5 ½ hours of new and existing bonus material.

Unbeknownst to its inhabitants, Earth is to be demolished to make way for an intergalactic highway. Arthur Dent (Simon Jones), an unassuming Englishman, is whisked off the planet to safety by his alien friend Ford Prefect (David Dixon), and launched on a dizzying journey through space and time (with only a towel, and a fish to help them) to discover the meaning of life itself.

This special edition release comes in retro VHS-style packaging, with original mono, 1981 Stereo, 2018 Stereo and 5.1 surround sound audio soundtrack options.

First released: Monday 1st October 2018

Extra features

• 24-page behind-the-scenes booklet written by producer Kevin Jon Davies
• Collectors' art card
• Mostly Hand-Drawn (HD animation feature): Animator Rod Lord's BAFTA award-winning graphic sequences from the TV series are presented in HD for the first time, allowing a more detailed appreciation of Babel Fish guts, Deep Thought's equations and Vogon sex.
• Life, the Universe and Clapperboards (HD live action): Elements of the main series now available in HD.
• Recorded at the End of the Universe: Unique behind-the-scenes footage from the rehearsal rooms and the studio floor, showing the cast and crew grappling with the scenery, the props and the text of the Hitchhiker TV series.
• Writing Hitchhiker's: The story of Hitchhiker's difficult birth, taken from exclusive interviews conducted in 2007 and 2012. Douglas's brother James shares personal memories of his big brother back in '77, struggling to write at the family home in Dorset. Nick Webb, a witty, avuncular friend of Douglas' who later became his official biographer, was also the publisher who in 1978 commissioned the best-selling novel, upon hearing the original radio broadcasts.
• Trailer for Radio Times: The Radio Times magazine announced their first and only Hitchhiker cover article in this televised trailer for the second radio series, featuring a super-intelligent shade of the colour blue, plus unique narration by Peter Jones.
• Open Door: The Sound of Love (1980): The earliest known filmed interview with Douglas Adams, talking about his awkward childhood.
• Douglas Adams on Nationwide (1980): The first public glimpse of the new TV series was during this Nationwide clip when presenter Sue Cook interviewed Douglas Adams.
• Marvin on Blue Peter (1981): The Paranoid Android launched his 1981 bid for pop stardom on the children's TV favourite Blue Peter and then told the presenters how he didn't even want to talk about it.
• Douglas Adams on Paperbacks (1981): A quaint book programme where host Robert Kee makes plain directly to Douglas Adams's face, his obvious disregard for the author's second novel.
• The Sound of Sypher (1980): BBC Engineering film. The proto-digital world of audio production is examined here in a technical explanation of the BBC's latest SYPHER dubbing suite, featuring the BAFTA-winning sound supervisor Mike McCarthy at work on Hitchhiker.
• Saturday Review: Douglas Adams explains to Minnette Marin his ideas for interactive CD-ROM audio drama, while in Birmingham, the fans gather for a Hitchhiker-themed games convention.
• Douglas Adams on Micro Live: Douglas Adams talks about The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Game on BBC 2's Micro Live. Originally broadcast on 8th March 1985.
• Simon Jones on BBC Breakfast (2012): BBC Breakfast welcomed Arthur Dent (Simon Jones) to their sofa on Towel Day 2012 to plug the theatrical summer tour of The Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Show Live.
• Ten Short Films: From the personal archives of producer Kevin Davies, featuring Douglas Adams and imagery from the TV series and elsewhere. Includes two exclusive reports on the movie from the World premiere in Leicester Square.
• Tertiary Phase Trailer: The surviving members of the radio cast re-assembled in 2003 for the long overdue radio adaptation of the third Hitchhiker book, Life, The Universe And Everything.
• The Hexagonal Phase: Online trailer for Radio 4 - the latest (and possibly final series ever) of Hitchhiker in its original medium, is based on the 2009 novel by Eoin Colfer with snippets of unpublished material from Douglas Adams's archives. The surviving members of the original cast plus guests such as Lenny Henry and Ed Byrne gathered in October 2017 to record the series, which premiered in March 2018 on Radio 4.
• Marvin and Zem: The inimitable original voice of Marvin was brought back to life by Stephen Moore for the Tertiary Phase in 2003, when he shared swamp duties with a mattress called Zem.
• Q-Phases: A star-studded trailer for the Quandary and Quintessential Phases radio series based on the fourth and fifth Hitchhiker novels.
• Plus original DVD extras:
• The Making of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
• Don't Panic!
• Communicate!
• Behind the Scenes
• Peter Jones introduction
• Pebble Mill at One (Alan Bell & Rod Lord)
• Tomorrow's World sequence
• Deleted scene (Episode 2)
• Out-takes
• Trailer
• Easter eggs