Slartibartfast, the Magrathean planet-builder who has formed a curious rapport with Arthur, fills his human visitor in on the history of Earth that Arthur never knew. Commissioned by a race of pan-dimensional beings whose bodies portrude only slightly into our dimension in a form most humans recognize as mice, Earth was in fact an organic supercomputer hardwired to calculate the precise wording of the great question of life, the universe and everything. (Earth’s predecessor, a supercomputer known as Deep Thought, had already calculated the answer: 42.) Now, having lost the Earth mere minutes before the matrix of organic life on its surface generated the question, the mice wish to take a shortcut by buying Arthur’s brain. When he comes to the firm understanding that it won’t be returned to him, Arthur turns down the offer and runs for it, with Ford, Trillian and Zaphod right behind him. But before they can reach the Heart Of Gold, galactic police who are hot on Zaphod’s trail for stealing the ship corner the travelers under heavy laser fire.
written by Douglas Adams
directed by Alan J.W. Bell
music by Paddy KingslandCast: Peter Jones (The Voice of the Book), Simon Jones (Arthur Dent), David Dixon (Ford Prefect), Sandra Dickinson (Trillian), Mark Wing-Davey (Zaphod Beeblebrox), Richard Vernon (Slartibartfast), Antony Carrick (Lunkwill), Timothy Davies (Fook), David Leland (Majikthise), Charles McKeown (Vroomfondel), Matt Zimmerman (Shooty), Marc Smith (Bang Bang), Valentine Dyall (voice of Deep Thought)
Notes: Valentine Dyall played the part of Gagravarr in the original radio series. For those wishing to sing the old Betelgeuse death anthem, the lyrics are as follows: Zaglabor astragard! Hootrimansion Bambriar!
LogBook entry by Earl Green
