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Snippet here at ZZ9 (http://zz9.org/node/54)

Stephen Mangan is to play Dirk Gently. Darren Boyd as his sidekick Richard Macduff. Helen Baxendale is playing Richard’s girlfriend Susan

This Programme is being transmitted this week on

BBC 4 21:00 Thursday 16th December.

Here is a BBC TV Blog about the Show.. I will post my comments on it here shortly..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2010/12/douglas-adams-dirk-gently-stephen-mangan.shtml

Now you might have guessed I am a bit of a Douglas Adams (http://www.douglasadams.com/) fan so I was really looking forward to to this program.

I understood going in that every time his works move genre there is a change in story but not character, I also had read the information from the production team saying it was not going to be an adaption of the book.

Let me start by saying that I liked it, I didn't love it but I liked it. The captured the essence of the characters and the way Dirk works but the cuts and changes for me took the soul out of the story. I like the homage to the electric monk by notes on the whiteboard but feel an important element had been sacrificed. In fact a lot of the story has been changed or dropped due to budgetry issues rather than being unfilmable. They hint that more aspects may be brought in if the series is commissioned but I feel that may be too little too late.

I mean they hint at the Fridge but never really explain it leaving fans screaming at the TV - why bring it up if you are not going to explain all and non fans just confused.

This was a good attempt but flawed for me, I will wait and see if they get a series to see if they can redeem themselves but feel they tried valiantly to do this in a small budget but ultimately failed to capture the richness and craziness behind characters.

Hum?

That was NOT Dirk Gently!!!!!  Douglas describes him very well in the books and the casting was wrong.  There was a half hearted attempt at his mannerisms but little else.  The pace of the program was ponderous (or have I just become a victim of the MTV age?).  As mentioned above, what was the deal with the fridge.

I just finished watching it thinking that a group of students had got together and thought it would be a great idea to make.

One question ..... Where is the cat now?

The Radio version was much better


 >:DGinger

Well,

After an OK Pilot episode last year there is going to be a new series of Dirk Gently to be shown on BBC Four March 9th.

I am hoping they improve on the pilot and capture more of the sould this time around.