The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy turned 42

It was 42 years ago on Sunday that the BBC started the original broadcast of the radio series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Series writer Douglas Adams later adapted the lyrics to compile them into a book.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is known as a book series and film. In the early eighties, a TV series and a computer game appeared, but the origins lie with the radio series. BBC Radio 4 aired the pilot on March 8, 1978, followed by five more episodes in that first series.

The original idea was to create a comedy series titled The Ends of the Earth, where each episode would end with the end of the Earth, each time in a different way. Douglas Adams was asked to be a writer because he often provided comedic texts to BBC radio.

He adapted the idea and came up with the well-known absurdist story about Arthur Dent, who is told by his friend that the Earth is being destroyed by the alien race the Vogons. That friend is Ford Prefect, who turns out to be an alien himself and writes for the cosmic travel guide The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

The number 42 plays an important role in the story. This would be the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts a special series of programs around the anniversary of the first broadcast.