One would think that if you were buying a DVD of "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy," you would be interested in watching "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy." "Not at all" was how much the BBC cared about this evident fact. The VHS tape was recorded at EP speed, and looked terrible! Now, on the 2-DVD set, it is still over-compressed and of mediocre quality.They could easily have done the transfer at 2-hour, hi-res format, putting the first four shows on Disk 1 and the other two plus some extras on Disk 2. This is what I was expecting when I saw it was a 2-disk set. Instead, to my horror, they crammed the entire 6 episodes onto a single DVD, at four-hour format, and the second disk consists completely of extras.So if you're most interested in seeing the same clips and the same interviews repeated again and again with slightly different editing, and sleep-inducing out-takes of actors blowing their lines and then saying the "F" word, this set is for you.Otherwise, I wish I could say, look elsewhere. Unfortunately, this is the only game in town.I can't believe it's now over $40! I felt ripped off when I paid $26! They should have made a version available with a single disk, for those of us who are actually interested in the program, rather than a bunch of souvenirs from the Douglas Adams Fan Club. That way, at least you'd know how poor the quality was going to be before you shelled out the ridiculously high price.To give the set its due, it does look better than I've ever seen it before, either on PBS or the VHS tape. I could read things in the computer graphics that I have never been able to make out before. And, with closed captioning, I was able to get a few lines that I'd never caught.And there is at least one interesting thing in most of the extras. The "Peter Jones Introduction," buried down at the bottom of the second screen, is the best of the lot, the only one that's good all the way through."The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" is the funniest show that's ever been on TV. It's really too bad that hoodwinking as much money as possible out of the public was the BBC's only goal, and that they have treated us and the program so shabbily.

Considering the budget, actually ignoring the budget, this is far better than the sorry 21st century makeover movie. It just seems to sum up perfectly the HHGttG Universe. Simon Jones does make an absolutely memorable Arthur, and Peter Jones as the narrator captures the spirit of the book, although to be fair Stephen Fry doesn't do that bad a job in the film. This is one of those very few occaisons when the episodic format does not detract from the enjoyment and pleasure of watching the whole entity. I remember watching a TV programme on making HHGttG, (QED I think it was), and being amazed at how simply the special effects were done. Nowadays the quality could easily be surpassed on the average home computer. That shows how much technology has progressed, but also reinforces my sentiment contained within the first 42 words. Watch & Enjoy

This series is based on the books and radio scripts written by the late and great Douglas Adams. It covers the first two books, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe". Although Adams has said it wasn't one of the best, it is still one of the best visual interpretations of the story of a book and how it came to affect a certain Earth man.Arthur Dent (Simon Jones), a six feet tall ape descendant, is awoken one morning to find that his home is being demolished. Not long after, the entire Earth is destroyed. Dent survives when his best friend, Ford Prefect (David Dixon), hitches a ride on a Vogon Constructor Ship and takes the Earth man with him. He is given a copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a wholly remarkable book, and they soon embark on a string of froody adventures throughout the galaxy and all the way to the end of Time itself.

In this 6-part Mini based on the Douglas Adam's radio scripts, Ford Perfect (David Dixon) saves his friend Arthur Dent (Simon Jones, whom made not one, but two of the best mini's of the '80's, this and Brideshead Revisted, both in 1981 mind you. I'm inclined to think that Simon got a hold of the Infinite Improbability Drive) from the annihilation of Earth to pave the way for an intergalactic hyperspatial express route . Ford, unbeknowst to Arthur is an alien and whisks him away on a comical adventure that includes, but not limited to, everything. The humor is delightfully British,most of the characters dead-on (a given, since a lot of the cast were holdover's from the radio play). The effects may be a tad dated (an understatement if I ever heard one), however I feel that it adds to the charm of the show rather than detracts. All in all a marvelous adaption.My Grade: A