The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Hexagonal Phase (Dramatized): And Another Thing...

Douglas Adams was less than satisfied with the ending of book five, Mostly Harmless, which was made into the BBC Radio production The Quintessential Phase. He thought the series needed a sixth book. “Six is a better kind of number,” said Douglas. He passed away before he could tackle book six. His widow agreed that another book was needed and she thought Eoin Colfer would do a fine job. It was published with the title And Another Thing in 2009 on the thirtieth anniversary of the publication of the first novel. In 2018, on the fortieth anniversary of the broadcast of the original Hitchhikers Guide, BBC Radio broadcast The Hexagonal Phase. It was well received in GB and quickly released on Audiobook.I found this to be a very entertaining story with a very satisfying finale. It reworks some of the story from The Quintessential Phase and launches into a delightful plot that neatly sees our cast of characters on their way into a presumably happy future. At least the story ends with them all happy and safe. I think of this story as an encore. The fans demanded one last frolic with the wonderful, crazy, hilarious, and fabulously wacky group of galactic pals and this production delivers.Share and enjoy!

Being a Hitchhiker fan I love this and all of the ones on CD.

Really enjoyed the whole series and this was no exception. Full of surprises and laughs

While I didn't hate Eoin Colfer's book, And Another Thing..., I found it to be rather unnecessary. It was competently written, but it just didn't quite capture the essence of what a novel in the Hitchhiker's Trilogy should be.I rather enjoyed Dirk Maggs' previous adaptations of Douglas Adams' later books in the trilogy, and thought they brought the Hitchhiker's Saga deliciously full circle. The story began on radio, and now it could end on radio. And Maggs did an excellent job in capturing Adams' voice where new material was needed, including giving the Quintessential Phase the very good ending that the book Mostly Harmless, sadly, lacked. (Something Douglas Adams himself had come to feel.)So on one hand, the story ended quite nicely with the Quintessential Phase... but on the other hand, we have (as much as possible) the original cast returning, and Maggs once again adapting the material. So I felt it was worth a listen. Was it worth it? Yeah. Even if, narratively, it still feels superfluous, the performances were top notch. And tonally, it seems to fit better with the previous radio series than the novel it is based on did with the previous novels.Sadly, a few of the major performers weren't able to return. Usually due to Total Existence Failure. Sandra Dickenson, who first played Trillian in the BBC television adaptation, steps in for the late Susan Sheridan, filling in seamlessly thanks to how the Trillian/Tricia McMillian was handled in the previous Maggs adaptations. She once again shows that the poor reception her portrayal got in the television version was probably more the fault of the director then of herself, as she performs excellently here. The part of The Book had to be recast for a second time due to an actor's passing. John Lloyd, who actually co-wrote the final two episodes of the first series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, takes on the part here. His reading of it seems to lack a certain energy that Peter Jones and William Franklyn had, but he does well enough. Stephen Moore is still alive, but is retired and did not return to provide the voice of Marvin. Marvin's role here was very small, so it is disappointing that Moore couldn't return for the brief cameo, but I suppose if someone new had to take on the part, you couldn't do much better than Jim Broadbent.So all in all, is it worth a listen? Yes. Is the Quintessential Phase a better ending to the saga? Hell yes! But there is some good material to be found here, too, and it makes an enjoyable diversion as a, "But what if this then happened?"Now please excuse me, for some reason I wish to go and eat some cheese.

While I could be a "purist" and say that this is not an original Douglas Adams story, it does stay true to the original source material and is a great listen and a great read. All fans will have their own opinions, and I'd say this is worth the purchase.This version is an "extended" release of the 2018 BBC Radio full cast production. The entire original cast from previous releases isn't here, but the mainstays - Arthur, Trillian/Tricia, Zaphod, and Ford are back! If you are a fan of the first five broadcasts in the "trilogy", then this is certainly worth getting. I guess I could say I like this ending better (spoilers) as Poor Arthur finally locates Fenchurch at his shack on the beach. A good thing too, as she is filling out some necessary paperwork...To throw in extra confusing details, the OTHER "unabridged-ish" version can be found (in March 2019) under ASIN: B002SKYTH0 or 1445004127. That version is read by Simon Jones (Arthur Dent) and is 10+ hours. More detailed as it has an extra seven hours of run time. Does not have all the bells and whistles of a "full cast production" - but narrated by one of the original cast, so still a plus.

I found the book entertaining and very much in line with the previous iterations, but hearing the radio drama continue is somehow even more satisfying! Great to hear the old gang again. Great production, great acting. Happy I got this.

If you like THHGTHG you will like this much anticipated ( At least by me ) set. A nice retrospective continuation of the series. Good to hear some the old gang again.

It’s not quite Douglas Adams, but fairly well done. The producers stuck with as many original actors as they could, but Marvin sounds different, and they had to go with the secondary Tricia McMillan, due to the death of the original voice actress for Trillian. I would say that the overall production is good, but not the best of the 6. I am partial to the first (Primary Phase), as my father had taped that off the radio when it first aired.

Pure genius!

The 6th party of the Hitch Hiker's "trilogy" this final part concludes the travels of Arthur Dent and his quest for a new home after the destruction of earth. Compiled after Douglas Adams' death, these programmes are based on the last remaining items of Douglas' writings, recovered from his computer, and the book 'And Another Thing' by Ioin Colfer. Scripted and produced for the BBC by the wonderful Dirk Maggs, these recordings contain the surviving original cast with the welcome addition of a few new members to the ensemble, (such as Mitch Benn as Thor and John "QI" Lloyd as the book).Originally recorded in 2018 for broadcast on BBC Radio 4, these are extended versions of the broadcast programmes, offering about an hour of extra material across the 6 episodes.The extended versions actually serve to clarify and expand the story, and are not merely padding, feeling more like they were originally cut for running times, with these being the definitive versions.An absolute treat for Hitch Hikers fans and a wonderful conclusion to the story and characters. I'd been waiting a long time for the final phase to be made with a full cast and I have to say I am not disappointed.The 3 CDs, containing 2 episodes each, are nicely packaged with a movingly written dedication by script writer and producer Dirk Maggs. If you're a fan of the series then this is an essential purchase to complete your collection.

I often find myself sceptical of extensions or remakes of other authors work, as I fear they will simply disappoint, and fall short of supplying sufficient sense of authenticity to sustain the story. However, here these concerns are needless, this instalment of Hitchhiker is sublime. Expertly and skilfully handled by Eoin Colfer, this concluding chapter is written beautifully and seamlessly in Douglas Adam’s voice, the latter’s humour and cadence fluidly reproduced and present throughout, yet with enough aplomb to allow for a few fresh tweaks afforded by a fresh perspective. Heretically, I think it may well have the edge over ‘Mostly Harmless’.This excellent BBC radio adaption is of the same high quality and style you might expect if you are familiar with the classic earlier series. There are no singing fish, but there is time for a quick, obligatory Elvis turn during a standard life or death situation.... Not to be missed.

I didn't enjoy the book very much - it was just not Douglas. Having said that this radio production has worked some magic and I thoroughly enjoyed it.Sure much of it is apocryphal and not entirely DNA but the remants of his final scribbles are used and they shine through. There is a bit too much repetition from previous story lines but on the whole it is good to have the conclusion (please don't attempt to make more).Much as I love Jim Broadbent it would have been nice to have Stephen Moore back for one last time as Marvin.Highlights for me were the inclusion of all the original cast at some point (even from beyond the grave) and the moving and funny contribution from Stephen Hawking as The Book 2.0 just before he died.I have to confess a little moisture in the eyes in the final episode between the laughs.

I loved the random story and the almost happy ending!By mistake I listened to episode 5 first but it didn’t matter. Nothing makes linear sense really. It was all very enjoyable.It, along with the previous series, are regular company on my daily long commute.