Dirk Gently, the star of two books by Douglas Adams, is coming to TV, and the first footage has hit the net.
BBC Four will be host to the show, which is based on two novels by the incredible writer of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Dirk appeared in two and a half novels by Adams- Dirk Gently’s
Holistic Detective Agency, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, and The Salmon of Doubt, which was sadly left unfinished at the time of his death (although it was later collected with a group of essays and published under the same title.)
Anti-hero Dirk Gently operates his eponymous detective agency based on the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. Perpetually broke, hopelessly chaotic and utterly infuriating, most people suspect Dirk is nothing more than a cheap conman. And they might be right—but nevertheless his methods, though unusual, do often produce surprising results.
Writer Howard Overman told SFX earlier
this year that it isn’t going to be a straight adaptation. “We’re not saying it’s an adaptation. We’re… saying it’s inspired by Douglas’s work. The story is totally different to that in the books because they’re not really adaptable as an hour-long, returning TV format.”
Here’s the first look:
But what do you think? Could this be the first genuinely good Adams adaptation?
8 comments
It's a shame they aren't adapting elements of the book. The first especially is a treat of co-incidence and time travel, but I guess does tread on the toes of Doctor Who somewhat (the first book was based on a script Adams did for Doctor Who, and involves a character with a passing resemblence to the Doctor). Looking forwards to this, and hoping not to be dissappointed.
It seems to me to…. miss the point…. And I really liked Steven Wotsisface in Green Wing. But…. not like this. Not Dirk Gently. He wouldn't make a terrible Ford Prefect though…. Maybe they should cast Mos Def as Dirk Gently – it would make as much sense.
Would love to read your response to the books Alex. Any chance of a "Late to the Party" from you? Unless they have Stephen Fry on the writing team, there's not much chance of them maintaining Adams' unique voice in an expanded/formula TV Detective Show form. They'd just be taking the coat-hanger Adams used to hang all his brilliant ideas on (A Holistic Detective) and hanging their own not-as-brilliant formulaic mystery plots on it.
It took me a while to get on board with these books, because they are NOT Hitchhikers books but I was reading them expecting Hitchhikers books. Once I got my mind wrapped around them on their own terms, it was love. I think #3 nails what's going to happen with this TV series.
I think you score high points for the Lansdale mention. Have I already said that I think he should have written the Jonah Hex movie?
I always think of Dirk Gently whenever I'm helping move a couch up a flight of stairs.
Love the Dirk Gently books (especially the first). That actor doesn't come across as the book's Dirk however. I'm hoping this isn't another bland cookie-cutter Beeb production from the Who Factory with the usual eccentric lead character doing the usual eccentric things with their usual bland and befuddled sidekick in lieu of actual wit.
I give the series exactly a suffusion of yellow episodes before I lose interest.
Jeebus! Why is CHUD the only site on the Net that has apparently not figured out how to use captchas?
Comments are shown as archived from the original site; new comments are closed.