Thor vs Wowbagger – the Contest of the Ages…

The Hexagonal – and I think it’s pretty safe now to call it the Final – Phase of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is probably the most plot-driven part of the saga (a direct result of Eoin Colfer’s differing approach to novel writing to that of HHGG’s creator Douglas Adams), and it’s fair to say that these final three parts flow easily into each other as they feature an ongoing situation occasionally diverted from, rather than a collection of incidents that loosely move things forward.

And what diversions they are – there’s plenty of original Douglas Adams material in here that gives the episodes that distinct humorous flavour, and Dirk Maggs has been writing HHGG material for so long now that his dialogue feels like Adams’. The research done by Kevin Davies has paid off abundantly – it feels like every seam of potential Douglas HHGG material has now been mined.

There are plenty of laugh aloud moments in this second half of the story with strong moments for all of the central cast, and those who know the Colfer book may be pleased that, as with the Quintessential Phase based on Mostly Harmless, Maggs has tweaked the book ending to provide something that… well, there’s no other way of putting it. It feels right, and provides a full stop to the central focus of the Guide right from the start – the meandering journeys of Mr Arthur Dent.

I’ll discuss the series as a whole, and its relationship to And Another Thing… (the book) in the review of the CDs – which will be the permanent record of this Phase – but suffice it to say here that we’ve been on an unexpected but highly enjoyable Hitchhike with Arthur, Ford, Zaphod, Trillian, Fenchurch, Random… and so many more.

Verdict: The Hitchhiker’s Guide bows out in style. 9/10

Paul Simpson