The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Tertiary Phase (Dramatised) [Audio Download]

In my opinion, this comes very close to being the best of the lot (including Quandary and Quintessential Phases). The pace is perfect. It treats the Secondary Phase as though it was a bad dream (which, if you listen to it lying down and on the edge of sleep, it closely resembles). Don't get me wrong, Secondary has some great stuff, but spirals downward from the midpoint to the end.

Tertiary is concerned first and foremost with being funny and quick. The acting is at least as good, if not better than, it was 30 years ago. I love Marvin and the mattress (Zem) on Squornshellous Zeta (if I spelled that right, don't tell me). And as an American who has actually taken the time and risked my sanity to understand the basics of cricket, I love the send-up.

But mostly, I liked the sense of energy in this radio play. Everyone was on the same page. The writing and directing seemed, to use a term common in the UK but mostly unknown here, spot on. The piece had a wholeness about it, where the previous Phases sometimes seemed cobbled and bodged together...which they were, given the deadlines and other constraints when they were originally written.

The sound quality and production values were very high. The blending of Peter Jones's voice with that of the new voice of the Book was a wonderful tip of the hat...they didn't have to do it, but they did it because it had to be done (if you know what I mean). And Douglas Adams as Agragag (if I spelled that correctly, don't tell me) was a treat. In fact, the whole listening experience is a treat. I've written/produced/etc. radio plays myself. Getting the right tone is sometimes the hardest thing. It may all be there on paper, and the actors may be good, and the effects may be impressive, but it's still an art more than a craft, and tone is so elusive.

Given the malleable nature of Time, I'd even reccommend this to someone who'd never heard of the Hitchhikers Guide before. But don't tell The Campaign for Real Time I said so.

Hopping aboard the Chesterfield and zooming ahead in time, I listened to the Tertiary Phase with some trepidation. How could they recapture it all? I have the Primary and Secondary Phases and have listened to them on and off for many years now, not to mention having read the books and owning the DVDs of the TV series. My expectations were high.

In my opinion, the Tertiary Phase is the best of the lot (including the Quandary Phase, which is good but, like the book, slightly more gooey than I would have liked). The sound is fantastic. The characters are more well rounded in general, and the pace is perfect. I agree that the new Slartibartfast is not quite as droll and unflappable as Richard Vernon's. I also liked the nod to Peter Jones, including his voice in the beginning in a clever and touching way. And to hear Douglas Adams doing the voice of Agragag was a treat.

I have always found the Secondary Phase (much of which never made its way into the trilogy) a trifle too stark. It had an edge, but at the expense of humor and lightness. I think Adams must have realized this (I think much of it was written on deadline). But the Tertiary Phase is a delight. It ignores the part in Primary where Trillian, Marvin and Zaphod are eaten by a Hagunennon (no idea how it's spelled) and sticks more closely to the chronology of the books.

This is a funny, clever, impressive and above all, very human audioplay. Have not listened to the Quintessential Phase yet (tomorrow), but Tertiary is my favorite of the lot. This group was never better.