The Tertiary Phase | Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | BBC Radio

The story begins with Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect stranded on prehistoric Earth, only to be rescued by a space-time eddy (and a very expensive sofa).

The Krikkitmen: The galaxy is threatened by the inhabitants of the planet Krikkit. Because their planet was surrounded by a giant dust cloud, they never knew other stars existed. When they finally saw the universe, they found it so shocking they decided to destroy it all.

The Starship Titanic: The crew encounters the "Starship Titanic" (which underwent a spontaneous massive existence failure) and the immortal, insult-hurling Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged.

The Wickedest Man in the Galaxy: Zaphod Beeblebrox joins the fray as they attempt to stop the Krikkitmen from assembling the Wikkit Key—a device that will unlock their sealed-off solar system and trigger a galactic war.

Agrajag: Arthur finally confronts Agrajag, a creature who has been reincarnated hundreds of times, only to be killed by Arthur Dent in every single life (often as a fly, a bowl of petunias, or a rabbit-skin bag).

🎧 Why This Phase is a Masterpiece:
A Cinematic Soundscape: Directed by Dirk Maggs (Adams' hand-picked successor), this phase utilized "Primary Phase" aesthetics but with modern digital production. It sounds like a blockbuster movie for your ears.

The Original Cast Returns: Despite the long hiatus, Simon Jones (Arthur), Geoffrey McGivern (Ford), Mark Wing-Davey (Zaphod), and Susan Sheridan (Trillian) stepped back into their roles perfectly.

Tribute to Douglas Adams: Since Adams passed away in 2001, the production used his voice (recorded for the audiobook) for the character of Agrajag, allowing the creator to literally speak from beyond the grave within his own universe.

🎭 Key Characters & New Faces:
The Guide: Voiced by William Franklyn, taking over the mantle from the late Peter Jones with a smooth, "wine-waiter" sophistication.

Slartibartfast: The fjord-designing Magrathean returns, now working for the Campaign for Real Time (CamTim).

Thor: The Norse God of Thunder makes a brief, albeit slightly insecure, appearance.

📊 Production Details:
Episodes: 13 through 18 (6 episodes total).

Source Material: Life, the Universe and Everything.

Tone: Faster, louder, and more action-oriented than the earlier phases, but with the same cynical British wit.

👍 Join the Adventure:
💖 Like – If you think cricket is a much more dangerous sport than it looks! 💬 Comment: Which was more impressive: Slartibartfast's new ship, the Bistromath, or the idea of an Infinite Sub-Etha Insult Bot? ✅ Subscribe – To explore the rest of the "Quandary" and "Quintessential" phases.

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