Try free for 30 days

Preview

1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: Primary Phase

By: Douglas Adams
Narrated by: Peter Jones, Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey, Susan Sheridan, Stephen Moore, full cast
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $16.99

Buy Now for $16.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

A dynamic remastering of the original BBC Radio 4 full-cast serial - Fit the First to Fit the Sixth - which spawned a phenomenal hitchhiking legend.

The original series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, remastered by Dirk Maggs (director of the Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases) to give a full, vibrant sound, now with Philip Pope’s version of the familiar theme tune and specially re-recorded announcements by John Marsh.

Join Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Trillian, Zaphod Beeblebrox and Marvin the Paranoid Android in their first series of adventures as they witness the destruction of Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass, stumble upon the ancient planet of Magrathea, dine at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe and seek an answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and everything.

Peter Jones, Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey, Susan Sheridan, Stephen Moore and a full supporting cast star in these BBC Radio 4 episodes.

A special 55-minute bonus programme, Douglas Adams's Guide to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, explores the genesis of the radio series and its incredible success, with contributions from the original cast and production team.

Audio files were replaced in April 2021.

©2008 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2008 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
activate_samplebutton_t1

What listeners say about The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: Primary Phase

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    146
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    129
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    133
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Best.

What can I say? It’s a timeless classic, brilliantly performed and genuinely funnier for repeat listens when some subtleties become more apparent. I’ve listened to it in various forms for 20 years and it’s not lost it’s charm.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An incredible audio experience

I wish there were more like it. A must listen no matter what you're into

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Audible seems to have fixed the sound problem.

I have updated my original review on 30/11/2021. YAY Audible, thanks for replacing the audio with a much better copy. However it is still not in STEREO for some reason. My original cassettes I bought in the 80's were in Stereo. I now wished I bought the CD versions years ago.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Don't Panic!

I'm a long time fan of "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" and it was great to hear the voices of the original cast in this version.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome.

This is one of my all time favourite stories and is about the 30th tine I have listened to this and will not be the last.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Terrible quality

Here is what to do if you want to hear a high quality recording of The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: forget it.

This version sounds as though it’s been compressed, decompressed, re-recorded with an eight track pressed up against a sub-woofer and then buried beneath a stack of old newspapers in the garage. You’d have better luck trying to listen to the original LPs from inside the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heard the Hype, - Mindblowingly funny

If you could sum up The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Primary Phase (Dramatised) in three words, what would they be?

Hitchhiker virgin no more

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of the characters, can't wait for phase two !!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Hitchhikers of the Galaxy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Audio was very disappointing

I love this story and was looking forward to enjoying it again. I saw reviews that audio was poor but others assured me the quality has been fixed. Sadly, not so. Muddy audio, with poor volume levels.

Avoid this and find a copy elsewhere.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story. Horrible audio quality.

A terrific classic, however this audiobook suffers from terribly distracting audio quality. I checked the audio file which says it should be 128kbps. What it appears is that this audio has been compressed to 128kbps and likely ripped and compressed again to 128kbps and yet again, to some multiplying magnitude. This has introduced an enormous amount of digital artefacts that have no place being present for an audiobook of this cost.

It’s a real shame because the production and performance of the story is very engaging, but the artefacts become so distracting that it takes me right out of the story. Hopefully Audible will take the time to re-upload this from the master and replace this audio file. There’s really no excuse charging for such bad quality audio in 2020.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.