The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Future
Encyclopedia
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Future was a four-part radio series hosted by Douglas Adams
. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4
in April and May 2001. Because the radio series turned out to be Adams's final project for the BBC before his death (a week after the first broadcast of the final episode), all four episodes are still available for download from the Radio 4 website. Extracts from the four programmes are also available for listening within the Douglas Adams at the BBC
collection.
Adams discusses the future of music in the "Internet Age" (which at the time was mainly limited to discussion of illegal download services, such as the first version of Napster - it would be another two years before the iTunes Music Store opened to the American market, and legal music downloads would start to become popular). Topics include digital music creation and online distribution. Adams interviews Brian Eno
, Michael Nesmith
and Peter Gabriel
.
Adams discusses the future of publishing with Peter Cochrane, Muriel Gray
and Stewart Brand
. Topics include the online distribution of e-books and e-book readers.
Adams discusses the future of TV with John Browning
, Dylan Winter and Mathew Steele. Topics included the possibilities of interactive programming, digital video creation and custom scheduling.
Adams discusses the future evolution of technology and Artificial Intelligence with Chris Langton, Stuart Kauffman
, and others. Topics included embedded and nano- technologies.
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
in April and May 2001. Because the radio series turned out to be Adams's final project for the BBC before his death (a week after the first broadcast of the final episode), all four episodes are still available for download from the Radio 4 website. Extracts from the four programmes are also available for listening within the Douglas Adams at the BBC
Douglas Adams at the BBC
Douglas Adams at the BBC is a three CD set released by BBC Audio in 2004 . By using extracts from many radio and TV productions, the three discs cover Douglas Adams's association with BBC Radio and TV from 1974 to 2001, and also include tributes to Adams that were transmitted between 2001 and 2003...
collection.
The Episodes
- Programme One: Music
- Original Transmission: 10:30 am, Saturday 14 April 2001, BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
Adams discusses the future of music in the "Internet Age" (which at the time was mainly limited to discussion of illegal download services, such as the first version of Napster - it would be another two years before the iTunes Music Store opened to the American market, and legal music downloads would start to become popular). Topics include digital music creation and online distribution. Adams interviews Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name...
and Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
.
- Programme Two: Publishing
- Original Transmission: 10:30 am, Saturday 21 April 2001, BBC Radio 4
Adams discusses the future of publishing with Peter Cochrane, Muriel Gray
Muriel Gray
Muriel Gray is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.-Personal life:Gray is of partly Jewish ancestry...
and Stewart Brand
Stewart Brand
Stewart Brand is an American writer, best known as editor of the Whole Earth Catalog. He founded a number of organizations including The WELL, the Global Business Network, and the Long Now Foundation...
. Topics include the online distribution of e-books and e-book readers.
- Programme Three: Broadcasting
- Original Transmission: 10:30 am, Saturday 28 April 2001, BBC Radio 4
Adams discusses the future of TV with John Browning
John Browning
John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world...
, Dylan Winter and Mathew Steele. Topics included the possibilities of interactive programming, digital video creation and custom scheduling.
- Programme Four: Convergence
- Original Transmission: 10:30 am, Saturday 5 May 2001, BBC Radio 4
Adams discusses the future evolution of technology and Artificial Intelligence with Chris Langton, Stuart Kauffman
Stuart Kauffman
Stuart Alan Kauffman is an American theoretical biologist and complex systems researcher concerning the origin of life on Earth...
, and others. Topics included embedded and nano- technologies.