The BBC Dirk Gently TV Series (2010)
In 2009, during Hitchcon, Ed Victor, Douglas Adams’ literary agent, announced that a television adaptation of Dirk Gently was in production.
It was quickly announced that the series will be broadcast on BBC 4 and produced by ITV. Stephen Mangan will play the famous detective. Mangan loved the part and quickly became on of the first supporters of the show
Shooting on the pilot began early in October 2010 in Bristol.
The screenplay of the pilot was written by Howard Overman (creator of Misfits and Vixen). It is not a direct adaptation of one of the books but a new story freely based on Douglas Adams’ characters and universe : “I’m not even going to try to adapt the book: you can’t adapt this story. Especially not on a BBC Four budget. We made the deliberate decision not to do a straight translation of the books. If we’d done that the fans would have felt badly let down, because you can never portray that world on the screen as well as it’s been done in people’s own imaginations…If you just do a straight adaptation like The Hitchhiker’s Guide film, people are always going to be quite brutal about it because it’s never going to live up to their expectations.” (The Telegraph, 5 march 2012).
Reviews for the pilot were mostly positive even if some fans were a bit shocked by the lack of connection to any of the books – even if there are a lot of references and existing characters.
On 31 March 2011, a three-part series of one hour-long episodes was commissioned and due to be broadcast on BBC Four in March 2012.
On may 2012, BBC Four announced the series was cancelled. “It gives me no pleasure whatsoever to report that the BBC have decided not to make any more,” Stephen Mangan told his Twitter followers.
“More than a million viewers watched the pilot when it was aired in December. But a subsequent three-part series did not fare as well, with just under 600,000 viewers tuning into BBC Four for its final episode in March” explained the BBC. “We’ve loved having Dirk on the channel but the licence fee freeze means less British drama on BBC4,” said a BBC spokeswoman.
“In future we will focus on the best dramas from around the globe, like The Killing and Borgen, whilst BBC One and BBC Two become the main homes of original British drama.”
The series (including the pilot) was published in DVD on 26 March 2012 by ITV Studios Home Entertainment.
The pilot (2010)
Picture shows: Richard Macduff (DARREN BOYD), Dirk Gently (STEPHEN MANGAN) and Susan Harmison (HELEN BAXENDALE).
TX: BBC FOUR, 2010
Original broadcast : 16 December 2010
9.00-10.00pm
BBC FOUR
Viewing figures : 1,1 m
STORYLINE :
An investigation into a missing cat is inextricably linked to a chance encounter with an old friend, an exploding warehouse, a missing billionaire and a plate of biscuits.
Cast
Dirk Gently – STEPHEN MANGAN
Janice Pearce – LISA JACKSON
Richard Macduff – DARREN BOYD
Detective Sergeant Gilks – JASON WATKINS
Susan Harmison – HELEN BAXENDALE
Prof Jericho – BILL PATERSON
Production Team
Based on Douglas Adams Dirk Gently books
Directed by Damon Thomas
Written by Howard Overman
Produced by Chris Carey
Music by Daniel Pemberton
PREVIEW :
The First Series (2012)
Dirk Gently Ep 1/3
Original broadcast : Monday 5 March 2012
9.00-10.00pm
BBC FOUR
Viewing figures : 844 000
Dirk Gently is back in a brand new series.
In this, the first of three episodes, Douglas Adams’ private detective discovers the connection between two unrelated cases: a client who believes the Pentagon are trying to kill him and another whose horoscopes appear to be coming true. When the mysteries collide, Dirk is the only man for the job.
Stephen Mangan plays Dirk, Darren Boyd plays Macduff, Jason Watkins plays DI Gilks, Lisa Jackson plays Janice, Paul Ritter plays Oliver, Cosima Shaw plays Emma, Ken Collard plays Matthew, Colin McFarlane plays Terrence and Miranda Raison plays Kate.
Dirk Gently Ep 2/3
Original broadcast : Monday 12 March 2012
9.00-10.00pm
BBC FOUR
Viewing figures : 561 000
Dirk and Macduff return to Cambridge, to the university that expelled Dirk for cheating 20 years ago.
They have been employed by Dirk’s former professor as security consultants to guard a valuable robot. However, within hours of their arrival the robot is stolen and the professor found dead, with Dirk and Macduff implicated as the chief suspects.
The professor was the only person who ever believed in Dirk, who vows to find out who is behind the murder. The chief suspects are Emelda Ransome, the brilliant but embittered computer scientist who has spent the whole of her career developing a fully functioning Artificial Intelligence, and David Cho, the Chinese programmer recently arrived from Beijing to help Emelda complete her experiment.
Macduff’s girlfriend Susan is also in Cambridge at an interview for a new job which, if she got it, would mean the end of Dirk and Macduff’s detective partnership.
Stephen Mangan plays Dirk, Darren Boyd plays Mcduff, Helen Baxendale plays Susan, Lisa Jackson plays Janice, Bill Paterson plays Professor Jericho, Sylvestra Le Touzel plays Emelia, Lydia Wilson plays Jane, Andrew Leung plays Noel, Will Sharpe plays David and Bethan Hanks plays Elaine.
Dirk Gently Ep 3/3
Original broadcast : Monday 19 March 2012
9.00-10.00pm
BBC FOUR
Viewing figures : 592 000
The police want to talk to Dirk urgently. Several of his clients have been murdered and Dirk is the only link.
Convinced that he’s being framed, Dirk resolves to flee the country. He is interrupted by the arrival of a beautiful woman who has been terrorised by a stalker.
To Macduff’s surprise Dirk takes the case, but his surprise turns to disbelief when Dirk reveals that it’s him who’s been doing the stalking. When the police finally catch up with Dirk at his horribly messy flat (his dispute with his cleaner has escalated into full scale war) they reveal he isn’t under suspicion – they just want to protect him from this professional killer.
With Dirk’s pride dented (as if he couldn’t commit a few simple murders!) he and Macduff investigate the case and discover that the only murderer Dirk ever framed has recently been released from prison…
Stephen Mangan plays Dirk, Darren Boyd plays Macduff, Jason Watkins plays DI Gilks, Lisa Jackson plays Janice, Lisa Dillon plays Melinda and Tony Pitts plays Robbie Glover.
Cast
Dirk Gently – STEPHEN MANGAN
Janice Pearce – LISA JACKSON
Richard Macduff – DARREN BOYD
Detective Sergeant Gilks – JASON WATKINS
Susan Harmison – HELEN BAXENDALE
Prof Jericho – BILL PATERSON
Production Team
Based on Douglas Adams Dirk Gently books
Directed by Tom Shankland
Written by Howard Overman (episode 1), Matt Jones (episode 2) and Jamie Mathieson (episode 3)
Produced by Chris Carey
Music by Daniel Pemberton
