Quote: Kaytee @ August 13 2011, 3:31 PM BST

I've been listening to this, having not read the book or heard the radio series before. I think initially I avoided it in case I was disappointed. I don't think it's *that* bad. It was interesting to see where the characters went, and to hear more from Random, but there was a sense that Colfer was trying to tick all the familiar boxes.

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The R4 adaptation of the final HHGG books came up with a much more elegant and plausible ending. However, HHGG by its very nature is not a thing of consistency. Colfer made a brave stab but it falls in the same category as the film. Ersatz HHGG.

Quote: Kaytee @ August 13 2011, 3:31 PM BST

...there was a sense that Colfer was trying to tick all the familiar boxes.

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This is strange, because it doesn't really seem to be in the style of Douglas. He tried to get away from the familar characters in the later books, perhaps to the detriment of So Long And Thanks For All the Fish for example. I think however Dirk Maggs later radio series did capture the style of Douglas-but again using characters that Douglas had seemed to reject.

Quote: KLRiley @ August 12 2011, 8:02 PM BST

But most likely it suffers from the same problem as the film. No Douglas.

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He was very involved in the film, in fact he wrote the screenplay.

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Quote: Nogget @ August 16 2011, 5:33 AM BST

He was very involved in the film, in fact he wrote the screenplay.

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Via medium?

What gets written doesn't always make it to the screen. Sadly he was six foot under by the time the film was made and without him it just missed that essence that made HHGG what it was.

Wonder whether Dirk Maggs might be interested in writing any further sequel? But honestly I think it's best left alone.

Mind you part of my dislike of 'And another' might be the Mangan factor. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong as Dirk Gently. But that is a different debate.

Quote: KLRiley @ August 16 2011, 7:52 AM BST

Via medium?

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I think he originally wrote the screenplay in 2001.

Quote: KLRiley @ August 16 2011, 7:52 AM BST

he was six foot under by the time the film was made

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But not when the project was started.

I'm still enjoying Milton Jones, but there's a touch of the "Mehs" about the current series. Time for a rest? Last nights by-the-numbers episode about road haulage would suggest so.

Quote: chipolata @ August 19 2011, 10:27 AM BST

I'm still enjoying Milton Jones, but there's a touch of the "Mehs" about the current series. Time for a rest? Last nights by-the-numbers episode about road haulage would suggest so.

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Agreed. Instead of the endless effortless (obviously not, but that's his skill) flow, contrivance is showing through more and more.

What on earth are Radio 4 up to with the 6:30 slot? This week we've had Fags, Mags and Bags - borderline passable; The Castle - so cliched and contrived it could be a Sitcom Mission winner; and My Teenage Diary - dire dire dire. Worst early evening line up I can remember for a while.

Chain Reaction's been pretty good this series, I think. Kevin Eldon and Mark Steel and that.

Does anyone here listen to "House on Fire", it was on last night at 11pm?

I've listed to it a couple of times now in grim fascination, I've no idea what it's supposed to be, there are no recognisable jokes, it features two central characters who are cliched and dull, dull, dull and it's 28 minutes of utter tedium.

If anyone can tell me what it's for please let me know.

Quote: Tony Cowards @ September 2 2011, 10:43 AM BST

Does anyone here listen to "House on Fire", it was on last night at 11pm?

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What is it? A sitcom?

From Tony's description it unfortunately sounds like far too much stuff that's on R4. He said, bitterly.

Quote: chipolata @ September 2 2011, 10:45 AM BST

What is it? A sitcom?

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I assume so, it has lots of sitcom clichés, e.g. typical mis-matched couple sharing a house, she's a posh Southern control freak, he's a Northern slob, he does slobbish things, she moans about him doing slobbish things (that's about it for the main plot points I think).

It's weird, I'm guessing it's supposed to be a "gritty" sitcom about living in credit crunch Britain but then it features outlandish things like her replacing all the furniture with ice sculptures (less funny than it sounds).

I've listened to two episodes now and I just don't know what it's supposed to be.

The only time it made me laugh was when it had a weird cameo from Stephen Mangan who played a gym instructor which was clearly a piss-take of Arnie and that was only really funny because Mangan's accent was so atrocious.

I t says in Radio Times a comedy? last episode next week.

Written by Chris Sussman and Dan Hine, produced by Clive Brill.

I love 'Fags mags and Bags' the musical shorts are great. Agree a lot of cobblers on at 6.30.