Stephen Mangan began by describing his character, Dirk…
Stephen Mangan:Dirks described as eccentric.
A bit of a maverick.
I think hes unusual for a detective.
Most detectives when they explain what has happened in a case, everyone goes, Aah.
But when Dirk explains whats happened, everyone goes, What?
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He comes at things from a very peculiar angle.
Hes sort of unknowable, really, and confusing.
A conman, perhaps?
SM:I dont think he thinks hes a conman at all.
He needs to pay the rent.
I think hes got a good heart.
Were you familiar with the book?
Its not one of Adams better-known creations.
SM:Hitchhikerwas obviously a colossal success, and everything else hes done seems to lurk in its shadow.
But theyre written with the same wit and genius thatHitchhikerswas written.
Adams himself thought that theGentlybooks would film better than theHitchikersbooks would.
So, in a sense, it frees you up to interpret it as you will.
Hopefully, you get somewhere near Adams intention.
Helen Baxendale:I also had no idea the book existed.
But Id heard of Douglas Adams, and Id heard ofHitchhikers, but hadnt read it.
I obviously wasnt cool enough as a teenager.
HB:Well, actually, thats a lie [laughs].
Its very, very different.
I dont think that books filmable, especially in an hour.
HB:Its very surreal.
Its quite non-linear, isnt it?
SM:The first book especially.
Dirk doesnt even appear until way, way into it.
Hes much more of a presence in the second book.
I dont think that you could take either of those novels and film them satisfactorily in an hour.
Hardcore fans can be quite unforgiving.
Do you think it captures the spirit of the books?
Youre never going to kindly everyone.
And hes come up with something that I think works fantastically well.
But no, it isnt a literal translation of the book onto the screen.
As soon as you employ a writer, youre a step away from Douglas Adams.
You said youd read it way before this project.
Dirk, when I was a kid, was an old man!
[laughs] Now Im the old man.
I never imagined myself being like that.
Is the Dirk my Dirk?
Well, its odd playing these iconic characters.
I played Adrian Mole years ago, and theyre so vividly drawn.
You have to go, I look how I look.
I cant do an awful lot about that.
Im never going to be a short blonde.
Its so much more full than a character in a script can give you, isnt it?
DB:You have to look at it as a standalone thing.
Its the same with films made from comic books.
You cant recreate the storytelling of a comic book.
SM:Also, were acting.
We have a script.
Were not acting the book, so thats where you start from.
What you work from.
Theyre protective of his work.
And they were happy with it.
What more can you tell us about what happens in the show?
It seems to start with a real open-and-shut case with the cat…
SM:An awful lot.
Its difficult to know where to start.
Dirk is this eccentric, strange character, who needs someone to bounce off.
DB:Richards cynicism versus Dirks worldview, which is that all these random events are connected, right?
The story, how it unfolds, kind of confirms that.
He finds a certain redemptive element through it.
And where does Susan fit into this story?
HB:Well, Susan fits in differently from the book.
Shes now the girlfriend of Richard.
Shes a doctor, so shes very realistic, rational, and therefore cant get her head round…
Does she like Dirk?
Although theres also tension between us.
He doesnt help matters.
SM:Its essentially a detective story, and theres a case to be solved.
But the whole thing is approached from a different angle.
Its not Bergerac, and its not Marple.
Its very esoteric, a weird world.
Things are a little bit different in Dirks world.
HB:There are so many detective shows on television, arent there?
Theres a real glut of grisly and violent ones, that arent my cup of tea.
This is an antidote to all that.
Its really a one-off, and quirky.
SM:Detective shows are all about forensics and psychological profiling.
We couldnt be further from that.
Dirk wouldnt know a psychological profile if it bit his nose off.
Dirk has a big whiteboard that he writes things on.
He writes down everything to do with a case that he can possibly think of.
And hes brilliant at it.
Its an absolute given that Stephen gives him an abundance of charm.
HB:And energy.
SM:Tight trousers gave me a lot of energy.
SM:There are some of those elements in it.
It isnt simply a domestic, Earth-bound, world-as-we-know it story.
It does explore those areas.
And when the BBC commissions the 49-part series, which hopefully they will, itll go even further.
Its not set in the world of the modern day.
There are some of those other elements to it.
And in that 49-part series, is there scope to take the story beyond the material in the books?
Because, as fans of the books know, theyre full of rich, rich detail.
We ended up making five series.
We did lots of Dad, Im gay scenes with rabbits.
[profuse laughter] I mean, where do you go?
So, we want to make the book go as far as possible.
SM:Why this project?
Adams is one of our finest writers, I think.
Im not particularly a sci-fi fan, but I think his genius is that he speaks to everybody.
His books go otherworldly, but because theyre specifically about Britain…
They sucker in the non-sci-fi fan…
SM:Oh, they totally do.
Theyre so witty and theyre so clever.
They have so much heart.
Im not sure that hes really been successfully… well,Hitchhikersis a different thing.
But nobodys givenDirka proper go, and its so different from those other detective shows.
I cant believe my luck that it hasnt been done before.
Im pleased that Im now old enough to play him!
Its great to do a project that we havent had on television before.
Theres nothing more exciting than thinking, I wonder how this will go.
The form of Douglas Adams writing takes in lots of long sentences that double back on themselves.
Surely that aspect was quite difficult to take across.
Because, like you said, you couldnt simply pick it up and translate it.
So, that was our first smart move was to get Howard involved.
Particularly the early ones.
WasDirk Gentlyall filmed in London?
SM:London and other planets.
No, it was all filmed in London.
HB:No it wasnt!
[laughs]
SM:Oh, no.
Were in London now.
Theres no real difference.
