Billy Boyd, John Challis and More Announced as Special Guests for THE HITCHHIKERÂ'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY RADIO SHOW

Billy Boyd, John Challis, Neil Gaiman, John Lloyd, Terry Jones, Phill Jupitus, John Lloyd, Rory McGrath, Roger McGough, and Andrew Sachs are amongst the special VIP guests who will join the original cast of THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY RADIO SHOW – LIVE! at various venues over the UK tour in the summer of 2012.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy originated as a radio series and one of its most unique elements was a Narrator - "THE VOICE OF THE BOOK" - who punctuated the action by reading out Hitchhiker's Guide Entries in a friendly if slightly quizzical way. Over the five Hitchhiker's radio series the Voice was played first by the acerbic Peter Jones and then by the avuncular William Franklyn. Both these much-loved voices are sadly gone, and so for this new live radio version of the show, guest 'Voices' will join the original radio cast on stage to re-create Douglas Adams's unique masterpiece. All are fans of the Hitchhiker's books and many have personal connections to Douglas either as friends or through his work.

Billy Boyd, best-known as 'Pippin' in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy, will kick off proceedings at the opening of the tour in Glasgow on 8 and 9 June, and also play Newcastle. John Challis, best known as 'Boycie' in Only Fools and Horses, will play Manchester, York and Southend; actor and impressionist Jon Culshaw will play Leicester and Manchester; Hugh Dennis, best-known for The Mary Whitehouse Experience and Outnumbered will play Brighton and Southampton; Comedian Phill Jupitus will play Birmingham, Basingstoke, Northampton, Cardiff and Aylesbury; Andrew Sachs, best known as 'Manuel' in Fawlty Towers, will play Bromley; poet Roger McGough will play Blackpool, Liverpool, Oxford and Brighton; actor and broadcaster Rory McGrath will play Northampton and Plymouth; ex-Python Terry Jones will play the Hackney Empire (the only London date on the tour); John Lloyd, producer of television shows such as Blackadder, Spitting Image, QI and co-author of The Meaning of Liff with Douglas Adams, will play Cambridge; renowned children's author Neil Gaiman will round off the tour in Edinburgh on 21 July. Tour dates below, and further names to be announced shortly.

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY became an instant and enduring classic on its launch as a radio series. Now Douglas Adams's immortal creation explodes back into life, re-born in a ground-breaking new stage production touring the UK this summer - a radio show like you never saw before - in surround sound, packed with laughter, robots, really wild sound effects and drinks with extremely silly names.

Members of the legendary Radio and TV casts are re-united for these live performances, led by Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, bringing to life the characters written for them in highlights from the entire Hitchhiker's Saga. Geoff McGivern stars as 'Ford Prefect', Susan Sheridan as 'Trillian', MarK Wing-Davey as 'Zaphod Beeblebrox' and the voice of Stephen Moore as 'Marvin the Paranoid Android' and live musical direction from Philip Pope.

Adapted, written and directed by Dirk Maggs, Douglas Adams's choice to conclude the narrative in its original medium, and based on the novels themselves, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY RADIO SHOW - LIVE! is an adventure which will introduce newcomers of all ages to Vogons, Babel Fish, Marvin the Paranoid Android and allow them to explore the unique and hilarious Whole General Mish Mash According To Douglas Adams.

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