Rare Douglas Adams heads for CD

The BBC is to release a collection of rare recordings of Douglas Adams to mark the 25th anniversary of Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy.

Simon Jones, who played Arthur Dent in the original radio series, will narrate the three-CD set, which is not due out until September.

One of the discs will be the entire Radio 4 tribute So Long And Thanks For All The Fish, which was first broadcast in 2001.

The other two will contain an eclectic collection of extracts, manys of which will be considered obscured even by die-hard fans.

According to the fan site Magrathea, the website run by Adams' biographer Mike Simpson, the rare recordings include:

• Three sketches Adams wrote for the radio series The Burkiss Way
• Extracts from his conservation show Last Chance to See;
• A 'lost' mini-episode of Hitchhikers Guide called Sheila's Ear,
• A sketch from his days with the Cambridge Footlight
• Adams singing on the John Dunn show;
• And his appearance on Quote...Unquote;

The set, to be priced £15.99, will be released on September 6, but Amazon are already taking preorders at £11.19. Click here to reserve a copy.

Published: 3 Mar 2004