Dirk Maggs
Moderator: Welcome everybody, and welcome Dirk. Thanks for being with us tonight. There aren't many people here at the moment, but questions have trickled in all day, so let's get it on.
Seymour the Fractal Cat: Hi Dirk, are there any deleted scenes that didn't make it into the extended editions of the radio shows? Seymour.
Dirk Maggs: Good question Seymour, and the answer is no, we used everything we recorded as far as I can recall. I did work up some extra 'business' to go behind the party scenes in Ep4 Tertiary but in the end did not have enough time to record them!
Waux Trident: Mr Maggs, I'm gonna ask a rather clichéd: have You ever though of adapting anothr DNA book (such as Dirk Gently...)?
Dirk Maggs: Apologies for typos by the way, folks.
Dirk Maggs: That's an interesting way to put it, Waux, and I can confidently say that I had NOT thought of adapting any other books of Douglas's! However other people may be thinking differently ... including people who may ask me if I'd be willing to ... so anything is possible ... ;-)
Ricard: How did you end up doing radio? Was it an early goal or did you just happen to stumble on it?
Dirk Maggs: Hi Ricard.
Dirk Maggs: Just to finish the radio question, I always loved radio as a kid because my Dad did, we used to listen to great Bristish comedy shows like Round The horne and The Goons. I always thought I would use radio as a stepping stone to TV and then movies but I worked in TV and movies and found radio was the most exciting and free of all the media.
Totta: Who was the first (of the regular) actors to say yes to the new series, who was the last and who was the most happy about it?
Dirk Maggs: Hi Totta, I think Simon was the first one I phoned because if he said no I'd have had a problem. And of course he and all the othger folks said yes, they were wonderfully enthusiastic. Not like actors at all!
MrPeasley: Hypotethical question: If there will be a sequel to the movie and you were asked to adapt book #2 into a movie script. Would you consider it, would you do it, would you say no?
Dirk Maggs: Hi MrPeasley - Hypothetically is one thing but Realistically Disney would want someone with a track record of successful feature screenplays like Karey Kirkpatrick so I don't think I'll have to worry about making the decision!
moongoddess: Dirk - Baby! -- I want, need, and absolutely must have copies of the Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases in all their 5.1 Surround Sound glory. Preferably in a set which also includes normal CD encoding so that I can copy them onto my iPod too. Am I asking for too much here or should I just abandon hope and order the CDs now? Hugs & Kisses -- mg
Moderator: (oo-er)
Dirk Maggs: MG dearest, DVD-A versions WILL be out next year I believe but sadly for stereo (iPod compatible versions) you'll need to get your graceful alabaster mitts on a set of cds. Life is cruel, would that we could save you from these mortal duties. Hey ho ... mwah mwah xx
Scratch: Hello Dirk, congratulations on a superb adaptation of all three books. How nervous did it make you, tampering with the work of an author you so obviously greatly admire?
Dirk Maggs: Bloody nervous. Even though DNA was okay with the idea of me doing it, it's a different matter not to have him around to phone up and ask questions of. That's why Tertairy was so close to the book. I made a promise to Douglas not to veer away from the text. If he had been here I think we could have played with it more.
Gonzoid: Dirk: If I could sidetrack from your work on Hitchhiker's to your work on Goon Again, how much work went into that script? What was it like working with Spike Milligan? And just why wasn't David Beckham picked to play Bluebottle? Thanks for all the excellent work. You excel in the second best medium in the world (after semaphore).
Dirk Maggs: Tertiary. Damn these boxing gloves.
Dirk Maggs: Ahhhhh my roundhog Day, that Goon Show. Spike could be an angel one minute and an utter bastard the next. But we loved him. He was ill by the time we did that show but I;m proud to be the last person to produce him at The Paris Studio, where both The Goons AND HHGG were recorded ...
Dirk Maggs: Groundhog Day! Doh!
Seymour the Fractal Cat: I very much enjoyed "The Gemini Apes" & "American Werewolf in London" & your comic book adaptations "Superman, Spiderman, Batman & Judge Dredd" Can you give us any hints as to what you might be doing next?
Dirk Maggs: Working in the ladder dept at Homebase, Seymour, if the BBC don't commission something soon!
biglou114: As we all know you had the monumental task in some new bits of Douglas Adamsesque parts to the series. What was the most difficult part of trying to write in this style? Do you think Douglas would approve of the new phases?
Dirk Maggs: I have got hopes of writing a book myself, for kids. It's finding the time.
Dirk Maggs: Hi biglou ... hard question to answer. I made a promise to myself not to "invent" Douglas stuff if anywhere I could find something he wrote which gave me a starting point. That said, I have "torn up" more sheets of virtual paper than I can remember. It's HARD writing like Douglas. As to whether or not he would approve, golly, I just hope and pray really. I do know that Jane his widow and Ed and the family seem to feel that it's been reasonably safe in my hands ... but it's for you guys to judge, really. You are the experts. It is, in the end, for you. And Douglas.
Dukey/Nicolas Botti: What memories do you take with you after this production? Which was the most emotional moment, and which was the funniest?
Dirk Maggs: Good grief, are you two conjoined now? Sweden and France in coalition? Helllp! Okay ... kay ... I'm thinking ...
Dirk Maggs: What do I take away? Ummm ... well, a feeling of accomplishment, that I think I managed to finish a radio version of the saga that not only depicts the books as faithfully as possible but also rounds things off in a way that hopefully will send people off to listen again from the beginning ... (cont.)
Seymour the Fractal Cat: Hi again, Bill Wallis is just about the only surviving member of the original cast not to recreate his role. Was he unavailable?
Moderator: Sorry there, missed your (cont) Finish up and proceed with Seymour. My bad.
Dirk Maggs: The most emotional moment - there were several. When Simon acted with Douglas as Agrajag. When Simon and Geoff recorded their last ever scene together (you heard it this week, it was 'You're standing on my head". And the final part of the final episode for which we needed Kleenex and it's only fair to warn you, you will too ...
Dirk Maggs: Hi Seymour. Bill is a fine actor but due to availability issues we went for Toby and had to be consistent once we'd gone that way. Also with Toby I wanted to explore the idea of Vogons getting coarser and coarser in old age.
MrPeasley: Was it hard simulating all the old analogue effects of ex Marvin's voice etc or did you use the same old equipments?
Dirk Maggs: The original Marvin voice kit is in the Science Museum or is landfill somewhere, we had to find a new box that made old noises. The funny part - and spooky - was that it had numbered programs and the one that was PERFECT was - number ... can you guess .... ?
Cmd Vimes: Is there anything in the already broadcasted series that you would like to change now? Like any errors or logical holes that you found out about only after it's been broadcasted?
Dirk Maggs: Hard ones please.
Moderator: Three more after this one. Then it's a wrap, folks.
Dirk Maggs: Hi Cmd Vimes - The answer's No (in the nicest possible way!). If I'd tried to patch every inconsistency I'd have gone crazy. Also if you think about it, a character appeared this week 'in the flesh' so to speak, through whom everything can be fixed. Everything. Ever. No Matter How Improbable. So any inconsistencies which remain either don't matter or are Meant To Be. (Of course you'll have to listen next week to hear Ford explain this, but it's in the book ...
Cornfed: Do you see yourself keep making radio shows when you are 60 or what is your goal in labour life?
Dirk Maggs: I hear the fluttering of wings ...
Dirk Maggs: Hi Cornfed - I love radio but my goal is to die playing the drums with a beer in my hand and a credit token for Eccentrica Galumbits' chat room in my hip pocket ...
Seymour the Fractal Cat: There is a collectors edition of Phases 1 & 2 with a bonus cd about the radio show. Are there any plans for a documentary about the new shows? I heard something about Gwendolyn (Kevin Davies) filming. Is that still likely to appear?
Moderator: One question left.
Dirk Maggs: Gosh I do hope Gwendolyn's video sees the light of day. We are lobbying very hard to have it included on the DVD-A but there are problems with how much stuff can be fitted on a disk. All the same we're working on it.
Ricard: When you learned that Douglas had died, did you think this day would ever come, or did you think the whole project would be abandoned?
Dirk Maggs: I absolutely thought that was the end of everything and it made it all more painful. Don't forget that at that time the movie was in Development Hell and the radio series were shelved forever because of the movie. So when I trudged up the steps of that church for the Memorial Service my heart was in my boots. But then there was Bruce calmly haqnding out programmes in the foyer and I sat next to Mark Wing Davey watching Simon give his eulogy in that dressing gown and I thoiught, "Hang on a minute, we're all still here ... maybe we CAN do it ..."
Moderator: Ok, that's all folks. Thank you very much for your time, Dirk. Much appreciated.
Dirk Maggs: Do I get a parting shot?
Moderator: Bring it on, baby
Dirk Maggs: Can I just say thanks to you all for your comments good and/or bad? The threads have really been so useful for knowing when things were working and when they weren't, particularly beteeen the Tertiary Phase and these new ones. Certainly the ending of next week's episode and all the tiebacks to The Secondary Phase owe a lot to you guys and your thoughts and criticisms.. It's been a more interactive experience for you that you might have suspected. Heartfelt thanks and I hope you enjoy next week's ride. Fasten your seatbelts. it's going to be wild and will run right down to the wire at 27'30" (and then some in the extended version!). Cheers. Dirk.
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