Today’s composer should bring a few smiles to the faces of my British readers. The composer Sandra Dickinson, a British-American actress, born in Washington, DC, grew up near here in Maryland, and moved to England where she has had an interesting career. Fans of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” will recognize her as Trillian, the earth woman Zaphod Beeblebrox picks up on earth, stealing her away from Dent, Arthur Dent.
For her second marriage, she married the fifth Doctor Who, Peter Davidson. After their divorce, she married Mark Osmond, another British singer/actor.
Before “Hitchhiker’s” she made her debut on British television in a commercial for Bird’s Eye Beefburgers, directed by Alan Parker (who later did Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.”) In the 1980s, she and Davidson composed the theme to a children’s television show named “Button Moon.”
Despite the brilliance of the novel and the first radio season, it still is a piece created by a white British man in he 1970, who went to Cambridge. I agree with you comment on the casting. In fact, I don’t think they should have done a TV series at all, because the visions I had in my head based on the sonically rich radio version were much more vivid than what they chose to or could do on film. However, the choice was Adams’ according to the Wikipedia entry on Sandra Dickinson which says: “…when she heard that she had been suggested for the role of Trillian, she thought it completely mad – Sandra Dickinson was blonde and fair-skinned, and in the Hitch Hiker book, Trillian is described as dark and looking “slightly Arabic”. However, during the screen test, Douglas Adams was sufficiently impressed with her acting skills that when Dickinson suggested wryly, “I’ve got to get my Union Jack lenses in” (i.e., practice my English accent), Douglas Adams asked her to use her natural voice and accent.” I watched some of the clips on Youtube yesterday, and when I saw how they dressed her to look like a magician’s eye candy helper, (which I didn’t remember), it really stood out for me as to why they really chose her.
I actually read the “Hitchhiker” series in novel form, then saw the television episodes (which I still own and watch periodically on VHS tape!), and only later discovered the radio program. I’m a huge fan who has spent many hours enjoying all the various incarnations except for the Hollywood movie. That seemed a travesty to have been produced.
Ironically, I just discovered the Dirk Gently stories via a BBC America television program. Thank you for this great information and the links!
Kurt Nemes' Classical Music Almanac 
Miscast as Trillian, who, in the original radio show, was English and sophisticated.
LikeLike
Despite the brilliance of the novel and the first radio season, it still is a piece created by a white British man in he 1970, who went to Cambridge. I agree with you comment on the casting. In fact, I don’t think they should have done a TV series at all, because the visions I had in my head based on the sonically rich radio version were much more vivid than what they chose to or could do on film. However, the choice was Adams’ according to the Wikipedia entry on Sandra Dickinson which says: “…when she heard that she had been suggested for the role of Trillian, she thought it completely mad – Sandra Dickinson was blonde and fair-skinned, and in the Hitch Hiker book, Trillian is described as dark and looking “slightly Arabic”. However, during the screen test, Douglas Adams was sufficiently impressed with her acting skills that when Dickinson suggested wryly, “I’ve got to get my Union Jack lenses in” (i.e., practice my English accent), Douglas Adams asked her to use her natural voice and accent.” I watched some of the clips on Youtube yesterday, and when I saw how they dressed her to look like a magician’s eye candy helper, (which I didn’t remember), it really stood out for me as to why they really chose her.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLike
I actually read the “Hitchhiker” series in novel form, then saw the television episodes (which I still own and watch periodically on VHS tape!), and only later discovered the radio program. I’m a huge fan who has spent many hours enjoying all the various incarnations except for the Hollywood movie. That seemed a travesty to have been produced.
Ironically, I just discovered the Dirk Gently stories via a BBC America television program. Thank you for this great information and the links!
LikeLike