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Game: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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Game: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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BBC Radio 4 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Game - 30th Anniversary Edition

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If in doubt, before you make a move, please save your game by typing "Save" then enter. You can then restore your game by typing "Restore" then enter. This should make it slightly less annoying getting killed all the time as you can go back to where you were before it happened.

Signing in will allow you to tweet about your achievements, and to add a display name so the game can tweet about your achievements by name. You can sign in or register by clicking the BBCiD icon next to the BBC logo in the top navigation bar.

An additional word of warning: Safari

Safari will now only keep settings in local storage for seven days, so if you save a game and come back a week later, it'll be gone. We're working on a long term fix for this, but in the meantime we can only advise using another browser to play the game or it'll be even more frustrating than usual.

Of course, you've chosen to play this game so that sense of permanent frustrating bafflement may be something you enjoy, in which case, please carry on as you were.

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BBC Radio 4 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Game - 30th Anniversary Edition

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If in doubt, before you make a move, please save your game by typing "Save" then enter. You can then restore your game by typing "Restore" then enter. This should make it slightly less annoying getting killed all the time as you can go back to where you were before it happened.

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Narrator: Stephen Fry

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Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Disk 1

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The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Disk 1

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Creature Comforts episode about "The Sea" by Aardman Animations

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The Sea - Creature Comforts S1 (Full Episode)

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Lesson Plan II - Encyclopedia Britannica on "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

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Lesson Plan II - Encyclopedia Britannica on "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the first book (1979) in the highly popular series of comic science fiction novels by British writer Douglas Adams. The saga mocks modern society with humour and cynicism and has as its hero a hapless, deeply ordinary Englishman (Arthur Dent) who unexpectedly finds himself adrift in a universe characterized by randomness and absurdity.

Summary

Arthur Dent, whose house is about to be demolished for a planned road bypass, is lying down in front of a bulldozer when his friend Ford Prefect arrives and tells him that it is imperative that they go to the pub immediately. There Ford explains that he is actually from a planet near Betelgeuse and that another alien species, the Vogons, are about to destroy the Earth to make space for a hyperspatial express route. Meanwhile, Zaphod Beeblebrox, president of the Galaxy, and his human female friend Trillian steal the Heart of Gold spaceship. Ford and Arthur hitch a ride on a Vogon destructor ship, and Ford lends Arthur the electronic guidebook The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and gives him a Babel fish to stick in his ear to translate alien speech. The Vogon ship captain has Ford and Arthur ejected into space, but the Heart of Gold, which has an Infinite Improbability Drive, picks them up 29 seconds later. The drive makes it possible to traverse interstellar space almost instantly but also causes Ford to (briefly) turn into a penguin.

Zaphod sends his depressive robot, Marvin, to escort the hitchhikers to the bridge. Later that night, the Heart of Gold reaches its destination-the legendary planet Magrathea, which in the past built planets to order for wealthy customers but later disappeared. However, Magrathea, after sending a message that it is closed for business, fires missiles at the Heart of Gold. The ship's computer is unable to take evasive action, but Arthur engages the Infinite Improbability Drive, and the missiles turn into a sperm whale and a bowl of petunias; both fall to the planet's surface. Everything seems fine, except that Trillian's pet mice, Benjy and Frankie, escape their cage.

On Magrathea, Zaphod, Trillian, and Ford explore the planet's tunnels, leaving Marvin and Arthur to guard the entrance. Arthur encounters an elderly native of the planet, who introduces himself as Slartibartfast and explains that the populace is not dead but were sleeping until the economy improved. They are now engaged in building a second Earth, having been commissioned by mice, which are really hyperintelligent pandimensional beings, to build the first Earth. These beings had built a supercomputer, Deep Thought, to determine the answer to life, the universe, and everything. After a period of 7.5 million years, the computer declared the answer to be 42. The computer designed a more powerful computer, Earth, to find the question to which 42 is the answer. Earth had nearly completed its calculations when the Vogons destroyed it. Slartibartfast brings Arthur to meet the mice who commissioned the building of Earth, and they prove to be Benjy and Frankie. Zaphod and Ford suggest that Arthur may have some ideas about the Question, as his "brain was an organic part" of Earth, and Benjy and Frankie decide that they will buy Arthur's brain and chop it up to look for their answer.

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Arthur, Ford, Zaphod, and Trillian are saved by the arrival of the galactic police to arrest Zaphod for the theft of the Heart of Gold. Marvin depresses the computer running the ship and life systems for the police into committing suicide, and the five travelers all escape to the Heart of Gold, after which they head toward the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Series

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy first appeared as a 12-part series on BBC radio (1978-80). The five-book series that followed, which Adams called a "trilogy," sold million of copies worldwide. The books were, in addition to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980), Life, the Universe and Everything (1982), So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984), and Mostly Harmless (1992); after Adams's death in 2001, a sixth tale, And Another Thing..., written by Eoin Colfer, was published in 2009. The series has been widely translated and adapted for television, theatre, comics, film, and even a computer game.
Cathy Lowne Patricia Bauer

Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Summary & Facts

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the first book (1979) in the highly popular series of comic science fiction novels by British writer Douglas Adams. The saga mocks modern society with humor and cynicism. Its hero, a hapless Englishman, finds himself adrift in a universe characterized by randomness and absurdity.

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by BBC Learning English

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A ceremony is taking place on Saturday, 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, a church in London.

During this religious ceremony, a crown will be placed on King Charles's head to show that he is King of the United Kingdom. He is also the king of 14 other Commonwealth countries. These are states that are members of the Commonwealth of Nations - an organisation made up mainly of former parts of the British Empire.

Charles's wife, whose title is Queen Consort Camilla, will also be crowned. This event is called a coronation. In fact, Charles III became king the moment his mother Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022.

What else happens during the ceremony?

Apart from having the crown put on his head, the King will make promises to defend the law and the Church of England. This kind of official promise is called an 'oath', and the verb we use to describe making an oath is 'swear'. King Charles will swear an oath.

The ceremony will be conducted by the person with the highest position in the Church of England, apart from the King. This is the Archbishop of Canterbury. He will rub special oils on the hands, breast and head of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla.

Who will be at the Coronation?

Most members of the Royal Family will be there, but not the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. Senior politicians from around the world and members of other royal families are invited. It is not traditional for US presidents to attend coronations, and President Joe Biden will not go to the ceremony. However, his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, will attend instead.

How will people mark the occasion?

After the Coronation of King Charles, there will be a special celebration concert. Artists including Katy Perry, Take That and Lionel Ritchie will perform.

People in the UK are being encouraged to hold street parties, and there is an extra national holiday, known as a 'bank holiday'. Some people who are not in favour of monarchy will hold protests and discuss the future of the Royal Family.

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BBC Learning English - Course: Quizzes / Unit 1 / Session 22 / Activity 1

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A ceremony is taking place on Saturday, 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, a church in London. During this religious ceremony, a crown will be placed on King Charles's head to show that he is King of the United Kingdom. He is also the king of 14 other Commonwealth countries.

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Short animation video: "Monarchy Business"

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Short animation video: "Monarchy Business"

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Creatures Comforts episode about the "Monarchy Business" by Aardman Animations

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Monarchy Business - Creature Comforts S2 (Full Episode)

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Lesson Plan I - Article about the Coronation of King Charles III

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Lesson Plan I - Article about the Coronation of King Charles III

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The coronation of King Charles III will see history play out in the modern age. From the venue of Westminster Abbey to the coronation oath, the symbolism is steeped in centuries of tradition. One symbol, the "Coronation stone" - also known as the Stone of Scone or Stone of Destiny - has its own particularly contentious history.

Beneath the gilded coronation chair will be an ancient, rectangular slab of sandstone weighing approximately 152kg. The stone is a symbol of medieval Scotland, traditionally used in the inauguration ceremonies of Scottish kings until its capture by King Edward I. Although the stone's current home is with the Scottish crown jewels at Edinburgh Castle, it was held in London - under the throne at Westminster - from its capture in 1296 until it was returned in 1996.

The event of the coronation has allowed the stone itself to be studied again. A new 3D image created in order to aid in the moving of the stone to Westminster, revealing previously unrecorded markings that tell us more about its origins.

Yet, the use of the stone at Charles III's coronation also reminds us about the importance of historical objects in modern politics because its return to Westminster has proven controversial.
This piece is part of our coverage of King Charles III's coronation. The first coronation of a British monarch since 1953 comes at a time of reckoning for the monarchy, the royal family and the Commonwealth. For more royal analysis, revisit our coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum jubilee, and her death in September 2022.
It should not surprise anyone that this ancient symbol of Scottish statehood was discussed in the recent leadership race for the Scottish National Party (SNP). Former SNP leader Alex Salmond said the stone should not be returned to London, and it was mentioned in a party hustings.

The Stone of Scone was a key part of the ceremony at which Scotland's medieval kings were inaugurated at Scone Palace, near Perth.

At the time, Scottish kings did not receive a crown (hence inauguration rather than coronation). Other objects were needed to give the air of legitimacy that medieval politics demanded. The stone was where the kings sat during this ceremony, symbolising a solid base for the kingdom's security and stability.

King Edward I seized the stone as a symbol of the end of Scottish sovereignty. This was retaliation for Scottish refusal to back his military campaigns in France and instead ally themselves with the French. Although English kings never cemented their conquest of Scotland, the stone remained in London for seven centuries.

The throne of the English king sitting atop the inauguration stone was a powerful visual metaphor for how medieval English monarchs perceived their position of authority (or overlordship) over Scotland.

The stone today

Two incidents in the 20th century show how the stone became an important symbol once again. On Christmas Day 1950, four Glasgow University students who supported Scottish home rule stole the stone from Westminster Abbey and returned it to Scotland. It was found at Arbroath Abbey a few months later.

The son of one of the students has contributed to the current debate, arguing that it should not be included in the coronation ceremony.

The stone was returned to Scotland permanently in 1996 (700 years after its first removal). This was a period in which Scottish identity had become a key issue in light of the campaign for devolution and the creation of a Scottish parliament.

Past and present collide

Medieval materials take on new lives in the modern world, although not always the ones intended. Their movement and use can quickly become a source of debate. Some items have been smuggled as part of a lucrative trade, or loaned between countries. The modern politics that arise out of these objects are often as contentious as the objects' histories themselves.

Last year, UK authorities seized 86 metal objects dating from the 11th to 14th century, smuggled out of Ukraine. They are currently on display at the British Museum with plans to have them eventually returned to the National Museum of History of Ukraine in Kyiv.

In 2018, France agreed to loan Britain the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicted the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Initially hailed as an example of good Anglo-French relations, by 2021 experts raised concerns about its fragility and whether moving it would be practical.

Some commentators suggested that deterioration in diplomatic relations after Brexit may have influenced this too. This is, of course, only speculation - such loans must always be dependent on the condition of the artefact to prevent any damage. Yet it reminds us of how these objects, and the decisions around loaning, borrowing and returning them, are ultimately political.

Debates about medieval artefacts may seem arcane or irrelevant, but that would be to misunderstand the power of objects. Across Britain, and indeed much of Europe, current borders and nations can trace their origins in some way to the middle ages. Objects from that period are therefore inextricably linked to how nations identify themselves and their past. These objects matter not just because of what they tell us about past societies and their values, but also about what we think is important today.

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King Charles III coronation: what the controversy over an ancient stone tells us about historical symbols in the modern age

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The return of the Stone of Scone to Westminster has proven controversial.

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Transcript: A Design Presentation (British Council)

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Transcript: A Design Presentation (British Council)

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Audio: A Design Presentation (British Council)

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Audio: A Design Presentation (British Council)

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British Council - LearnEnglish listening skills

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Live from Mount Olympus - A podcast series created from Onassis Foundation & TRAX.
For more info visit: https://www.onassis.org/initiatives/onassis-podcasts/live-from-mount-olympus

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Langfocus: Differences between British and American English

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How Are British English and American English Different?

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LetThemTalkTV: How to use the Subjunctive in English

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How to Use The SUBJUNCTIVE in English: Everything You always Wanted to Know

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BBC Learning English:
Hunting down the Subjunctive

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Hunting down the subjunctive: BBC English Class

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Watch the video.
You can also watch it with English subtitles by pressing the CC button on the video.
After watching it, check out some online activities and information related to this video. You can find them by pressing the buttons on the side of the video: "Think", "Dig Deeper", "Discuss", "And Finally".

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The video mentions three ways in order to recognize and avoid spreading fake news and lies. Those are:1. to avoid sensationalist media,2. to search for criticisms of suspicious information, and3. to trace the original source of a report.
Some helpful questions to think about the matter are the following:What is sensationalist media? How can you recognize them?What is your stance towards them?What are the typical characteristics of suspicious information and lies?How can one trace the original sources of news and scientific reports?
Write your thoughts in a couple of paragraphs, up to 300 words.

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The video mentions three ways in order to recognize and avoid spreading fake news and lies. Those are:1. to avoid sensationalist media,2. to search for criticisms of suspicious information, and3. to trace the original source of a report.Some helpful questions to think about the matter are the following:What is sensationalist media?

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Give a title to the text. Try to include an inversion! Post your title as a comment to this post.

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Rearrange the sentences with inversion.

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Wordwall - Create better lessons quicker

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Rarely do I see people reading magazines., At no time did Mary offer to pay for gas., "Get ready to start" said the coach., No sooner had I left my house to go to the market than it started to rain heavily., Hardly had the students started their exam when the fire alarm went off., Not once have I had an issue with my neighbours., On no account must you show anyone this letter., Barely had we started our picnic when a gust of wind blew everything over., Only in winter do most lemon trees bear fruit., Not only does John speak English and French, but he is also learning Arabic.,

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Rarely do I see people reading magazines., At no time did Mary offer to pay for gas., "Get ready to start" said the coach., No sooner had I left my house to go to the market than it started to rain heavily., Hardly had the students started their exam when

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BBC Learning English: Inversion in reduced conditionals and more

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BBC English Masterclass: Inversion 2:  Reduced conditionals and more

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BBC Learning English: Inversion after negative or limiting adverbs

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BBC English Masterclass: Inversion 1: After Negative or Limiting Adverbs