Well, well, well. The more excellent among you will remember a few years ago, talented writer and producer Dirk Maggs, as part of Above the Title Productions, adapted the final three Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books into shiny new radio series, complete with the original cast and some excellent guest starts. I was a big fan of these adaptations as, where they might not have been as funny as the original two, the cast where such a joy to listen to, I didn’t really care much.

So, imagine my excitement now it has been revealed the BBC have commissioned Maggs and his team to adapt the brilliant Dirk Gently books to radio. Feel free to let out a yelp of cautious glee at any point.

Taken from Dirk Maggs personal site:

BBC Radio 4 has commissioned Above the Title Productions Ltd (with Dirk Maggs at the helm) to make an 18 x 30 minute adaptation of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently books, following Above the Title Productions Ltd successful production of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It will run over 3 series of 6 episodes and will begin in October 2007.

However, a couple of issues spring instantly to mind. Firstly: three series? Either they're going to split the two books into three blocks (very unlikely) or... well, they're going to be using Adams's unfinished Salmon of Doubt book. In its current state it'd make a very odd series of radio shows, obviously, so we can probably infer that Maggs would complete the story. All I can say is I hope he has access to previously unknown notes detailing Adams's plot ideas, as I'm not sure I'm comfortable with Maggs making up his own second half. I mean, he's clearly the best man for the adaptation job, and he's the best Adams proxy we're likely to get, but I really don't like the idea of him taking the step into what effectively would be co-writing.

Secondly: what of the cast? Nothing’s been revealed as yet, probably because they’ve not even begun rehearsals yet, but it’s an important detail. Still, I’ll be buggered if I can think of someone I’d like to see as Dirk Gently himself… As always, taking a character from a book and suddenly turning them into an audible being is going to be tricky and fraught with danger, and the casting needs to be perfect to carry off such a sinister, eccentric, lovable and brilliant character.

Anyway, that's by the by. Two of the finest books ever are being made into a radio series by the man who did such a great job on the final three series of Hitchhiker’s, and that, for now, is good enough for me.