简介：Green Wing and Free Agents star Stephen Mangan is to play the lead role in BB**s adaptation of the late Douglas Adams Dirk Gently*s Holistic Detective Agency.Mangan will be joined by Darren Boyd as his sidekick Richard MacDuff and Cold Feet and Friends actor Helen Baxendale, as MacDuff*s girlfriend Susan.Adapted by the Bafta-winning writer Howard Overman – who is also behind Misfits, Vexed and Merlin – Dirk Gently*s Holistic Detective Agency follows the exploits of Adams*s chaotic character as he uses his unusual methods to solve crimes.Mangan said: *I*ve been a fan of Douglas Adams ever since the Hitchhiker*s radio series which I used to record as a child and listen to over and over again in my bedroom. It*s such a thrill to now be playing one of his brilliant characters.*Dirk is a chaotic, anarchic force of nature with a totally unique take on the world. He is described as *lazy, untidy, di**issive and unreliable*. I*ve absolutely no idea why they thought I*d be right for the role.*The Dirk Gently books h*e formed the basis of a play and a BBC Radio 4 series but h*e never before been filmed for TV.Adams*s agent, Ed Victor, said: *For all the years I represented the late, great Douglas Adams, the most substantial frustration for both of us was that we couldn*t get films made either of Hitchhiker or Dirk.*Douglas once said, memorably, that *getting a film made in Hollywood was like trying to cook a steak by h*ing a bunch of people e into the room and breathe on it*. Well, we did eventually get a film made in Hollywood of Hitchhiker and, tragically, Douglas didn*t live to see it. Nor will he see this adaptation of Dirk – but it*s worth bearing in mind that Douglas always thought Dirk would make a better film than Hitchhiker and I feel sure that this new TV drama with a terrific c by Howard Overman will prove his point.*Shooting begins this week in Bristol on the 60-minute drama, which is being made by ITV Studios in association with the Welded Tandem Picture Company.The Dirk Gently production is to be directed by Damon Thomas – who also directed BB* drama The First Men in the Moon – and will air early next year.
