Douglas Adams's original concept given form!

Would you listen to Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen again? Why?

I certainly would listen to this again. It is absolutely hilarious. It is based on the same concept as the third series of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy as Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen was the original concept albeit fleshed out in some ways by the also hilarious James Goss. I couldn't possibly recommend this more highly. If you are a fan of Adams or Goss BUY THIS BOOK!

What did you like best about this story?

Regarding the story I loved some of the planets they visited. Bethselamin - a planet with practically no concept of negativity or evil was especially hysterical - as well as Mareeve II. On top of this The Doctor and Romana are characterised especially well along with some other characters later in the book. Almost every line makes me want to burst into laughter just remembering it.

Have you listened to any of Dan Starkey’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have listened to one of Dan Starkey's other performances as a narrator - Doctor Who: Devil In The Smoke which I also recommend - and I think his narration here is superior. It is superbly done. He has the perfect tone of voice for all the characters which allows the jokes to hit so well. Regardless of if he is supposed to sound like an unusually flipppant.travel guidebook, an unnervingly jovial or deadly serious alien traveller or the world's most arrogantly officious bureaucrat he pulls it off magnificently. I'll keep an ear out for any future audio books he narrates.

Any additional comments?

I give this audiobook my highest possible recommendation especially for fans of Doctor Who, Douglas Adams or James Goss. Grab it as soon as you can!

5 people found this helpful

Fantastic! Douglas would be rightly proud.

A brilliant adaptation that captures the wit and conceptual genius of the much missed Mr Adams. Dan Starkey's narration is sublime. Not only does he deliver the Doctor's lines with intonations that will have John Culshaw revising his pension options his other characterisations hold many a gem; I don't know if Douglas had envisaged the Great Khan to be portrayed by Brian Blessed, but if he had not been available, Dan could have covered without anyone noticing.

Anyone who has already experienced the kernel of this story in either of it's previous regenerations; Adams novel "Life, the Universe and Everything", or it's equally well realised radio adaptation need not disregard this with epithets regarding places already visited, tasks undertaken and shortsleeved tops purchased. This, as with it's similarly recycled stablemate, Shada, has plenty of new content to tickle one's synapses.

2 people found this helpful

Too long, too much

Dan Starkey is an excellent narrator and I have always loved the work of the late Douglas Adams, but this was a huge disappointment. As a story it falls down due to its ridiculous premise stretching credulity even within the context of a sci-fi show that is usually comfortable with the absurd but always when it's fun. This isn't fun. It's packed with 'Douglas Adamsisms' and I quickly found a certain kind of fatigue set in. It's like it's trying too hard to resurrect a genius. I made it through to the end and it has some interesting ideas but I can only be grateful it never made it to the screen.

1 person found this helpful

Who ... decided it should be so long...?

All the ingredients are here. The narrator does a pretty good Tom Baker impression. And it’s co-written by the legendary Douglas Adams. Perhaps its greatest strength is the production. There are lots of great sound effects and voice distortion. And the plot is clever, if completely daft, but that’s ok. I’m a big Adams fan. But there are too many diversions into comic interludes that aren’t always quite as funny as they should be; sometimes they come at critical moments. It means there’s often a sense the plot, which becomes baffling and convoluted, has taken a backseat. What should be a magic mix of components, creating the perfect Who adventure, becomes unwieldy, and a bit dull. I listened to Baker reading The Brain of Morbius and it was only a few hours long: just the right length. While Who has always had an endearingly light touch, it does also on some level take the whole thing seriously. So maybe, heretically, Adams, the genius that he was, wasn’t well-suited to this material? With around four hours to go, I was preparing to abandon the book. It was complicated, and I began to care less and less about how it all ended up (as long as it did end up, quite quickly). I stuck with it. It was just clever enough towards the end to justify that decision, with some moments of comedy that did work well. But the plot has too many twists and turns. The Doctor’s real enemy here is boredom - and he didn’t win the fight.

A bit drawn out but OK

Firstly I have to congratulate Dan Starkey on his fabulous impression of the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker himself could have been reading the part! The story, was most definitely a Douglas Adams one, with Jon Goss's influence, even without looking ahead at the chapter headings (although I did like them, especially chap 42, The Meaning of Life)! Although I love Douglas Adams stories in general, I felt this was very drawn out and could have been edited in some places. All in all an enjoyable listen, but recommend it more to those people who enjoy the style of Douglas Adams.

Wow!!

Like laughing, giggling, chuckling? Love Doctor Who and Hitchhikers guide? Perfect! Join the 4th incarnation of the Doctor and his sassy clever assistant Romana, plus once life saving auto pooch K-9 to defeat gods, paperwork and cricket men. Gather your tea and biscuits while they save the universe multiple times, whilst canning fish and driving people in authority mad. A must for anyone whose truly figured out the real meaning of life and has great taste in fashionable knitwear.

Adored it!

I loved this! A Hitchhiker's and Who fan's dream!! Even my dad loved this book!!

Excellent

Really enjoyed this. Didn't feel like nearly 10 hours. Loads of aliens and K9 was brilliant. Very well read too. Highly recommend!

A great listen

Very well narrated and very engaging story I really was drawn into it, if you like Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy you will like this.

A total delight!

Fantastically written and well adapted into a full-blown audio production. Adams' humour shines through and Dan Starkey's 4th Doctor is perfect.