This first aired in the U.K. in 1978. Of course, I didn't hear it til many years later. It's the first format of the Hitchhiker's franchise, though before I ever heard it, I saw the TV series and read the books. I didn't get to hear the radio series until like 2000 or so, when a friend from the internet sent it to me on CDs he had burned. I really need to listen to that again someday, and write a proper review here. Also, I'm fairly sure that what my friend sent me was just the first series; there have been several others over the years, the last one being in 2005. So I need to get copies of all of those, someday. For now, I'm not sure what to say except that it's all brilliant, and hilarious, and there are enough differences from other formats to make it totally worth your while. (I mean, if you're the kind of person who thinks it would be pointless to listen to a story you've already read and/or seen, well, I don't understand you, but still... you should be aware that it's not exactly the same story.)