Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency coming to BBC Four

Stephen Mangan (Free Agents, Green Wing) will play Douglas Adams' eccentric detective Dirk Gently in a new BBC Four drama based on the author's cult novel, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.


Who else is in it?

Stephen Mangan is joined by Darren Boyd (Little Dorrit) as his unwitting sidekick Richard Macduff and Helen Baxendale (Cold Feet, Friends) as Richard's girlfriend Susan.

Who's it by?

The one-ioff 60-minute drama is adaptated by Bafta-winning writer Howard Overman (Misfits, Vexed, Merlin) and will be directed by Damon Thomas (The First Men In The Moon). Shooting commenced in October 2010 in Bristol, for transmission in winter 2010/2011.

> Read our interview with writer Howard Overman.

What's it about?

Anti-hero Dirk Gently operates his eponymous detective agency based on the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. Perpetually broke, hopelessly chaotic and utterly infuriating, most people suspect Dirk is nothing more than a cheap conman. And they might be right – but nevertheless his methods, though unusual, do often produce surprising results.

When Dirk sets out to solve an apparently simple and harmless disappearance of a cat from an old lady's house, he unwittingly uncovers a double murder which, in turn, leads to a host of even more extraordinary events.

What should we expect?

Stephen Mangan says: "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, dismissive and unreliable'. I've absolutely no idea why they thought I'd be right for the role."

Ed Victor, Douglas Adams' agent, says: "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 having a bunch of people come 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 script by Howard Overman will prove his point!"