| Dirk Gently | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Comic science fiction Detective fiction |
| Created by | Howard Overman |
| Based on | Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams |
| Written by | Howard Overman Matt Jones Jamie Mathieson |
| Directed by | Damon Thomas Tom Shankland |
| Starring | Stephen Mangan Darren Boyd |
| Composer | Daniel Pemberton |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Howard Overman |
| Producer | Chris Carey |
| Cinematography | Ole Bratt Birkeland |
| Editor | Matthew Tabern |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | ITV Studios The Welded Tandem Picture Company |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Four |
| Release | 16 December 2010 – 19 March 2012 |
| Related | |
| Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Dirk Gently is a British comic science fiction detective television series based on characters from the novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. The series was created by Howard Overman and stars Stephen Mangan as holistic detective Dirk Gently and Darren Boyd as his sidekick Richard MacDuff. Recurring actors include Helen Baxendale as MacDuff's girlfriend Susan Harmison, Jason Watkins as Dirk's nemesis DI Gilks and Lisa Jackson as Dirk's receptionist Janice Pearce. Unlike most detective series Dirk Gently features broadly comic touches and even some science fiction themes such as time travel and artificial intelligence.
Dirk Gently operates his Holistic Detective Agency based on the "fundamental interconnectedness of all things", which relies on random chance methods to uncover connections between seemingly-unrelated cases. He claims that he follows the principles of quantum mechanics. Although the majority of his clients suspect he may be a conman, he often produces surprising results. With the help of his assistant/partner, Richard MacDuff, Dirk investigates a number of seemingly unrelated but interconnected cases.
An hour-long pilot episode loosely based on plot elements from Adams' 1987 novel was broadcast on BBC Four on 16 December 2010. Critical reception was generally positive.[1] A full series of three one-hour episodes was subsequently commissioned in March 2011 and was broadcast on BBC Four in March 2012.[2][3]
The series was produced by ITV Studios and The Welded Tandem Picture Company for BBC Cymru Wales and shot in Bristol. The pilot was written by Howard Overman and directed by Damon Thomas. The full series was written by Overman, Matt Jones and Jamie Mathieson and directed by Tom Shankland. The series along with the pilot episode was released on DVD on 26 March 2012 by ITV Studios Home Entertainment.[4] An original television soundtrack album featuring music from the series composed by Daniel Pemberton was released by 1812 Recordings on 5 March 2012.[5]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
guardianwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
sfxwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Dirk Gently to return to BBC Four", BBC Press Release, 31 March 2011
- ^ "Dirk Gently (DVD) - Merchandise - British Comedy Guide". Comedy.co.uk. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ Press Release, "[1]", iTunes