Created by Douglas Adams
(1952-2001)
THAT Douglas Adams?
The guy with the BBC show and the Vogons and the towels and the three-armed Betelgeusians?
Yup, that Douglas Adams.
So now he’s writing about trenchcoats, fedoras, smoky jazz, and femmes fatales?
Well, no…
Even in an era of maverick and increasingly non-traditional P.I.’s, DIRK GENTLY defies description. He’s the shabby proprietor of a “Holistic Detective Agency”, and his main tools include logic, illogic, coincidence, leaps of faith, his unshakeable belief in the interconnectedness of all things, and what I can only describe as contrarian psychic powers. Thus armed, he finds missing cats, explains mysteriously exploding airline counters, does the occasional bit of legwork on behalf of pagan deities, and, oh yes, with the aid of long-suffering sidekick Richard Macduff, saves the human race from extinction every now and then. (His greatest contribution to Western civilization, or at least to English lit majors, is that he manages to find an actual explanation of Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan.” I really wish I’d caught up with these books before I finished college).
The books’ plots, such as they are, are fun–but as ever, Adams’ true strength lies in his digressive and hilarious riffs on, well, just about everything. If you want actual linear plot movement, this probably isn’t the place to look. They’re well worth a search, though, if you’re after a refreshing change of pace from traditional P.I. fare.
POSTSCRIPT
Author Douglas Adams died unexpectedly in 2001, but the legend lives on. In 2002 there was a new Adams collection called The Salmon Of Doubt, which featured (among other things) a story fragment that’s the beginning of a third (and now-never-to-be-completed) Dirk Gently novel. This story fragment (from which the collection takes its title) relates a case in which Dirk becomes certain he’s been hired by a client who:
- Never met Dirk
- Never contacted Dirk
- Left no instructions on how to proceed with whatever it is that he (or she) wants Dirk to do.
This makes Dirk’s investigation a trifle more complicated, but the semi-intrepid Gently has never been one to let a few odd circumstances get in the way of his holistic detecting…
Sadly, just as the loopy narrative seems to be taking off, it comes to an abrupt halt. Adams fans will want to check it out, of course, but newcomers will probably get more bang for their buck by checking out Adams’ other works first. (That’s my opinion, anyway….)
POST-POSTSCRIPT
In 2010, the producers of the BBC’s acclaimed Sherlock (a sly revising of Doyle’s great detective) decided to “do” Adams’ holistic private eye. The result may be a little skimpy on the deeper philosophical insights of the novels, but they sure nail the freewheeling goofiness, having great fun with the characters, with Stephen Magnan as a frantic, bug-eyed, wild-haired Dirk being a particular delight. Try imagining Stephen Moffat’s Sherlock as run through the Monty Python meat grinder and you’re almost there. Alas, after the pilot, they only made three episodes.
POST-POST-POSTSCRIPT
2015-16 saw a serious expansion of the Dirkiverse.
IDW Comics launched a string of mini-series, dispatching our man Gently to such exotic locales as San Diego, Africa and his own past. Presumably he brought his own towels.
But the on-going comic series was just the first salvo, and was soon followed by a stage play and another TV series, this one starring Samuel Barnett as Dirk, with Elijah Wood as his reluctant assistant Todd.
EVIDENCE
- “It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression ‘As pretty as an airport.'”
— opening of The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
NOVELS
 
- Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (1987) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
- The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time (2002) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
RADIO
- DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY
(2007, BBC Radio 4)
Based on the novel by Douglas Adams
Written by Dirk Maggs and John Langdon
Directed by Dirk Maggs
Produced by Dirk Maggs and Jo Wheeler
Premiered October 3, 2007
6 30-minute episodes
Starring Harry Enfield as DIRK GENTLY
Also starring Billy Boyd, Olivia Colman, Jim Carter, Andrew Sachs, Felicity Montagu, Robert Duncan, Toby Longworth, Michael Fenton Stevens, Andrew Secombe, Jeffrey Holland, Wayne Forester, Tamsin Heatley
Originally intended to be three series of six episodes each and was to include adaptations of The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul and the unfinished The Salmon of Doubt, but Dirk Maggs parted company with the production company, and the project was never completed.
TELEVISION
- DIRK GENTLY | Buy the series on DVDÂ | Watch it now!
(aka “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”)
(2012, BBC4)
Series
4 episodes
60 minutes
Based on characters created by Douglas Adams
Teleplay by Damon Thomas
Directed by Tom Shankland
Starring Stephen Mangan as Dirk Gently
and Darren Boyd as Richard Macduff
Also starring Helen Baxendale, Jason Watkins, Doreen Mantle, Lisa Jackson, Bill Paterson, Neil Grant- “Pilot” (December 16, 2010)
- “Episode 1” (March 5, 2012)
- “Episode 2” (March 12, 2012)
- “Episode 3” (March 19, 2012)
- DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY |Â Buy on DVDÂ | Buy on Blu-Ray
(2016-17, BBC America)
8 episodes
60 minutes
Based on characters created by Douglas Adams
Developed for television by Max Landis
Writters: Max Landis, Andrew Black
Directors: Paco Cabezas, Michael Patrick Jann, Dean Pairisot, Tamra Davis
Starring Samuel Barnett as DIRK GENTLY
and Elijah Wood as Todd Brotzman
Also starring Hannah Marks, Dustin Milligan, Michael Eklund, Richard Schiff, Fiona Dourif, Aaron Douglas, Miguel Sandoval- SEASON ONE
- “Horizons” (October 22, 2016)
- “Lost & Found” (October 29, 2016)
- “Rogue Wall Enthusiasts” (November 5, 2016)
- “Watkin” (November 12, 2016)
- “Very Erectus” (November 19, 2016)
- “Fix Everything” (November 5, 2016)
- “Weaponized Soul” (December 3, 2016)
- “Episode Eight” (November 10, 2016)
- SEASON TWO
- “Space Rabbit” (October 14, 2017)
- “Fans Of Wet Circles” (October 21, 2017)
- “Two Broken Fingers” (October 28, 2017)
- “The House within the House” (November 4, 2017)
- “Shapes and Colors” (November 11, 2017)
- “Girl Power” (November 18, 2017)
- “That Is Not Miami” (November 25, 2017)
- “Little Guy, Black Hair” (December 2, 2017)
- “Trouble Is Bad” (December 9, 2017)
- “Nice Jacket” (December 16, 2017)
COMICS
- DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY:Â THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF ALL KINGS
(2015, IDW)
Five issues
Based on characters created by Douglas Adams
Written by Chris Ryall
Art by Tony Atkins - DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY:Â A SPOON TOO SHORT
(2016, IDW)
Five issues
Based on characters created by Douglas Adams
Written by Arvind Ethan David
Art by Ilias Kyriazis - DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY:Â THE SALMON OF DOUBT
(2016, IDW)
Nine issues
Based on characters created by Douglas Adams
Written by
Art by
COMIC BOOK COLLECTIONS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
- DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY: THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF ALL KINGS | Buy this book  | Kindle/ComiXology it!
(2016, IDW) - DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY: A SPOON TOO SHORT | Buy the book | Kindle/ComiXology it!
(2016, IDW) - DIRK GENTLY’S BIG HOLISTIC GRAPHIC NOVEL |Â Buy this book
(2016, IDW)
Rounds up “The Interconnectedness of All Kings,” and “A Spoon Too Short.” Plus a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the BBC America show. - DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY:Â THE SALMON OF DOUBT, VOL. 1Â |Â Buy this book | Kindle/ComiXology it!
(2017, IDW)
Collects iisues #1-5. - DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY:Â THE SALMON OF DOUBT, VOL. 2Â |Â Buy this book | Kindle/ComiXology it!
(2017, IDW)
Collects issues #6-9
PLAYS
- DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY |Â Buy the script
(2016)
Based on the novel by Douglas Adams
Written by James Goss and Arvind Ethan
So far apparently unproduced, but available to read and perform worldwide.
Respectfully submitted by Victoria Esposito-Shea, with occasional editorial interuptions by Kevin Burton Smith. Postscript by Rudyard Kennedy.
