I don’t know whether it was pure chance, or whether I was unconsciously looking for it after my enjoyment of Doctor Who the other night. At any rate, whether the inspiration was conscious, unconscious or remotely directed by mice/dolphins/Bill Nighy, I walked out of Smiths today clutching a DVD copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Not the radio series, nor the TV series, computer game nor even the commemorative towel, but the brand new feature film. I paid eight quid for it, reduced from seventeen. I didn’t know whether to be pleased that I got it cheap or annoyed that the low price must reflect a certain apathy on the part of the public towards the work of Douglas Adams.

Anyway, it’s great, though a little like the new Doctor Who I can see how it might possibly annoy hardened fans of the radio series, TV series, computer game or towel. There are several new additions – most notably the romantic subplot between Arthur and Trillian, which gets barely a passing mention in previous versions. I don’t see how the anoraks can really object to this. Hitchhiker's has changed in each of its incarnations. DNA fans who try to emulate Trekkies and Star Wars geeks by wittering on about whether plot changes and retcons are ‘canonical’ are just wasting their time. Adams himself wrote nearly the whole screenplay, with a ghost brought in just to tighten things up a little after he died. It must have been plain to everyone involved that to adapt the rambling, surreal storyline of the original radio series – which was as much dictated by the weird sound FX Adams wanted to try out as it was by narrative arcs and plot points – a lot of serious changes would have to be made. As far as I can see, all those changes are for the better. The plot’s still anarchic.

And, after all, why shouldn’t Arthur have a shag? In the novels he has to wait until So Long And Thanks For All The Fish, when he meets Fenchurch. If I was stuck on a starship with only one other surviving member of the human race – and particularly if that human was Zooey Daschenel – I wouldn’t be wandering around chafing about cups of tea.

Oh yeah, and the soundtrack’s brilliant too. Nice to hear a bit of classic banjo action in reference to the original radio/TV theme tune – and as for the main title, well, as far as I’m concerned Neil Hannon just can’t go wrong with anything.