Fit the Twenty-Fifth is the twenty-fifth episode or 'fit' of the radio series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the third episode in the Quintessential Phase.
Story summary[]
After Arthur Dent's ship malfunctioned during a hyperspace jump, it crashed on the planet Lamuella. He was the only survivor. He now lives as the Sandwich Maker for the simple civilisation there, making sandwiches out of Perfectly Normal Beasts for the villagers, and enjoying himself thoroughly.
A messenger brings him news that another spaceship has landed on the planet, but this one has not crashed. When Arthur arrives there, Trillian comes out and greets him warmly. She tells him that they did know about the crash and that he survived, but no-one came for insurance reasons. She tells him that she now has a daughter called Random, and then reveals that she is Arthur's daughter, as Trillian went to a sperm bank that Arthur had donated to finance his travels. Trillian now has to go and report on a war, which she doesn't want to take Random to, so she is leaving her daughter with Arthur.
After diving out of the window on the 23rd floor Ford Prefect saves himself by using Colin's antigravity systems to land on the window-ledge of the 13th floor. He gets past the rocket-proof, fool-proof glass by unlatching the window. Colin tells him that the rocket-proof glass was installed after the Frogstar attack on the building which happed in Fit the Seventh.
Random is not settling in well on Lamuella. She tells Arthur she was born on a spaceship going from one place to another, and also one time to another, so she can't call anywhere or anywhen home. Even Earth, the planet both her parents came from, has been destroyed. A robot arrives with a package, addressed to Ford, care of Arthur, which Arthur keeps closed on the grounds that anything sent to Ford is probably dangerous.
However, Random steals the package and runs off into the forest. She finds the holo-entertainment system from the ship that crashed there, which is still semi-functional. She opens the package to find the Guide Mark II, in the form of a black bird. The Guide explains the nature of probability and the Whole Sort of General Mish Mash to her. Random challenges the Guide to bring her a spaceship to get her off this planet, and the Guide complies, with an RW6 landing immediately. She knocks out the pilot with a well-aimed rock, and boards the ship.
Tricia McMillan has landed on Rupert, where the Grebulon leader explains that they have forgotten everything and that they want to gain purpose through astrology.
Meanwhile, Arthur sees the spaceship leaving whilst searching for Random. He heads towards it and finds the pilot of the ship, Ford Prefect.
Cast and characters[]
- The Book and narrator - William Franklyn
- Arthur Dent - Simon Jones
- Ford Prefect - Geoffrey McGivern
- Trillian - Susan Sheridan
- Tricia McMillan - Sandra Dickinson
- Random Dent - Sam Béart
- Old Thrashbarg - Griff Rhys Jones
- Colin the Security Robot - Andrew Secombe
- Guide Mk. II Construct - Rula Lenska
- Strinder and Doctor - Roger Gregg
- Patient - Lorelei King
- Grebulon leader - Andy Taylor
- Grebulon lieutenant - Michael Fenton Stevens
- Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz - Toby Longworth
- Speaking Clock - Brian Cobby
- Announcer - John Marsh