Green Wing and Free Agents star Stephen Mangan is to play the lead role in BBC4's adaptation of the late Douglas Adams Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Mangan will be joined by Darren Boyd as his sidekick Richard MacDuff and Cold Feet and Friends actor Helen Baxendale, as MacDuff's girlfriend Susan. Adapted by the Bafta-winning writer Howard Overman – who is also behind Misfits, Vexed and Merlin – Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency follows the exploits of Adams's chaotic character as he uses his unusual methods to solve crimes. Mangan said: "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." The Dirk Gently books have formed the basis of a play and a BBC Radio 4 series but have never before been filmed for TV. Adams's agent, Ed Victor, said: "For all the years I represented the late,…
