back to article Susan Sheridan, voice of Hitchhiker's Trillian, dies aged 68

Susan Sheridan, a star of the BBC's radio adaption of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, has passed away aged 68. Sheridan voiced mathematician and astrophysicist Trillian Astra (Tricia Marie McMillan) between 1978 and 2005, on the much-loved radio series written by Douglas Adams. Colleague Susan Penhaligon …

  1. Chris Miller

    Arthur: Tricia McMillan? What are you doing here?

    Trillian: Same as you, I hitched a lift. After all, with a degree in Maths and another in astrophysics, what else was there to do? It was either that or the dole queue again on Monday.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sad news. A fine actress.

  3. Stumpy

    So long, and thanks for all the fish. RIP.

  4. Ol'Peculier
    Pint

    Wonerful lady

    I've had the pleasure of meeting all the H2G2 cast several times and Susan was a very, very nice lady, friendly, warm and unassuming, had a good memory for names and faces too.

    Was truely saddened when I heard the news yesterday morning, hadn't realised she was ill.

    Icon for 6 pints of bitter and two packs of peanuts please barman.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Wonerful lady

      And for once I actually do get to point out that it's lunchtime.

      1. Ol'Peculier

        Re: Wonerful lady

        Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so.

    2. Simon Rockman

      Re: Wonerful lady

      Keep the change

      1. Omgwtfbbqtime

        Re: Wonerful lady

        From a fiver sir? Thank you!

        1. TRT Silver badge

          Re: Wonerful lady

          You've got ten minutes left to spend it.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Wonerful lady

            Last orders then, please.

    3. This post has been deleted by its author

  5. PassiveSmoking
    Unhappy

    Heart of gold.

  6. glen waverley

    radio first?

    "BBC's radio adaption of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

    I thought HHGG was originally a radio show. The book came later, I thought. But more books and more radio shows followed ...

    Sad news tho.

    1. Ol'Peculier
      Happy

      Re: radio first?

      You are right, and the BBC have made the same mistake on their site too.

      H2G2 started as the radio series, but as well as the 5 (some might say 6) books it encompassed TV, a computer game, a towel, a stage show, TV series, more radio with the 3rd, 4th and 5th books adapted and read by the original cast, the film, and the H2G2 Live! stage show, again with the main cast, was, like Douglas' own life, cut short too soon.

      What would be nice is if the BBC rebroadcast the Character Invasion recording of the stage show from last year,

      1. BongoJoe

        Re: radio first?

        I have still got my towel. It, too, is all stained from all sorts of stuff from over the decades.

        I only keep it to mildly annoy the wife.

  7. A Nonny Moose

    Shine on you hoopy frood

  8. Lost In Clouds of Data
    Unhappy

    "Life is wasted on the living"

    Or at least that what Zaphod Beeblebrox IV's thought was during his seance with his great grandson...

    The entire cast of the original show made a huge impact to this now somewhat curmudgeonly old gal way back when it was first originally broadcast back in the late 70's and Trillian was always a standout for me - the girl who wanted better for herself and went out and made it happen. Ms Sheridan brought Trillian to life for me and I'll always thank her for giving me the impetus to not put up with the same shit that I might otherwise have done. If Trillian can leave the planet then this gal can certainly move to another country, gawd-dammit!

    May Susan enjoy her life thereafter, hopefully now able to enjoy a meal and a large round of drinks (Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster anyone?) at Milliways because I'm convinced that's the easiest way to get there and not have to worry about getting back afterwards...

  9. TRT Silver badge

    A name and a voice so familiar...

    from listening to the series over and over. Each time discovering new depths, new effects, subtle nuances.

    I'm deeply saddened.

  10. dorsetknob
    Paris Hilton

    Sad Day for the Universe

    the wake will be held in the Restaurant at the end of the Universe

    Eulogy will be given by Marvin the Paranoid Android ( No I Phones Allowed )

    Attendance by Invitation Only

    Paris because she was so Trillian

    1. Pete 2 Silver badge

      Re: Sad Day for the Universe

      > the wake will be held in the Restaurant at the end of the Universe

      > Attendance by Invitation Only

      And invitations may be posted to oneself from the Big Bang Burger Bar where you can also deposit 1p which, by the laws of compound interest will be more than enough to pay for the funeral service when the universe ends.

      Definitely worth growing an extra arm for.

  11. earl grey
    Unhappy

    Condolences

    We are saddened.

  12. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

    Very sad news. I have fond memories of listening to the tapes of the radio plays driving a battered old VW Beetle through France.

  13. Gannettt

    Very sad. Susan Sheridan is something of a radio drama veteran, with so much more than just HHGG on her CV. She tended to be called on to play little boys in many radio plays and programmes for BBC Schools back in the day, and when I heard her in a play called "This Problem Of Yours" where she actually plays a woman, she sounded rather sexy!

  14. rogerk

    Original show?

    Is the video still to be found?

    Love to share with grand kids.

    1. J Bourne

      Video of the radio show?? think on....

  15. Ol'Peculier

    Video of sorts, the trailer for the tour can be found here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6o3t6s0Oe8

    This was broadcast last year and was an abridged version of said tour

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdnn5VrHoIc

  16. David Nash Silver badge

    Still available from Amazon (& others?)

    The first series:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy-Dramatised-Unabridged/dp/B002SPZN1Q

    There are various others including a box[ed] set.

    Unfortunately Amazon seem ill-equipped to list actors in Radio Series and the cast are all listed as narrators.

  17. PeterM42
    Unhappy

    I guess...

    ...she now knows if the answer really is 42.

    God Bless.

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