Tom Baker Plays Douglas Adams' Digital "Agent" in 1990 BBC2 Film Hyperland

Aired on BBC2 in 1990, Hyperland features Douglas Adams, the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, portraying himself, while Tom Baker from Doctor Who plays his "agent," a "software agent" characterized as an "artificial and entirely customizable personality" with immediate access to all digital information worldwide. Set in a sprawling wasteland of flickering TVs, Baker refuses Adams' offer of fifteen percent and instead vows to fulfill his every request, tirelessly and selflessly. The show effectively explains its technological foundations, showcasing clips from an onscreen "database," including an interview with Ted Nelson, who introduced the term hypertext. Emerging after the AI boom of the eighties, Hyperland reflects on the unfulfilled promises of "expert systems" and the subsequent long "AI winter." Adams’ unique blend of Californian enthusiasm and British skepticism shapes his complex view of humanity's digital future.