# Was "Don't Panic" appropriated by Adams from elsewhere? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-dont-panic-appropriated-by-adams-from-elsewhere/249452 "2004-06-09T14:56:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-dont-panic-appropriated-by-adams-from-elsewhere/249452/1 "2004-06-09T14:56:26Z")
In this yahoo article: [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=583&e=2&u=/nm/20040609/od\_nm/life\_britain\_catchphrase\_dc](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=583&e=2&u=/nm/20040609/od_nm/life_britain_catchphrase_dc) is the following quote: "At number two was “Don’t Panic!” from 1970s war comedy “Dad’s Army,” one of Britain’s best-loved programs about a group of aging Home Guard soldiers ill-prepared for a feared German attack. " Never having heard of Dad’s Army on this side of the pond, I was somewhat shocked. To me “Don’t Panic” is from Hitchhikers, and that’s that. Anyone know if it was meant to be a reference to this TV show? (or perhaps vice versa?) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-dont-panic-appropriated-by-adams-from-elsewhere/249452/2 "2004-06-09T15:47:57Z")
It wouldn’t surprise me. All artists borrow from elsewhere. An awful lot of Adams’ **Hitchhiker’s Guide** seems to have been adopted from Robert Sheckley’s SF novel **Dimension of Miracles** (and Adams was a confessed Sheckley fan). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-dont-panic-appropriated-by-adams-from-elsewhere/249452/3 "2004-06-09T15:50:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > It wouldn’t surprise me. All artists borrow from elsewhere. An awful lot of Adams’ **Hitchhiker’s Guide** seems to have been adopted from Robert Sheckley’s SF novel **Dimension of Miracles** (and Adams was a confessed Sheckley fan). Really? Do you think I’d enjoy that if I liked Douglas Adams’s books? ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-dont-panic-appropriated-by-adams-from-elsewhere/249452/4 "2004-06-09T15:50:56Z")
I don’t know, but I doubt it. Jones’ “Don’t Panic” was what he said whilst panicking in response to pretty much anything. In the Guide, it’s friendly advice. ---
**Author:** ![silverfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@silverfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silverfish)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-dont-panic-appropriated-by-adams-from-elsewhere/249452/5 "2004-06-09T16:00:32Z")
It’s possible that Dad’s Army inspired Douglas Adams, but I don’t remember any signed that he meant it as a reference. Douglas Adams’ version is in nice friendly letters. In Dad’s army whichever character uttered the phrase ‘Don’t Panic’ said it in a loud panicky voice, more likely to get everyone else in a panic, usually when the home guard are in some sort of trouble. The other way around is impossible, based on what I can find out, as dad’s army ran from '68 to '77, whilst the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy started in '78. Cites: [http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/dadsarmy/](http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/dadsarmy/) > **[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)** > > The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\[note 1\] (sometimes referred to as HG2G, HHGTTG, H2G2, or tHGttG) is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it was later adapted to other formats, including stage shows, novels, comic books, a 1981 TV series, a 1984 video game, and 2005 feature film. > The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has become an international multi-media phenomenon; the novels are the most widely distributed... If Douglas Adams intended a reference, he presumedly would have made the link more obvious. I suspect this is a coincidence, as I’ve never heard any mention of a link, and there are no particular clues I’ve noticed that point to their being one. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-dont-panic-appropriated-by-adams-from-elsewhere/249452/6 "2004-06-09T16:03:18Z")
I’m fairly sure people were putting the words “don’t” and “panic” together, both for comedic and serious purposes, before either “Dad’s Army” or “Hitchhiker’s Guide” came along. It’s pretty hard to create a truly original catchphrase, and also pretty unimportant. Catchphrases aren’t even the icing on the cake of comedic literary goodness; they’re more like sprinkles on top of the icing. Don’t worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-dont-panic-appropriated-by-adams-from-elsewhere/249452/7 "2004-06-09T17:54:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Really? Do you think I’d enjoy that if I liked Douglas Adams’s books? Maybe. But it’s hard to find his books these days (he’s still writing). His sense of humor isn’t exactly the same as Adams’ You’ll probably have to check used book stores and sites to dig up Sheckley’s earlier stuff. But it’s worth it.