Douglas Adams: People are the Problem

Douglas Adams, best known for his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently books, wasn’t just a hilarious titan of science fiction. He was also an astute observer of deeply human problems in social science, from the allure of power-hungry people to politics (and a very unusual method of finding the man who really rules the universe), to the bureaucratic Vogons, and the maddening coldness of planning permissions in local government (when demolishing planets to make way for a hyperspace bypass).

Arvind Ethan David, an author and producer who was mentored by Douglas Adams and has adapted several of his works—for both stage and Hollywood screen—will be in conversation with UCL Professor Brian Klaas about the astute insights and amusing lessons offered by Douglas Adams when it comes to the realms of politics (and life, the universe, and everything). So, don’t panic—but do come along for an evening of science fiction, politics, and other mostly harmless observations about our social world.

UCL, Roberts Building, Room G06

ARVIND ETHAN DAVID

is a writer and producer, whose career started when he adapted the Douglas Adams novel Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency as his high school play, and the great author saw it and took Arvind under his wing.

As an author, Arvind has written 7 graphic novels including most recently his adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s Trouble is My Business (Pantheon, May 2025) and the Stoker Award nominated Darkness Visible with Mike Carey. His historical mystery novel The Dread & The Envy will be released by Thomas & Mercer in 2026.

In audio, Arvind has written multiple hit Audible Originals including the anthology Sci-Fi series Earworms, and The Crimes of Dorian Gray and his non-fiction audiobook Douglas Adams: The Ends of the Earth was released by Pushkin Industries in June 2025 and is now available.

Arvind was a lead producer of the Grammy and Tony winning Jagged Little Pill, on Broadway and around the world and also produced and wrote additional material for David Baddiel, Erran Baron Cohen musical The Infidel.

As a playwright, Arvind’s play The Boy with Wings based on the book by Sir Lenny Henry opened in June 2025 at the Polka Theatre, London with music by Khalil Madovi under the direction of Daniel Bailey.

Arvind has produced over 70 episodes of television, including both seasons of the cult hit Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency for Netflix and BBC America. He also wrote on Anansi Boys for Amazon Studios.

In film, Arvind has produced eight features, including the Asian Academy Award winner for best feature 2020 The Garden of Evening Mists for HBO. Arvind is a principal of Prodigal, a partnership with entrepreneur Scott Kay and film producer Tarquin Pack (X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass, Stardust) which has film and TV projects set up at multiple studios and platforms.

PROF BRIAN KLAAS

is Professor of Global Politics at University College London, an associate researcher at the University of Oxford, and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He was recently named one of the 25 “Top Thinkers” globally by Prospect Magazine.

Klaas is the author of five books, including Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters (2024) and Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us (2021). Klaas writes the popular The Garden of Forking Paths Substack and created the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, which has been downloaded over three million times.

Klaas is an expert on democracy, authoritarianism, American politics, political violence, elections, and the nature of power. Additionally, his research interests include contingency, chaos theory, evolutionary biology, the philosophy of science and social science, and complex systems. In addition to Fluke and Corruptible, Klaas authored three earlier books: The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy (Hurst & Co, 2017); The Despot's Accomplice: How the West is Aiding & Abetting the Decline of Democracy, (Oxford University Press, 2016) and How to Rig an Election (Yale University Press, co-authored with Professor Nic Cheeseman; 2018).

Klaas has advised a variety of governments, US political campaigns, NATO, the European Union, the International Crisis Group, the Carter Center, multi-billion dollar investors, international NGOs, and international politicians.

For his reserarch, he has conducted field research, interviewing more than 500 people across the globe, including prime ministers, presidents, ministers, rebels, coup plotters, dissidents, and torture victims in an array of countries, including Madagascar, Thailand, Tunisia, Belarus, Côte d'Ivoire, and Zambia.

In addition to his academic work, Klaas regularly engages with the broader public. He frequently appears on national television and radio outlets, including the BBC, MSNBC, CNN, Sky News, National Public Radio, Times Radio, LBC, and an array of other outlets. He previously was a weekly columnist for The Washington Post and now writes for The Atlantic magazine. Additionally his research and writing have been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Times Literary Supplement, The Financial Times, The Telegraph, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Harper’s Magazine, and many other publications. (Millions of viewers have also seen a more lighthearted side to his research as Klaas appeared in the BBC/Netflix hit series “Cunk on Earth” with “Philomena Cunk”/Diane Morgan).

Prior to becoming an academic, Dr. Klaas worked on US political campaigns—including serving as the Policy Director / Deputy Campaign Manager for Mark Dayton's successful bid for Governor of Minnesota in 2010.

Klaas grew up in Minnesota and remains a “statriotic” Minnesotan, even as he now holds dual US/UK nationality. He received his DPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford (New College), an MPhil in Comparative Government from the University of Oxford (St. Antony's), and a Bachelor of Arts (Summa Cum Laude; Phi Beta Kappa) from Carleton College.