Around the World in 80 Days: Companion to the PBS Series

Michael Palin (1989)

THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

In 1988, the BBC decided to send Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) on the same challenge faced by the fictional Phileas Fogg in ​Around the World in Eighty Days, the fictional novel by Jules Verne.  The goal of course was to travel around the world, without the use of airplanes (which didn’t exist in Verne’s time), to see if it actually could be accomplished.  The journey was then featured as a 7 part television series, generating strong ratings in the UK, and winning Palin some notoriety as a traveler.  He published the account of his journey in a book of the same name, giving him a chance to share more details around his personal experience than was possible on the television program.  The writing reflects the fast pace of the trip; it is more a travel journal with just a few highlights of each place.  Palin did make the trip successfully, traveling by foot, train, ship, balloon, and even husky dog.   We do recommend reading Jules Verne's version first, but it isn’t necessary to enjoy this television series and book.
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ABOUT MICHAEL PALIN

Michael Palin, best known for being part of the comedy group Monty Python, is an English actor and writer with a long history in television, film, and later in his career, in travel writing.  He appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, and he won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his appearance in A Fish Called Wanda.  He has written a number of travel books, and he was the editor for Ox Travels, a travel writing collection that benefits Oxfam.
Photo Attribution: By Brian Minkoff-London Pixels (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

THE ORIGINAL BOOK

Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne

The original story of the English gentleman who, in 1872, makes an amazing bet that he can travel around the world in eighty days, was written of course by Jules Verne.  This was before the age of airplanes, making the actual trip quite a challenge.  Around the World in 80 Days has captivated the imagination of generations, and it still today makes for a great read for both children and adults alike.  Click here for our review of Around the World in 80 Days.

GREAT QUOTES:

“I leave the Reform Club, Pall Mall, London, one hundred and fifteen years, three hundred and fifty-six days, ten and three-quarter hours after Phileas Fogg.  It's a wet, stuffy morning, I've had three and a half hours sleep and the only thing I envy Phileas is that he is fictional."
- Michael Palin, Around the World in 80 Days

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • Read some of the history of how Palin was selected by the BBC for Around the World in 80 Days.
  • The Telegraph has a nice article on how Palin tries, twenty years after this trip, to find the Indian sailors who helped him on his journey.

MICHAEL PALIN ON YOUTUBE