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Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days is a BBC travel documentary series presented by Michael Palin. The show was inspired by Jules Verne's classic novel Around the World in Eighty Days, in which a character named Phileas Fogg accepts a wager to circumnavigate the globe in eighty days or less. Palin was given the same deadline, and not allowed to use aircraft, which did not exist in Jules Verne's time and would make completing the journey far too easy. He followed Phileas Fogg's route as closely as possible. Along the way he commented on the sights and cultures he encountered. Palin encountered several setbacks during his voyage, partly because he travelled with a five-person film crew, who are collectively named after Passepartout, Phileas Fogg's manservant.

Palin travelled through the following countries by foot, train, ship, balloon, and husky dog, amongst other methods of transport (except for aircraft): United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, Japan, and the United States. (from wikipedia.org)

Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5

Episode 6 Episode 7

Episode 1 - The Challenge
Michael Palin accepts the offer from the BBC to attempt travelling around the world in 80 days. Palin crosses the English Channel by ferry, and the Alps by train. Via Venice, he travels through the Corinth Canal to Athens.

Episode 2 - Arabian Frights
Palin arrives in Alexandria, Egypt and has difficulty getting a train to Cairo. After seeing the Pyramids in Giza, Palin and the director Clem Vallance drive across Saudi Arabia to Dubai.

Episode 3 - Ancient Mariners
Palin recounts his trip from Jeddah to Dubai via Riyadh, and notes that he drove the distance from London to the Black Sea in one weekend. In Dubai, the team finds a dhow named the Al-Shama to take them to Bombay.

Episode 4 - A Close Shave
In Bombay, Palin gets a quick shave from a blind barber under a tree. He travels by train from Bombay to Madras in Tamil Nadu province. The he travel by ship to Singapore.

Episode 5 - Oriental Express
Palin travels by ship from Singapore to Hong Kong. Here he attends a party thrown in his honor at the halfway point in the journey. After having a dinner in Guangzhou, he takes a train to Shanghai.

Episode 6 - Far East and Farthest East
In Shanghai, Palin gets some herbal remedies to help him on the rest of his trip. The next day, Palin takes a Chinese ferry to Yokohama, and a shinkansen train to Tokyo. After spending some time, he boards a container ship to cross the Pacific Ocean.

Episode 7 - Dateline to Deadline
In America, Palin boards Amtrak's Desert Wind in Los Angeles and travels to Glenwood Springs in the Rocky Mountains. He takes a hot-air balloon ride and a dog sled trip in Aspen, Colorado. In New York, Palin boards a container ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.