Long Way Round

Whenever I buy DVDs I always pop them in the player to make sure they work and then shelve them. I popped L.W.R. into the player and I ended up watching three hours of the series before I realised the time.

This is truly compulsive viewing as, no doubt has been said earlier, it is not the standard celebs on a cushy ride under the guise of reality TV. There are times when there is genuine fear for their safety - and lives, and shows a real insight into the genuine personalities of Charlie and Ewan. Their is also a great sense of personal effort and struggle despite the well organised support crew who are, in the main, nowhere to be seen.

The one thing I felt could have improved this was more screen time, and so a better understanding of the role and personality of Claudio, their cameraman.

This is one of the few DVDs I own which gets a regular playing and it loses none of its appeal/humour/drama whatsoever.

Fascinating and Addictive.

10/10

I have never seen Ewan McGregor as a real "movie star" and Charley Boorman is a journeyman actor.

The camera-work is okay, sometimes excellent and often good.

I don't like motorbikes and abhor contrived "reality TV".

Why have I watched this series twice already then?

This is a story about 2 friends who go off around the world and see *real* wilderness -not David Attenburgh like Serengeti - the real wilderness that is on the doorstep of Europe. As much a political and social wilderness as a geographic one.

Ewan and Charley are genuinely interesting and real people. They get fed up, hungry, tired. They sometimes argue and often get scared. This all goes to make a fascinating insight into both a "land that TV documentaries forgot" and a relationship that is as real as the cultures they ride through.

Being on motorbikes, they are forced to experience the journey first hand and the films are all the better for this - in fact it would have been a waste of time without them.

Ewan said "it's all about the motorbikes". Well, it isn't. It's all about Charley and Ewan and - more importantly - their friendship. It's all about the people they meet and the fascinating and often moving experiences along the way. As it happens, they had 2 wheels and a reliable BMW engine to help them along - but don't dismiss the biggest land mass on Earth and 2 good friends.

This is what television should be about. Good on the guys for having the vision, determination and stupidity to do this. Thanks!

This is a show about two guys fulfilling a long held dream of adventure. During a four month journey they travel on their motorbikes from London to New York the long way round through Western Europe, little visited parts of Eastern Europe (including Kasakhstan, Mongolia and Siberia), Alaska and Canada. We see the preparation and the actual journey.

I can't stand reality shows, don't care about actors private lives, don't like motorcycles and only bought the DVD because my husband had seen some bits on TV and nagged me into it. I also didn't want to shell out for the DVD as I was very sceptical that we'd want to see this more than once.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. We ended up watching it in one go until 2am on a workday. Definitely want to watch it again. What a thrill ride.

I enjoyed the show because it engaged me as a viewer on many different levels: it was fun to watch two guys (three including the cameraman) having an excellent adventure. Interesting to see countries and cultures we know very little about (Kasakhstan, where the hell is that?). Touching and humbling to see the Unicef work they visited on the way.

There are funny bits and really scary bits, amazing and interesting people they meet on the way, moments of hardship and friendship, individual endurance and teamwork.

Travelling is a state of mind as much as being in different locations and we get treated to all the highs and lows you can expect on such a difficult journey. Ewan and Charlie are very honest and open about their feelings and thoughts. The show is as much about what they are experiencing as people as about the actual journey itself.

Ewan McGregor is of course a natural showman, I was quite amused to watch his transformation from bespectacled actor to somewhat scary easy rider. This was a nice visual reminder of the influence a long journey has on you as a person.

I found the show inspiring. Ultimately it reminds us that we are all just people, regardless of our race, location or occupation.

The boring bits: The camera-work is good to excellent (I would have liked to see and know more about the cameraman, after all he was part of the team). The soundtrack is good. Solid production values. A few nice extras on the DVD. In short, you get value for money.

My sister was raving about 'The Long Way Round' after she bought it on DVD, she lent me hers and I watched both discs in a weekend! as i was hooked. It was the best television programme I have seen in a very long time. I went and bought it and have been raving about it to anyone & everyone since. I only knew about the series originally as Ewan was on Fridy night with Jonathon Ross and it went quiet from there. It was on 'Sky' but again didn't hear much about it which is a travesty. I won't go into detail of the programme as this will spoil your viewing. It'll make you laugh out loud, worry about them, will them on and you'll just really enjoy it but prepare to feel slightly inept due to the tenacity of Ewan, Charlie & the team.

A thoroughly enjoyable series. Not only was it serious and informative, but hugely funny too, not to mention moving. It was a real insight into other cultures and countries. Beautifully filmed, giving a 'warts and all' view, and yet emphasising how stunning these countries really are, and the people who live there. Makes you realize just how much we take for granted, and how tough life can be without a few home comforts! Refreshing to see celebs looking rough and struggling with emotions, hardships, mosquito's and dodgy cuisine! I have to confess that I would not normally watch anything like this, I expected it to be a couple of actors being macho, trying to win popularity (not like they need to!) by being REAL people. However, I underestimated them - it was awesome and I take my hat off to all those involved, not only out there in the wilderness, but the patient families also. It was a very brave and worthwhile thing to do. Good on ya.