Episode 1

There were two versions of Around the World in 80 Days that were broadcast in 1989. Both starring ex-Monty Pythons. Unfortunately I remember the Michael Palin version which was a travel documentary made by the BBC.

This all star three part television series comes across as a bit cheesy and a bit hammy. It is also overlong, filled with plenty of padding.

Pierce Brosnan plays Phileas Fogg. Eric Idle is the French manservant, formerly employed by Napoleon III. The story starts with a robbery at the Bank of England, with Fogg identified by a bank employee as the robber.

At the same time at the Reform Club. A conversation in technological advances in travel leads to a wager that Fogg could go round the world in eighty days or less.

As Fogg sets off the Bank of England dispatch various private detective to catch him, one of them is Wilbur Fix (Peter Ustinov) who is right on his tail as Fogg heads to France which is in revolutionary chaos. Gets a hot air balloon to Italy and then sets sail to India from the Suez canal.

The first episode could had done with a brisk pace and needed to chop 30 minutes off the running time. It spends too long in France and then with balloon ride over the Alps with some dodgy green screen work.

There is always a comedic element to this type of story but it really is not that funny despite the best efforts of Idle.