Around the World in 80 Days (Children in Need 2009)
Encyclopedia
Around the World in 80 Days is a British
travel documentary
series made to support the annual BBC Children in Need
charity appeal in 2009. It sees twelve celebrities attempt to circumnavigate the globe in eighty days without using air transport, recreating the journey of Phileas Fogg
and Michael Palin
. Like Fogg and Palin, the journey begins and ends at the Reform Club
in London
. It was first shown on BBC One
and BBC HD
in October and November 2009.
in London
, re-enacting the challenge made to Phileas Fogg
in the Jules Verne
novel, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Michael Palin
's Around the World in 80 Days
. In each episode, a pair of celebrities travels a single leg of the round-the-world journey, trying to meet the next pair at a handover point in sufficient time, in relay race
fashion. The journey could be completed by any means except by flight. At the handover, they pass to the succeeding team a carpet bag containing, amongst other items, a journal and a phone. Each of the celebrity pairs contributed to the journal as their leg of the journey progressed, and ahead of the trip Palin wrote an entry containing advice for the travellers.
Throughout the journey, the celebrities collected various items on their leg of the journey. These were then auctioned to raise money for Children in Need, as was the journal completed by the travellers at the end of the trip.
Turkey to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan to Mongolia
Mongolia to USA
USA (California) to USA (Memphis)
USA to UK
Other
A piece in the Daily Mail
criticised the "about £1 million" budget for the production, saying that the money could have instead been donated to the charity. The BBC responded by saying that the series "is raising crucial awareness for the charity in the run-up to Children in Need Night" and that "its budget is in line with other similar prime time shows" on BBC One
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
travel documentary
Travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film or television program that describes travel in general or tourist attractions in a non-commercial way....
series made to support the annual BBC Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
charity appeal in 2009. It sees twelve celebrities attempt to circumnavigate the globe in eighty days without using air transport, recreating the journey of Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg is the main fictional character in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days.Fogg attempts to circumnavigate the late Victorian world in eighty days, or less, for a wager of £20,000 with members of London's Reform Club. He takes the wager and leaves with Passepartout,...
and Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
. Like Fogg and Palin, the journey begins and ends at the Reform Club
Reform Club
The Reform Club is a gentlemen's club on the south side of Pall Mall, in central London. Originally for men only, it changed to include the admission of women in 1981. In 2011 the subscription for membership of the Reform Club as a full UK member is £1,344.00, with a one-off entrance fee of £875.00...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was first shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and BBC HD
BBC HD
BBC HD is a high-definition television network provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007...
in October and November 2009.
Production
The challenge for the celebrities was to travel around the globe in eighty days, starting and ending at the Reform ClubReform Club
The Reform Club is a gentlemen's club on the south side of Pall Mall, in central London. Originally for men only, it changed to include the admission of women in 1981. In 2011 the subscription for membership of the Reform Club as a full UK member is £1,344.00, with a one-off entrance fee of £875.00...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, re-enacting the challenge made to Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg is the main fictional character in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days.Fogg attempts to circumnavigate the late Victorian world in eighty days, or less, for a wager of £20,000 with members of London's Reform Club. He takes the wager and leaves with Passepartout,...
in the Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
novel, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
's Around the World in 80 Days
Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days
Around the World in 80 Days is a BBC television travel series first broadcast in 1989. It was presented by comedian and actor 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...
. In each episode, a pair of celebrities travels a single leg of the round-the-world journey, trying to meet the next pair at a handover point in sufficient time, in relay race
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
fashion. The journey could be completed by any means except by flight. At the handover, they pass to the succeeding team a carpet bag containing, amongst other items, a journal and a phone. Each of the celebrity pairs contributed to the journal as their leg of the journey progressed, and ahead of the trip Palin wrote an entry containing advice for the travellers.
Throughout the journey, the celebrities collected various items on their leg of the journey. These were then auctioned to raise money for Children in Need, as was the journal completed by the travellers at the end of the trip.
Episodes
| Episode | Stage | Celebrities | Directed and produced by | Original airdate | Viewers (overnight estimates) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Auction items
UK to Turkey- Ukulele played by Frank Skinner
- Pudsey bear signed by Frank Skinner
- Pudsey bear signed by Lee Mack
Turkey to Kazakhstan
- Pudsey bear signed by Nick Hewer
- Pudsey bear signed by Saira Kahn
Kazakhstan to Mongolia
- Pudsey bear signed by Julia Bradbury
- Pudsey bear signed by Matt Baker
Mongolia to USA
- Selection of paintings by Louise Minchin
- Pudsey bear signed by Bill Turnball
- Pudsey bear signed by Louise Minchin
USA (California) to USA (Memphis)
- Pink tutu
- Pair of Around the World in 80 Days Boots
- Pudsey bear signed by John Barrowman
- Pudsey bear signed by Myleene Klass
USA to UK
- Shane Ritchie's Outfit from 'Cargo'
- Josie Lawrence's Outfit from 'Cargo'
- Pudsey bear signed by Shane Ritchie
- Pudsey bear signed by Josie Lawrence
- Silver Harmonica
Other
- Around the World in 80 Days Journal
- Around the World in 80 Days Carpet Bag
Reception
The series gained between 3.6 and 4.2 million viewers over the six episodes, with the viewership for the first episode described as "decent".A piece in the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
criticised the "about £1 million" budget for the production, saying that the money could have instead been donated to the charity. The BBC responded by saying that the series "is raising crucial awareness for the charity in the run-up to Children in Need Night" and that "its budget is in line with other similar prime time shows" on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
.