Around the World in 80 Days (2021 TV series)

Last updated

Around the World in 80 Days
Around the World in 80 Days 2021.png
Genre
Created by
Based on Around the World in Eighty Days
by Jules Verne
Starring
Composers
Country of origin
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • United Kingdom
  • South Africa
Original languages
  • English
  • French
  • Italian
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
  • Simon Crawford-Collins
  • Lionel Uzan
  • Pascal Breton
  • Winnie Serite
  • Ashley Pharoah
  • Steve Barron
  • David Tennant
  • Caleb Ranson
ProducerPeter McAleese
Running time48 minutes
Production companies
  • Slim Film + Television
  • Federation Studios
  • Peu Communications
Original release
Network
Release5 December 2021 (2021-12-05) [1]  
present (present)

Around the World in 80 Days is a historical drama adventure television series based on the 1872 Jules Verne novel of the same name, in which, for a bet, Phileas Fogg travels the world in 80 days by various means both traditional and new. It was commissioned by the European Alliance, a co-production alliance of France Télévisions, ZDF of Germany, and RAI of Italy, with additional co-production partners of Masterpiece (US) and Be-Films/RTBF (Belgium). It was produced in the UK, France and South Africa, with filming also taking place in Romania. The series first premiered on La Une in Belgium, on 5 December 2021, and later on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 26 December 2021. In November 2021, ahead of the premiere, it was announced the programme had been renewed for a second season.

Contents

Premise

The story is about Phileas Fogg making a £20,000 (equivalent to £1,899,777in 2021) wager with a snobbish member of the prestigious Reform Club that he can circumnavigate the world in 80 days, joined by his new valet Passepartout and journalist Abigail Fix. [2] Although the story is fictional, real-life people such as Adolphe Thiers, Jane Digby and Bass Reeves are portrayed interacting with the fictional characters.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

No.EpisodeDirected byWritten byOriginal UK air dateUK viewers
(millions) [3]
1Episode 1 Steve Barron Ashley Pharoah and Caleb Ranson26 December 2021 (2021-12-26)5.89
Phileas Fogg is a man of routine, spending every day at the Reform Club reading his newspaper and eating the same meal. On 5 October 1872 he finds himself engrossed in an article by Abigail Fix about a new railroad in India that now allows one to travel round the world in 80 days, and recalls the postcard he's received that carried a single word "coward". His friend Nyle Bellamy goads him into declaring that he will undertake this journey, and they bet 20,000 pounds that Fogg will return by Christmas Eve. Together with a new French servant Jean Passepartout, he sails to France. Abigail follows them to report on his travels for her father's newspaper. In Paris, prevented from boarding the train to Turin, Fogg inadvertently foils an assassination attempt by the rebels of the Paris Commune (led by Passepartout's brother) on Adolphe Thiers, the President of France. The three companions are forced to flee in a hot air balloon.
2Episode 2Steve BarronAshley Pharoah
Story by: Caleb Ranson
26 December 2021 (2021-12-26)5.41
Having crossed the Alps by balloon, Fogg and his party crash-land near Florence and hail a train going to Brindisi in order to catch a boat to Egypt. During the journey, Fogg meets industrialist Niccolò Moretti and befriends his son Alberto, with whom he shares an interest in scientific inventions. When the train emergency brakes at a damaged bridge, Alberto is critically injured. Brindisi, two hours away, is the closest place they can get help, and Fogg convinces Moretti that it's possible for the engine and one carriage to go over the rails still in place above the gap. The train successfully crosses the bridge and, using the carriage's wooden components as fuel, they arrive in Brindisi in time to save the child. Fogg and his companions continue to Aden via the Suez Canal.
3Episode 3Steve BarronAshley Pharoah2 January 2022 (2022-01-02)5.21
Forced to stop in Al Hudaydah, Fogg is tricked by a local who claims he could safely lead them across the Empty Quarter to Aden. Believing the desert too dangerous for women, Fogg and Passepartout leave Abigail behind. When their guide robs and strands them, they are rescued by Jane Digby and her husband, a sheik, who Abigail has persuaded to assist. Initially reluctant to take Fogg to Aden, the couple agrees after the travellers help them fend off some raiders, with Passepartout shooting dead the one trying to abduct Abigail. In Aden, Mr. Kneedling, a man hired by Bellamy, bribes Passepartout to slow Fogg down by giving him a substance he claims would make Fogg sleep for a few days.
4Episode 4Steve BarronAshley Pharoah, Claire Downes, Ian Jarvis and Stuart Lane2 January 2022 (2022-01-02)4.69
Stuck in an Indian village after the railroad Abigail wrote about turned out to be still incomplete, Fogg is forced to stay the night because of a wedding. When the groom is arrested for deserting the British Indian Army, the bride's mother, Aouda, tells Fogg she will only provide a guide if he saves Arjan. He invites the groom's young lieutenant to tea, but Passepartout has already spiked Fogg's drink with an excessive dose of the drugs from Aden. Fogg gets delirious, and the meeting is a disaster. Later, mistaking Abigail for his lost love Estella, he bares his heart to her, which Abigail includes in her new article. Everyone works together to save Fogg's life. In the morning, Fogg recovers and speaks for Arjan at the court martial, making a speech about the power of love and managing to convince the lieutenant to dishonourably discharge him.
5Episode 5Brian KellyAshley Pharoah and Jessica Ruston
Story by: Debbie O'Malley
9 January 2022 (2022-01-09)5.09
In the British colony of Hong Kong, Kneedling tells the bank that Fogg is a wanted criminal and convinces them to withhold his money. The governor's wife has read Abigail's reports in the paper and throws a party in Fogg and his companions' honour. Fogg tries to exploit the occasion and persuade the governor to lend him the money needed to travel to Japan. Meanwhile, also looking for funds, Passepartout visits an old acquaintance who contracts him to steal a priceless white jade heirloom from the governor's house. Fogg escapes the party after discovering that Abigail has written about his private life without asking. Passepartout takes the artifact. Hearing that Fogg might be a criminal, the governor orders Fogg's arrest for the theft, and the money Passepartout was paid is found under his bed. Fogg protests his innocence, but gets sentenced to be flogged without trial. Abigail and Passepartout manage to secure a pardon, but only reach the prison as Fogg receives the first lash.
6Episode 6Steve BarronPeter McKenna16 January 2022 (2022-01-16)5.36
Frustrated so far, Kneedling confronts Fogg on the ship to Yokohama and puts the three companions in a lifeboat. After a stormy night at sea, they find themselves marooned on an uninhabited island. Abigail organises them to start looking for food, water and shelter. Fogg confesses to Abigail that he and Estella were supposed to travel the world together, but he panicked at the last minute and turned back, while she carried on alone. He's regretted it ever since. After it's revealed what Passepartout did in both India and Hong Kong, Fogg orders him away. Repenting, Passepartout finishes the raft Fogg has been building and ends up sick after working in the rain. Fogg and Abigail tend to him, using the raft for firewood to keep him warm. They are rescued by a passing British steamer on its way to the United States.
7Episode 7 Charles Beeson Stephen Greenhorn 23 January 2022 (2022-01-23)5.57
Travelling from San Francisco to the next station to catch their train east, the group's stage coach is commandeered by US Deputy Marshall Bass Reeves, escorting a Southern war criminal and Klan member to stand trial in Louisiana. At Battle Mountain, their destination, the captive's friends stage a rescue. Abigail saves her companions by riding a horse into a saloon, and Fogg stops the criminal. Meanwhile in England, Bellamy hears about Fogg's death at sea and, facing bankruptcy, pressures the grieving Fortescue into releasing Fogg's money as the executor of his will, but Abigail's telegram arrives saying that they are still alive and heading to New York City.
8Episode 8Steve BarronAshley Pharoah30 January 2022 (2022-01-30)6.07
In New York, Fogg is met by press as a celebrity. He realizes that the "coward" postcard depicts the Grand Central Depot, and that Estella must have sent it. He boards a ship to England, but then hurries back to the station. Estella appears as he is about to leave, and they share their life stories. She encourages him to complete his journey. On his way to the harbour, Fogg is caught by Kneedling, but they get attacked by a street gang. The dying Kneedling hands Fogg proof that Bellamy was trying to sabotage his trip. Landing in England, Fogg is detained because the arrest warrant from Hong Kong had not been rescinded. He spends the night in a cell, convinced he's lost the bet, and returns home dejected, only for his butler to inform him that it's Christmas Eve, not Christmas, since they saved a whole day by going east. Fogg dashes to the Reform Club and arrives at the last second to win the bet. He stands up to Bellamy who leaves in disgrace while the team celebrates their victory. Though happy to be back home in London, they're enticed by another adventure as they read a newspaper's story about a mysterious sea monster attacking ships.

Production

Filming locations included South Africa and Romania. Filming was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed on 1 October that year. [4] In November 2021, ahead of the premiere, it was announced the series had been renewed for a second series. [5] The main title score is by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg. [6]

Release

Around the World in 80 Days first premiered in Belgium on 5 December 2021. [1] ZDF released the complete series online in Germany on 11 December 2021, [7] with an on-air release from 21 December to 23 December. [8] The series premiered on France 2 in France on 20 December 2021, [9] and in Norway on NRKs streaming website on 25 December 2021, with linear broadcasting the following days during Boxing Week. [10] In the United Kingdom the series premiered on BBC One on 26 December 2021, and on Masterpiece for PBS in the United States on 2 January 2022. [11] [12] The series premiered on Rai 2 in Italy in January 2024 and simultaneously streaming on Raiplay. In Greece the show aired in August 2024 in ERT3 at 20:00pm.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 79% approval rating with an average rating of 6.4/10, based on 14 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Around the World in 80 Days sometimes stumbles when it tries to add modern resonance to Jules Verne's globetrotting epic, but the core cast make for terrific travel companions." [13] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [14] Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian gave the first episode four out five stars, praising its cast, production values and escapism, but found the episode slow in its setup. [15] The Telegraph gave it three out of five stars. [16] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter felt the plot did not justify eight episodes, but praised Tennant's performance. [17]

Ed Cumming of The Independent gave it two stars, feeling the budget did not do the epic scope of the novel justice. [18] James Delingpole in The Spectator also gave a negative review of the series, complaining about its attempts to speak to contemporary political issues. He criticized the updated characteristics of Fix and Passepartout, as well as inconsistencies such as Passepartout's lack of upset at the death of his brother. [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>Around the World in Eighty Days</i> 1872 novel written by Jules Verne

Around the World in Eighty Days is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a wager of £20,000 set by his friends at the Reform Club. It is one of Verne's most acclaimed works.

The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a Canadian science fiction television series that aired on CBC in Canada from June to December 2000, lasting for one season. The show is a fictionalized telling of the life of French author Jules Verne, placing him into the settings of the stories he wrote such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and Around the World in Eighty Days. In the United States, the show aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, premiering in early 2001. The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne was the first television series to be filmed in high-definition video, which made the series expensive to produce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aouda</span> Fictional character created by Jules Verne

Aouda, a character in Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, is an Indian princess accompanied by Phileas Fogg and Passepartout. The daughter of a Bombay Parsi merchant, she was married against her will to the old raja of Bundelkhand. At the death of her husband, she is about to be sacrificed by her husband's relatives and other people of their society as a sati at her husband's funeral pyre. Upon learning the circumstances of the sati and how this is all against Aouda's will, Fogg and company intervene and rescue her.

<i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> (2004 film) Film by Frank Coraci

Around the World in 80 Days is a 2004 American action adventure comedy film based on Jules Verne's 1873 novel of the same name and remake of the movie of the same name of 1956. It stars Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, Cécile de France and Jim Broadbent. The film is set in the nineteenth century and centers on Phileas Fogg (Coogan), here reimagined as an eccentric inventor, and his efforts to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days. During the trip, he is accompanied by his Chinese valet, Passepartout (Chan). For comedic reasons, the film intentionally deviated wildly from the novel and included a number of anachronistic elements. With production costs of about $110 million and estimated marketing costs of $30 million, it earned $24 million at the U.S. box office and $48 million worldwide, making it a box office failure. It also received generally negative reviews from critics, mainly for lacking similarities to the original book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phileas Fogg</span> Fictional character created by Jules Verne

Phileas Fogg is the protagonist in the 1872 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. Inspirations for the character were the American entrepreneur George Francis Train and American writer and adventurer William Perry Fogg.

<i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> (1956 film) 1956 film by Michael Anderson

Around the World in 80 Days is a 1956 American epic adventure-comedy film starring David Niven, Cantinflas, Robert Newton and Shirley MacLaine, produced by the Michael Todd Company and released by United Artists.

<i>Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin</i> 1989 British television travel documentary series

Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin is a 7-part BBC television travel series first broadcast on BBC1 in 1989, and presented by comedian and actor Michael Palin. Inspired by Jules Verne's classic 1873 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 takes on the same task, prohibited from using aircraft in order to use a combination of trains, boats and other forms of transport, to take him across several countries around his circumnaviation of the world, including Italy, Egypt, China, Japan, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Passepartout</span> Fictional character created by Jules Verne

Jean Passepartout is a fictional character in Jules Verne's novel Around the World in Eighty Days, published in 1873. He is the French valet of the novel's English main character, Phileas Fogg. His surname translates literally to "goes everywhere", but “passepartout” is also an idiom meaning "skeleton key" in French. It can also be understood as a play on the English word passport—or its French equivalent passeport.

<i>The Other Log of Phileas Fogg</i> 1973 novel by Philip José Farmer

The Other Log of Phileas Fogg is a science fiction novel written by American author Philip José Farmer in 1973. Reviving the Phileas Fogg character created by Jules Verne, the novel has also been classified as steampunk and a parallel novel. It was originally published by DAW Books and later reprinted in 1979 by Hamlyn and again in 1982 by Tor Books. Tor has subsequently reissued the novel in 1988 and 1993.

Around the World in 80 Days was an attraction in the Talbot Street area of Alton Towers theme park, Staffordshire, England. The attraction opened in 1981, just one year after the park first opened. It was the first dark ride at Alton Towers, one of the largest in the UK at the time, and was produced by Keith Sparks for the park's owner John Broome.

<i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> (miniseries) 1989 multi-national TV series or program

Around the World in 80 Days is a three-part television miniseries originally broadcast on NBC from April 16 to 18, 1989. The production garnered three nominations for Emmy awards that year. The teleplay by John Gay is based on the 1873 Jules Verne novel of the same title.

<i>Around the World</i> (musical) Musical by Cole Porter

Around the World is a musical based on the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days, with a book by Orson Welles and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It involves an around-the-world adventure by Phileas Fogg. The expensive musical extravaganza opened on Broadway in May 1946 but closed after 75 performances.

<i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> (1988 film) 1988 Australian film

Around the World in 80 Days is a 1988 Australian 49-minute direct-to-video animated film from Burbank Films Australia. The film is based on Jules Verne's classic French novel, Around the World in 80 Days, first published in 1872, and was adapted by Leonard Lee.

<i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> (2009 TV series) British travel documentary

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.

<i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> (video game) 2004 video game

Around the World in 80 Days is a platform video game developed by Pick Up & Play for Mobile phones, and Published by Saffire & Disney Interactive for Game Boy Advance, It is based on Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media's 2004 film of the same name starring Jackie Chan. The game features pre-rendered characters and graphics, and a password feature for returning to specific levels.

Around the World in Eighty Days is an animated television series that lasted one season of 16 episodes, broadcast during the 1972–1973 season by NBC. It was the first Australian-produced cartoon to be shown on American network television. Leif Gram directed all 16 episodes, and the stories were loosely adapted by Chester "Chet" Stover from the 1873 novel by Jules Verne.

<i>Around the World in Eighty Days</i> (1919 film) 1919 film

Around the World in Eighty Days is a 1919 German silent adventure comedy film, directed and produced by Richard Oswald and starring Conrad Veidt, Anita Berber, and Reinhold Schünzel. It is based on the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. It premiered at the Marmorhaus in Berlin.

<i>80 Days</i> (2014 video game) 2014 video game

80 Days is an interactive fiction game developed and published by Inkle. for iOS on July 31, 2014, and Android on December 15, 2014. It was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X on September 29, 2015. It employs branching narrative storytelling, allowing the player to make choices that impact the plot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonie Benesch</span> German actress (born 1991)

Leonie Benesch is a German actress. She has played roles in various film and TV productions including Babylon Berlin, The Crown, Around the World in 80 Days and The Teachers' Lounge. For her role in the latter, in 2023, she received the award for Best Performance in a Leading Role at the German Film Awards.

<i>Around the World in 80 Days</i> (2021 film) 2021 French film

Around the World in 80 Days is a 2021 French-language animated adventure comedy film based on Jules Verne's 1873 novel of the same name. Directed by Samuel Tourneux from a screenplay by Gerry Swallow and David Michel, the film was produced by Cottonwood Media and distributed by StudioCanal. Around the World in 80 Days was released in France on 4 August 2021, and had a worldwide gross of $3.987 million. Grossing €3.7 million ($4,375,990) from 762,917 admissions, it was the highest-grossing French-language film in foreign markets of 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 "David Tennant dans "Le tour du monde en 80 jours", une série co-produite par la RTBF". RTBF TV (in French). 29 November 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  2. Carr, Flora (23 November 2021). "Around the World in 80 Days release date: Cast, trailer and latest news". Radio Times . Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  3. "Most viewed programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  4. Vourlias, Christopher (25 September 2020). "'Around the World in 80 Days' to Restart Production in Romania, South Africa (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  5. Grater, Tom (29 November 2021). "'Around The World In 80 Days' Gets Second Season; Producers Also Developing 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth' Series". Deadline . Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  6. Nicholson, Rebecca. "Around the World in 80 Days review – David Tennant channels a Victorian Jeff Bezos", The Guardian, December 26, 2021
  7. "Mit David Tennant "In 80 Tagen um die Welt": ZDF zeigt Event-Mehrteiler vor Weihnachten". Tv Wunschliste.
  8. "In 80 Tagen um die Welt".
  9. Slim Film + Television (27 March 2019). "Slim Film + Television, Federation Entertainment and the European Alliance / Frace Télévisions, ZDF and Rai to coproduce Around the World in Eighty Days". Slim Film and Television. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  10. "Jorda rundt på 80 dagar".
  11. Fletcher, Alex (2 December 2021). "Around the World in 80 Days: David Tennant cast as Phileas Fogg in BBC adaptation of Jules Verne classic". BT . Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  12. BBC Media Centre (5 December 2019). "BBC acquires David Tennant fronted series Around The World In 80 Days". BBC Media Centre.
  13. "Around the World in 80 Days: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  14. "Around the World in 80 Days: Season 1". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  15. "Around the World in 80 Days review – David Tennant channels a Victorian Jeff Bezos". TheGuardian.com . 26 December 2021.
  16. Singh, Anita (26 December 2021). "Around the World in 80 Days, episodes 1 and 2 review: A fun story that needed far fewer changes". The Telegraph.
  17. "PBS' 'Around the World in 80 Days': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter . 31 December 2021.
  18. "Around the World in 80 Days deserves better than this new adaptation - review". Independent.co.uk . 26 December 2021.
  19. Delingpole, James (29 December 2021). "Around the World In Eighty Days is the worst TV this Christmas". The Spectator. Retrieved 29 June 2022.