Of course, this classic has been recreated on the screen many times in film and TV however perhaps not quite as much as it deserves. Currently available on UK TVs – BBC iPlayer you’ll find the 8 part series of Around the World starring ex-Dr Who star (and much more) – David Tennent. There are a few problems with it, but if you don’t watch it too critically – like the book it’s a hugely enjoyable tale.
There is something about this time of year that calls for a good, solid adaptation of a literary classic. Around the World in 80 Days (BBC One) is here for the whole family to enjoy right now.
After the last two years, the idea of watching adventurers whizz around the globe on a whim seems almost too cruel to contemplate. At the moment this sort of carefree, unrestricted travel looks incredible. Covid has probably made this journey more difficult than in Jules Verne’s day ! They have no expensive PCR tests, no risk of a country ending up on the red list at the last minute, and no possibility of cancellation due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control?
Those global circumnavigators didn’t realise how fortunate they were in 1872. That should mean that, even if it takes a while to get going, watching the world go by should be more enjoyable. Phileas Fogg (David Tennant, with moustache) makes a bet that he will be the first person to travel around the world in 80 days after hearing about a new railway while dining at his private members’ club. He sets off, gathering companions as if this were 19th-century Doctor Who, and getting himself into historical scrapes.
It’s currently available free of charge on BBC iPlayer and consists of 8 hour long episodes. If you’re outside the UK you’ll need a VPN to hide your IP address like Nord or Identity Cloaker. You’ll also need to set up a BBC iPlayer account which is simple if you enable the VPN first (to a UK server), remember to grab a valid UK postcode too ! It doesn’t matter where you happen to be, as long as you connect to a UK VPN server before visiting the site. I’ve used it in France, Ireland and Turkey in the last twelve months without a problem (even in these travel restricted times!).
This updated version of Jules Verne’s novel, according to Tennant, is a “romp,” and it certainly is. This is big television in the vein of His Dark Materials (and its gorgeous opening credits appear to have been influenced by that series, as well as Game of Thrones). The score was written by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, both renowned composers. Given its source material, it naturally flies around the globe. This is a multinational production that showcases its many locations, and a second season has already been confirmed before the first. Clearly, there is a lot of trust in it.
It is largely justified. Fogg is a dour, troubled rich man who wanders about in the trappings of his vast and mysterious wealth. He sulks in his mansion, and he sulks in his club. He resembles some sort of rich entrepreneur/adventurer like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. The image of a wealthy man who needs a frivolous and historic trip to feel alive again is familiar. His enthusiasm for the “balloon contraption” is comparable to modern excitement for the space rocket.
Tennant’s Fogg is more of a blunderer, a kind of Victorian Mr Bean at least to begin with, in the book. The charisma is shared by the three main characters rather than being honed by Tennant alone. Detective Fix, Verne’s Scotland Yard policeman, has transformed into Abigail “Fix” Fortescue, a determined reporter with a weekly column to fill and an unwilling subject – Fogg – about who she must write. Leonie Benesch (who played Prince Philip’s sister in The Crown) portrays her with courage and determination as a woman trying to break into a man’s world and make a name for herself against the odds.
And why not? Even if purists may grumble, the book remains as it was and the character doesn’t appear to be really restricted. The fact that she is a likeable journalist may necessitate more of an imaginative leap for some.
Ibrahim Koma, who plays Fogg’s valet Passepartout, completes the trio with an emotional fraternal reunion and a revolutionary subplot in the first episode. Despite the fact that Koma is presented as a romantic cad, his Passepartout has a lot of charm. Although they haven’t had much time to establish themselves as a three-piece yet, it appears that they will not have any trouble carrying the show together.
Around the World in 80 Days, on the other hand, suffers from a little first-episode syndrome. It must set the scene and create its world, which takes time. It’s not until the white cliffs of Dover begin to recede behind Fogg, Passeparout, and Miss Fix that it begins to feel like it’s going somewhere worth your time and money. By the halfway point, I was eager for the travelling to begin and the adventures to begin; British television is not devoid of period dramas about posh people, so the least they could do is throw in a little pleasant scenery and swashbuckling to speed up the wagers made in private members’ clubs over boiled beef and spotted dick.
After the first couple of episodes it really get’s going and develops some momentum. Only stopped slightly when they get stranded for several days on the desert Island. It definitely improves after the first episode so give it a try if you’re in two minds at the beginning. It’s worth investing in a VPN just for this although you can enjoy all the rest of the British TV overseas too.