Around the World in 80 Days (2021 TV series)

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.

Premise
The story is about Phileas Fogg making a £20,000 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. Although the story is fictional, real-life people such as Adolphe Thiers, Jane Digby and Bass Reeves are portrayed interacting with the fictional characters.

Main

 * David Tennant as Phileas Fogg
 * Ibrahim Koma as Jean Passepartout
 * Leonie Benesch as Abigail Fix Fortescue

Recurring

 * Jason Watkins as Bernard Fortescue, Abigail's father and Fogg's friend
 * Peter Sullivan as Nyle Bellamy, Fogg's rival
 * Richard Wilson as Grayson, Fogg's butler
 * Leon Clingman as Roberts, maitre d'hôtel at Reform Club
 * Anthony Flanagan as Thomas Kneedling, Bellamy's henchman
 * Jeff Rawle as Hughes, Bank manager in London
 * as Samuel Fallentin, a Reform Club member

Guest

 * as Monsieur Lome, inventor of a balloon
 * Alain Guillo as Adolphe Thiers, President of France
 * as Chief of Police in Paris
 * Masali Baduza as Edith, employee at the Reform club
 * Giovanni Scifoni as Niccolò Moretti, an Italian industrialist
 * as Marco, conductor of the train Turin - Brindisi
 * as train driver
 * as an Italian mother travelling in 3rd class
 * Lindsay Duncan as Jane Digby, an Englishwoman
 * Faical Elkihel as Sheik Medjuel El Mezjuel Mezrab, Jane's husband
 * Shivaani Ghai as Aouda, an Indian woman
 * Patrick Kennedy as Sir Henry Rowbotham, British Governor in Hong Kong
 * Victoria Smurfit as Lady Clemency Rowbotham, Sir Henry's wife
 * as Jiang Liei, Passepartout's former boss in Hong Kong
 * as Mrs. Hildreth, Lady Clemency's friend
 * Sean Cameron Michael as chief bank manager
 * Gary Beadle as Bass Reeves, US Deputy Marshal
 * John Light as Ambrose Abernathy, former confederate colonel and Ku Klux Klan member
 * Elena Saurel as Sally, the stagecoach's driver
 * as barman in Battle Mountain
 * Dolly Wells as Estella, Fogg's former love
 * Dominic Carter as the customs officer in Liverpool
 * Ty Tennant as the gang leader in New York
 * as officer in the ship New York - Liverpool
 * James Dutton as Henry, the arrogant man on the ship

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. In November 2021, ahead of the premiere, it was announced the series had been renewed for a second series. The main title score is by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg.

Release
Around the World in 80 Days first premiered in Belgium on 5 December 2021. ZDF released the complete series online in Germany on 11 December 2021, with an on-air release from 21 December to 23 December. The series premiered on France 2 in France on 20 December 2021, and in Norway on NRKs streaming website on 25 December 2021, with linear broadcasting the following days during Boxing Week. 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. The series premiered on Rai 2 in Italy on January 2024 and simultaneously streaming on Raiplay.

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." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". 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. The Telegraph gave it three out of five stars. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter felt the plot did not justify eight episodes, but praised Tennant's performance.

Ed Cumming of The Independent gave it two stars, feeling the budget did not do the epic scope of the novel justice. 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.