<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Chronology </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Followed by </Th> <Td> Pole to Pole </Td> </Tr> <P> Around the World in 80 Days is a 7 - part BBC television travel series first broadcast on BBC1 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 circumnavigate the globe in eighty days or less . Palin was given the same deadline, and not allowed to use aircraft, which did not exist in Jules Verne's time and would make completing the journey far too easy . He followed Phileas Fogg's route as closely as possible . Along the way he commented on the sights and cultures he encountered . Palin encountered several setbacks during his voyage, partly because he travelled with a five - person film crew, who are collectively named after Passepartout, Phileas Fogg's manservant . </P> <P> The programme was a critical and commercial success, winning strong ratings in the UK and selling well abroad . It was also released on video tape and later on DVD . Following the trip Michael Palin wrote a book about the experience . This book contains much more detail than could be presented in the TV programme, and Palin's personal views are also more clearly evident . The book contains many pictures from the trip . </P>

Who went round the world in 80 days