London, 1872. Phileas Fogg lives a comfortable but utterly unfulfilling life in London, spending every day at his club with his friends Fortescue and Bellamy. But when he receives a hand-delivered postcard, with only the word 'COWARD' written on the back, it turns his world upside down.

So much so, that the usual teasing at the hands of Bellamy provokes Fogg into undertaking a wager – to travel around the world in eighty days. Fogg is accompanied by quick-witted valet Passepartout, who has managed to convince Fogg they've never met before despite serving him his lunch at the Reform Club. And to Fogg's dismay, he realizes that headstrong journalist Abigail Fix is going with them to chronicle the journey – seeing as how her article inspired the original wager.

So begins the journey around the world in eighty days –but the question is, can Fogg possibly win the wager? They find themselves in the midst of riots, on the run from the police, flying hot air balloons, crossing deserts and oceans. As they meet extraordinary people from different walks of life, and face challenges that could break them – can all three find the courage to keep going?

DETAILS:

• Producer: Peter McAleese
• Executive Producer: Simon Crawford-Collins, Lionel Uzan, Pascal Breton, Winnie Serite, Susanne Simpson
• Production Company: France Télévisions; ZDF; RAI Fiction; Slim film + television; Federation Entertainment; Peu Communications; Masterpiece; Be-Films; RTBF (Télévision belge); The Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited; Daro Films; Seven Network; BBC
• Production Year: 2021
• Copyright Year: 2021
• Rating: TV-14
• Director: Steve Barron, Brian Kelly, Charles Beeson
• Actors: David Tennant, Ibrahim Koma, Leonie Benesch, Jason Watkins, Peter Sullivan, Anthony Flanagan, Loic Djani, Andre Penvern, Giovanni Scifoni, Cristian de Vegori, Simone Marco Flavio Coppo
• Writers: Jules Verne, Ashley Pharoah, Caleb Ranson, Claire Downes, Ian Jarvis, Stuart Lane, Jessica Ruston, Debbie O'Malley, Peter McKenna, Stephen Greenhorn
• Number of Discs: 3
• Length: 415 minutes
• Number of Episodes: 8
• Subtitled: Y
• Subtitle Languages: English (SDH)

MASTERPIECE: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS