Airdate: Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime

UK comedian Michael Palin reflects on his travels in a new series, Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime.

Screening on SBS this includes appearances by Sir David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley and Simon Reeve. It aired in the UK in December.

A look at how ex-Monty Python comic Michael Palin became an accidental traveller when he accepted an offer to go around the world in 80 days, following the route of Phileas Fogg in the classic Jules Verne story. He looks back on the programmes and his diaries to reveal how the series was made and the impact it had. Fans and friends including Sir David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley and Simon Reeve reflect on his achievements. Little did he know the resulting series would become a huge hit, changing the face of TV travel programmes.

Episode One:
Journeying from London to Venice, Michael first encounters the grubby side of that famous city as he does a shift with its refuse collectors. Then it is on to Egypt, where he is thrown into the maelstrom of Cairo life and starts to get a taste for the unexpected. Gradually, Michael, who began the series nervous about the scale of this undertaking, sheds his inhibitions and embrace the joy of travelling.

8:30pm Wednesday on SBS.