
S01E01 The Challenge
Palin accepts the offer from the BBC to attempt going around the world in 80 days. After boarding the Orient Express at Victoria Station in London, he reminisces on his rigorous preparations for this extraordinary...
Palin arrives in Egypt, only to find difficulty getting a train to Cairo. When in the capital, he attends a local soccer match and appears in a cameo role in an Egyptian film. After seeing the Pyramids in Giza and riding a camel sharing his name, Palin runs into trouble when a ship he was supposed to board develops engine issues and cannot run. Even though he is able to board a ferry getting out of the city of Suez, he misses a key connection that would have taken him to Muscat. As a last ditch effort to save the journey, Palin (however, only he) is allowed to drive across Saudi Arabia to Dubai.
Michael Palin attempts to copy the exploits of fictional character Phileas Fogg, by trying to travel around the world (without flying) in 80 days.