Sir Michael Palin is set to star in a new travel show.
The 77-year-old comedian first hosted BBC2 travel documentary ‘Around The World in 80 Days’ in 1989, igniting a career spanning several travel shows and best-selling books.
Now, Palin will take a look back at his adventures around the world in the upcoming BBC2 series ‘Michael Palin’s Travel’ which will see him compare his ventures with other famous explorers including Joanna Lumley, Simon Reeve and Ed Balls.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column, he said: "When I went ‘Around The World In 80 Days’ back in 1988, I had no idea that travel would become an addiction, and that I would spend the coming decades filming these spectacular series across the globe.
"Luckily, I kept a diary, and in this series I’m digging into my archives to revisit some of the amazing places and people I visited and asking myself – how did travel change my life?"
The ‘Monty Python’ star began his travelling career shortly after the comedy troupe disbanded, and he has since explored the North and South Poles, the Sahara, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe, Brazil, and North Korea.
The first edition of ‘Around The World in 80 Days’ – which was filmed in 1988 – followed Palin as he set out to complete the same journey as Phileas Fogg in the Jules Verne’s classic 1873 novel of the same name.
He began his journey from London and followed the same path Fogg took in the novel without using aircraft as it was not invented during the book.
The show became a huge success and was the first in a trilogy of globe-trotting series, including ‘Pole to Pole with Michael Palin’ and ‘Full Circle with Michael Palin’.
Following his trips, Palin wrote a series of books to complement his documentary series and his destinations went on to become popular tourist attractions.