They begin with a brisk tour of Europe, ending up in Moscow, where they take some nightmarish taxi journeys to find Patriot Park, a “military Disneyland” recently opened by President Putin. They then catch the Trans-Mongolian Railway to Beijing, an 11-day journey including stopovers in Irkutsk, Siberia, to visit Lake Baikal (“the deepest, oldest and largest freshwater lake in the world”) and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, which turns out to be something of a disappointment: “The city’s old culture … had collapsed under the might of … KFCs and an Imax.”

a b "David Tennant dans "Le tour du monde en 80 jours", une série co-produite par la RTBF". RTBF TV (in French). 29 November 2021 . Retrieved 15 December 2021. Grater, Tom (29 November 2021). " 'Around The World In 80 Days' Gets Second Season; Producers Also Developing 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth' Series". Deadline . Retrieved 29 November 2021. Time and again [in India] I encountered so-called 'godmen' exploiting the poor and vulnerable, priests extracting money for nothing, and blind faith leading to disappointment."For Rajesh, the romance of train travel does indeed live on, “in the passengers who would always tell their story to strangers, offer advice, share their food, and give up their seats”. Unexpected acts of kindness and generosity of spirit create a unique sense of community, “like we are a train family”, as one traveller tells her in Thailand. The book really gets into gear in N. Korea and China, and captures so much of the romance of train travel including the numerous little epiphanies about oneself while touching the edge of inner stillness in a moving train. Blessedly, not too much of that too. Around the World in 80 Days review – David Tennant channels a Victorian Jeff Bezos". TheGuardian.com. 26 December 2021. Traveling by stage coach from San Francisco to the next train station going east, the group is forced to allow US Deputy Marshall Bass Reeves, escorting a Southern war criminal and Klan member to stand trial in Louisiana, to ride with them. Arriving in Battle Mountain, the captive's cronies try to rescue him but are thwarted by Abigail riding her horse into the saloon and shooting two of the criminals. Meanwhile in England, Bellamy, using the news of Fogg's death at sea and facing bankruptcy, tries to pressure Fortescue into releasing Fogg's money as the executor of his will but fails when Fortescue receives Abigail's telegram that they are still alive and heading to New York City. A relentlessly curious and wonderfully descriptive writer … [Rajesh] offers us a never-ending series of Theroux-esque, quirky anecdotes … Remarkably engaging … If you fancy learning about global travel in the relative slow lane, try boarding this carriage and staring out the window – here you can view the world through Rajesh's eyes, as she takes us on a lazy, time-bending meander in search of authenticity and humanity”— Geographical

When Monisha Rajesh announced plans to circumnavigate the globe in eighty train journeys, she was met with wide-eyed disbelief. But it wasn't long before she was carefully plotting a route that would cover 45,000 miles - almost twice the circumference of the earth - coasting along the world's most remarkable railways; from the cloud-skimming heights of Tibet's Qinghai railway to silk-sheeted splendour on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Monisha Rajesh has chosen one of the best ways of seeing the world. Never too fast, never too slow, her journey does what trains do best. Getting to the heart of things. Prepare for a very fine ride”— Michael Palin

Slim Film + Television (27 March 2019). "Slim Film + Television, Federation Entertainment and the European Alliance / Frace Télévisions, ZDF and Rai to coproduce Around the World in Eighty Days". Slim Film and Television. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021 . Retrieved 29 September 2020. Delightful ... memorable ... Rajesh is not only blessed with an elegant style, but is witty and ever ready for a bit of self-deprecation”— Spectator The author is very biased and has very strong opinions which makes the book a bit spoilt. I would have expected her to be a bit more experienced, but yet she falls in the usual typical tourist traps (which I was hoping wouldn’t be covered in this book) – not doing the research about places, being overcharged by a taxi driver who didn’t set the meter, expecting Chinese people to speak English and hoping it would be easy to navigate and instead spending time in Beijing shopping for cardigans in Zara. If reading this makes you feel upset, the book isn’t for you.

Rajesh [is] a rare rising star of the genre … She has a simple and easy style, she sees everything and listens to everyone, she's funny when she wants to be and serious when she needs to be, and she keeps the whole thing barrelling along like a wonderful dinner party conversation”— Marcus Berkmann, Daily Mail Filming locations included South Africa and Romania. Filming was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed on 1 October that year. [4] In November 2021, ahead of the premiere, it was announced the series had been renewed for a second series. [5] The main title score is by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg. [6] Release [ edit ] An epic journey . When I say that I felt almost physically tired at the end of this book, I mean it as a compliment, a testament to its vivid evocations (Country Life)Why do all this by train? For me, flying is expensive and boring, while car journeys are cramped and tedious. Trains, on the other hand, take the traveller into the nooks and crannies of a country and into the heart of its people. They are a microcosm of society, embodying literal class division: in India I could eat hot cornflakes with the ambassador to The Hague in a first-class carriage, then 36 carriages along, sit on wooden slats sharing pears in paper bags with a farmer from Gujarat. On trains I feel free: if I’m late, I can always catch another – and I can carry as much luggage as I like, with liquids in opaque bags. I can eat my own sandwiches, go for a wander, even move seats should I object to my companion. Delightful ... Rajesh is not only blessed with an elegant style, but is witty and ever ready for a bit of self-deprecation ( Spectator) So, Monisha is no Paul Theroux, that is a high bar, but this is an engaging enough travelogue. There is a little bit of history thrown in at certain places like Japan and Thailand which really do add to the book. I especially liked the chapter on North Korea. I had no idea that the guided tour allowed such travel by train in that country. Delingpole, James (29 December 2021). "Around the World In Eighty Days is the worst TV this Christmas". The Spectator . Retrieved 29 June 2022.