THEJules Verne’s novel Around the world in 80 dayspublished in 1872, lands on TV. The first episode of the series airs tonight at 9.20pm on Rai 2 and stars David Tennant. Also in the cast is Giovanni Scifoni. This is the second television adaptation, after the 1989 attempt with Pierce Brosnan which obtained three Emmy nominations.
Around the world in 80 daysthe plot
The series is set in 1872 London. Wealthy Phileas Fogg (David Tennant) spends his free time at the Reform Club. One day his attention is caught by an article on technological progress. On how it has irremediably affected the way we travel.
It is also a special day, because the past comes knocking again. In fact, he receives a postcard from a woman he loved and lost and who calls him a coward.
Disconcerted, exorcise bitterness with a bet signed with another member of the club, Nyle Bellamy (Peter Sullivan). It will circumnavigate the globe in just 80 days. On the table, 20,000 pounds. It’s a crazy undertaking, impossible on paper, but he sets out on this adventure. To achieve this he must overcome his hidden laziness, which over the last twenty years has led him to spend time on the club sofa every day. As well as a good dose of adaptation, improvisation and both physical and mental resistance.
He brings with him the trusted French valet Passepartout (Ibrahim Koma) and the trip is joined by the reckless journalist of Daily Telegraph Abigail ‘Fox’ Fortescue (Leonie Benesch), daughter of the newspaper owner. The woman is also the author of the article that Fogg stumbles upon.
So the three leave England for the unknown. For each of them the journey involves an incredible discovery of cultures, customs and traditions. And also a priceless life lesson that focuses on trust, tolerance and love.
“Around the World in 80 Days”, from left: Ibrahim Loma, David Tennant, Leonie Benesch.
Giovanni Scifoni in the cast of the second episode
Around the world in 80 days is an international series produced by Rai, ZDF (Germany) and France Télévisions. Purchased by the BBC, debuted in the UK in late 2021. Filming took place in Romania.
Over the course of 8 episodes – for a total of 4 prime time slots – Phileas Fogg travels across Europe, with a stop in Paris, before continuing to Al Hudaydah, in Yemen, and the Suez Canal. So Bombay, India, Hong Kong and America, up to New Yorkand then returned to England, first to Liverpool and then to London.
Another stage is added to these stages. In the second episode, broadcast tonight, he arrives in Italy. After flying over the Alps in a hot air balloon, the trio arrives near Florence and goes up on a train headed to Brindisi.
A ship to Egypt awaits them there. During the trip, makes friends with Alberto (Cristian De Vigori), the son of the industrialist Niccolò Moretti (Giovanni Scifoni), an arrogant and domineering man. The two find a meeting point on their shared passion for mechanical and technological inventions.
At one point, the train stops abruptly due to a bridge damaged by the earthquake. Alberto gets injured and is in critical condition. The closest hospital is in Rome, too far from where they are located.
So Fogg convinces Moretti that he is capable of leading the convoy. He starts driving and miraculously manages to jump the missing portion of the bridge, reaching his destination. Once they arrive in Puglia, together with Passepartout and Abigail Fix they leave for the Suez Canal.
For Giovanni Scifoni it is not the first international experience. In 2021 it is part of the series Leonardo, in which he plays Luca Pacioli. Regarding the Italian works, since 2020 he has been the psychiatrist Enrico Sandri in DOC – In your hands. It will return in the third season, broadcast in prime time on Rai 1 starting from January 11th.
In “Fosca Innocenti 2” Giovanni Scifoni is the new entry Lapo Fineschi. (Mediaset)
David Tennant: «Around the world in 80 days it’s a timeless story”
«It is a timeless story, which passes from generation to generation», comments David Tennant when introducing the series. «I hope that this new version convey the love of travel to the public and the desire to venture into unknown worlds. At the heart of the narrative is the progressive discovery of the characters.”
“Around the World in 80 Days”, David Tennant is Phileas Fogg. (Getty Images)
Born in 1971, Tennant gained popularity thanks to his role as the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, which he held from 2005 to 2013. He returned in 2022 with the reincarnation of the Fourteenth Doctor. At the cinema, however, you have acted in several films including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firereleased in 2005.
Around the world in 80 days also features his son, Ty Tennant, already seen in the film Tolkien and in The house of the dragon. Father and son meet in the eighth episode, set in New York. Ty plays the leader of a gang trying to take out Fogg. «It was a wonderful experience», continues the actor, «I had wanted to work with him for a long time».
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED