Three years after the epic adventure described in Around the World in 80 Days, Michael Palin was off again. Not circumnavigating the globe, but journeying from one end to the other: the North Pole to the South Pole. Following the 30 degree east line of longitude and using aircraft only as a last resort, Palin and his team endured extremes of heat and cold as they crossed 17 countries on trains, trucks, ships, rafts, ski-doos, buses, barges, bicycles, and balloons.

Whilst making his way down the world, Michael took part in an impressive and eclectic array of activities: a Russian kissing dance in Novgorod, a mud bath in Odessa, white-water rapids on the Zambesi and a squash game at 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Kartoum.

All of these adventures and more, including trying to buy a camel, are described by Michael Palin in his usual vivid and humorous style, leaving you wide-eyed with wonder whilst also laughing out loud.