# Full Circle with Michael Palin (1997)

> Michael Palin travels by land and sea through eighteen countries around the rim of the Pacific Ocean.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/807

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 10
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Michael Palin, Rob Hehnlin, Emily Symons, Norman Coburn
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122819/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: wry, warm, curious, gentle, reflective

## Synopsis

Full Circle with Michael Palin (1997) is a British travel documentary miniseries for BBC One, a single ten-episode run in which presenter Michael Palin journeys around the rim of the Pacific Ocean, visiting eighteen countries along the way. Palin himself is the constant presence, moving from town to town and meeting local people, with the occasional encounter such as a gold miner giving the trip its human texture. Each fifty-minute episode is built around a different stretch of coastline and its customs, landscapes and everyday life, so the engine of the series is simple curiosity about how distant places are lived in. The format is observational and unhurried rather than competitive or dramatic, and Palin's wry, warm narration keeps the pace easygoing. Its tone is gentle, reflective and occasionally funny, a relaxed armchair-travel experience set against wide ocean horizons and varied Pacific cultures. Fans of Around the World in 80 Days, Long Way Round and Sea of Life will find similar pleasures in a presenter-led journey that trades plot for place and people.

## Shows like Full Circle with Michael Palin

- [Pole to Pole (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/811)
- [Stephen Fry in America (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/7384)
- [Long Way Down (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/1161)
- [Human Planet (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/29516)
- [Conan Without Borders (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/1105124)
- [Somebody Feed Phil (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/66095)
- [James May: Our Man in… (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/81603)
- [An Idiot Abroad (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/31304)
- [The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/113776)
- [Blue Planet II (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/64612)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt