Around the World in 80 Days

Episode 3: Ancient Mariners turned out to be a high point of the production: Palin himself remarks that he and his crew felt warmly welcomed by the crew of the dhow, Al Sham, like they were family and that he thought he might never see any of them again. Twenty years later Palin retraced part of his journey through the Middle East in Around the World in 20 Years (2008) and inquired with the original company that booked his passage on the dhow. His investigation led him to be reunited with the dhow's captain at his home in the Indian province of Gujarat along with several of the surviving crew. Palin reported that the Al Sham had sunk after catching fire while being towed for repairs on the Indian Ocean.

During the credits of the series finale, Palin meets his friends at BBC offices to formally present his souvenirs he promised to collect on his trip.