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38-429: An Idiot Abroad is a British travel documentary comedy television series broadcast on Sky One , as well as a series of companion books published by Canongate Books , created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and starring Karl Pilkington . The ongoing theme of both the television series and the books is that Pilkington has no interest in global travel, so Merchant and Gervais make him travel while they stay in

76-473: A luchador , travelling the desert on a camel, and dancing with a samba school in a Carnival parade. It was confirmed by the show's producers, Mentorn Media, that Pilkington has no prior warning about these situations. The camera man coaxes him along. Gervais commented: "This is a [more real] documentary than most others you'll ever see on television. We don't plan it, he doesn't know what's going to happen." A book entitled The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington

114-482: A bike together. The outcome featured the pair travelling to China from Venice via Eastern Europe and India, loosely based on the journey of Marco Polo . Gervais said, "We started planning the route for An Idiot Abroad 3: The Short Way Round , this week. It's only a three-part special but we've decided to make it a bit more global as opposed to 'around Kent for a few days', Pilkington is starting to regret it already." An Idiot Abroad 3 did not feature Stephen Merchant, who

152-413: A debuting show since Terry Pratchett's Going Postal four months earlier, making An Idiot Abroad the fourth-most popular non-terrestrial programme that day. The program increased its viewing figures throughout its run, with Episode three attracting 1,850,000 viewers and Episode seven attracting 1,918,000 viewers. The show returned on 23 September 2011 at 9:00pm on Sky1 with 2,659,000 viewers, making it

190-988: A few programs specifically for Science, such as MegaScience and What The Ancients Knew . Programs from other Discovery Networks channels, PBS and the BBC are either regularly or occasionally aired on the network. Television series produced in the 1990s, such as Discover Magazine and Understanding , are carried on the network's weekday schedule. The Science Channel also broadcasts programs such as Moments of Impact and An Idiot Abroad . The channel has infrequently added reruns of several science fiction series like Firefly , Helix and Fringe to its schedule. There are international versions of Science in Southeast Asia , Europe, France, United Kingdom, Italy, India, Sweden, Turkey, Canada, Latin America and Australia. The channels are branded Discovery Science and do not broadcast all of

228-701: A film about a topical novelty subject matter. Travelogues further developed to incorporate movie rides which were coordinated sounds, motion pictures and mechanical movement to simulate virtual travel. Cinéorama , which simulates a ride in a hot air balloon and Mareorama , which simulates voyages of the sea, became major attractions at world fairs and expositions. Today's travelogues may be shown with either live or recorded voice-over narration, often with an in-sync audio soundtrack featuring music and location sound. The shows are often performed in school gymnasiums, civic auditoriums, senior center multi-purpose rooms, private clubs, and theatrical venues. Travelogues have been

266-636: A popular source of fundraising for local, non-profit community-service organizations, such as Kiwanis , Lions Clubs , and Rotary Clubs , among others, with many such clubs hosting travelogue series for decades. Travelogues stem from the work of American writer and lecturer, John Lawson Stoddard who began traveling around the world in 1874. He went on to publish books about his adventures and gave lectures across North America. The original lectures were accompanied by black and white lantern slides printed from his photographs. In 1892, John Lawson Stoddard recruited Burton Holmes as his junior associate. When Stoddard

304-436: A rebrand that included the introduction of a new logo based on the periodic table ; in 2011, the network rebranded as simply Science , introducing a new logo and graphics package designed by Imaginary Forces. In 2008, the channel changed its programming to adult-oriented, and removing all shows for elementary children. On December 23, 2016, Discovery Communications debuted a new logo for Science after five years. This rebrand

342-522: A short travel documentary shot in the Indian city Kolkata , was India's first 3D short travel documentary. Travel documentary is a kind of documentary. Travel documentaries generally tell stories about travel or introduce travel destinations. In general, there will be a leading figure in the documentary. This figure will introduce the audience to local landmarks, the cultural landscape, food and customs. From these documentaries, viewers can better understand

380-472: Is among the less prevalent networks of Warner Bros. Discovery. In recent years, Science Channel has lost carriage with the growth of streaming alternatives including its parent company's Max , and has generally been depreciated by Warner Bros. Discovery in current retransmission consent negotiations with cable and streaming providers. In November 1994, Discovery Networks announced plans for four digital channels set to launch in 1996. Discovery originally named

418-668: Is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery . The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, engineering , manufacturing , technology , space , space exploration , ufology and prehistory . As of November 2023 , Science Channel is available to approximately 34,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2013 peak of 78,000,000 households. Along with American Heroes Channel , Boomerang , Cooking Channel , Destination America , Discovery Family , and Discovery Life , Science Channel

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456-410: Is based on the personal experience of someone travelling through a new landscape and in contexts of ethnographic films where it exists a protagonist which took the whole story along. Travelogues are defined as nonfiction films that use a place as their primary subject. They often display the cinematic apparatus and have an open narration. The ideal travel film carries the appealing landscapes that brought

494-471: Is ridiculously funny and even when it's clear that Gervais and Merchant—pulling the strings back home in England and communicating with Pilkington via cell phone (some of these exchanges are scripted and sound added post-production, since cell coverage is not available in remote areas)—are having a cruel laugh, it's nearly impossible not to fall apart laughing at poor Pilkington's fate." TV Shows on DVD gave

532-644: The Great Pyramids in Egypt (which is the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to remain intact). Most of each episode focuses on Pilkington's reactions to cultural differences and idiosyncrasies in the countries he visits. Gervais and Merchant call Pilkington during each trip, to assign him tasks often not related to why he believed he was visiting the country. These include training as

570-530: The 1970s and 1980s, the popularity of traditional travelogues declined. But the advent of cable television channels, such as the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel and the availability of small, high quality, digital video equipment has renewed the popularity of travel films. Amateur films of an individual's travels can be considered travelogues as well. The Flavor of Kolkata (2015),

608-533: The U.S. During the 1950s and 1960s, more independent film producers created travelogues, which were shown in towns and schools across the U.S. and Canada. In the 1970s and 1980s, the popularity of traditional travelogues declined but the advent of cable television channels and the availability of small, high quality, digital video equipment has renewed the popularity of travel films. Though travelogues have enjoyed much popularity historically, these films have been criticized for culturally insensitive representations since

646-899: The United Kingdom and monitor his progress. Originally developed under the working title Karl Pilkington's Seven Wonders of the World , An Idiot Abroad documents Karl Pilkington's journeys to foreign countries under the guise of visiting the New Seven Wonders of the World . Though the New Seven Wonders of the World include the Colosseum in Rome, this is not one of Pilkington's destinations, Gervais and Merchant feeling Karl would be too comfortable in Italy; instead he visits

684-435: The World in 80 Days (1989). PBS has several travel shows including those hosted by Rick Steves and Burt Wolf . Travelogues were used to provide the general public with a means of observing different countries and cultures since the late 19th century. Travelogues are considered to be a form of virtual tourism or travel documentary and were often presented as lectures narrating accompanying films and photos. A travelogue

722-484: The audience toward an emotional attachment with the help of storytelling and characters. Travelogues were usually about eighty minutes in length, consisting of two 1000-foot reels of 16mm film, with an intermission in-between to change reels. The travelogue film speaker, often but not always the filmmaker, would usually introduce each reel, ask for the lights to be dimmed, and then narrate the film live from an onstage lectern . Travelogue series were usually offered during

760-646: The clock weeknights. The channel has undergone various rebrandings throughout its history. Its name was first modified to the Discovery Science Channel in 1998, and then was renamed The Science Channel in 2002, as the first network in the Discovery Networks digital suite to drop the "Discovery" brand from its name (however, international versions of the channel continue to use the "Discovery Science" name). The channel later shortened its name to just Science Channel in 2007 as part of

798-609: The films were not made by anthropologists. A famous example is the film about a family in the Canadian Arctic, Nanook of the North , where much of the scenes were staged. Travelogues are credited with helping cultivating the interest in the travel industry at the same time transportation infrastructure was being developed to make it possible. As railways and steamships became more accessible, more people became willing and eager to travel to distant places because of what

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836-431: The first series a positive review, saying: "I've been to places featured in three of the episodes, and it was a blast watching Karl experience them." James Draven from MSN gave the second series a positive review: " An Idiot Abroad 2 may dress up its premise as 'bucket list,' but it's really a fish-out-of-water presentation of Karl Pilkington's idiot-savant credentials. The laughter he inevitably provokes, regardless of

874-455: The most watched Sky1 and non-terrestrial programme since 2005. A three-part Christmas special was shown from 30 November 2012 to 14 December 2012 on Sky1. Pilkington is joined by actor Warwick Davis travelling to various locations along the route taken by Marco Polo to China . On 21 December 2012, a fourth episode entitled "A Commentary" was broadcast; it featured Davis, Pilkington, and Gervais commenting on episode three. Gervais confirmed that

912-558: The network under the working title Quark! ; this was changed before its launch to the Discovery Science Network . Discovery Science launched in October 1996 as part of the simultaneous rollout of the new channel suite (alongside Discovery Home & Leisure , Discovery Kids and Discovery Civilization ). In 2007, adult shows began airing around the clock weekdays, while younger children shows began airing around

950-405: The only countries that he visits more than once, and China is the only country that appears in all three series. Series 1 – The Seven Wonders : Series 2 – The Bucket List : Series 3 – The Short Way Round : An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington is the fourth book written by Karl Pilkington. This book is an accompaniment to the television series An Idiot Abroad . It

988-472: The original episode. In each "Lost Luggage" segment, Gervais and Pilkington hold a short discussion. The first series was released in the UK on 15 November 2010 for DVD and Blu-ray . The second series was released on 21 November 2011, as well as a box set featuring series 1 and 2. The third series was released on DVD in the UK on 24 December 2012, as well as a box set featuring series 1, 2 and 3. The first series

1026-473: The region, history, and places worth a visit. Therefore, travel documentaries can also be described as human geography documentaries. They can lead the audience to better understand a place. The following are TV stations that air primarily travel based content: https://www.travelwritingworld.com/what-is-a-travelogue/ http://film.byu.edu/aperture/?p=185 Science (TV channel) Science Channel (often simply branded as Science ; abbreviated to SCI )

1064-468: The situation, make this a must-see. If you miss it, you'll miss out," and gave the first episode four stars. Reviewing the show's third series, Shiny Potato said: "Warwick Davis is a welcome addition to the series, as he only seems to make Karl's reactions worse." Ricky Gervais believes the third series to be the show's best. In autumn 2013, a spin-off series called The Moaning of Life aired on Sky1. It once again featured Pilkington travelling around

1102-573: The specials would be the end of the series. In February 2013, Science , which broadcast all three series in North America , began rebroadcasting episodes of An Idiot Abroad under the title An Idiot Abroad: Lost Luggage , marketed as "Karl Pilkington's greatest journeys... now with never-before-seen footage" and "Same idiot, more scenes." Each Lost Luggage episode is made up of the original episode and two brief, new "Lost Luggage" segments filmed at Gervais's home in England that were not part of

1140-403: The winter months and were often sold on subscription basis in small and medium-sized towns. Patrons could then meet the speaker in-person after the show. As cinema progress, the standard film program provided by the most theaters consisted of a feature-length film accompanied by a newsreel and at least one additional short subject, which might take the form of a travelogue, a comedy, a cartoon, or

1178-711: The world and was produced in a similar style. Its premise is different, however, as Pilkington set out to discover how other cultures deal with "life's biggest issues". Gervais and Merchant were not involved in the project and they did not appear in the series or its credits. Travel documentary The genre has been represented by television shows such as Across the Seven Seas , which showcased travelogues produced by third parties, and by occasional itinerant presentations of travelogues in theaters and other venues. The British comedian and actor Michael Palin has made several series in this genre beginning with Around

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1216-616: Was busy with other projects. After the conclusion of the show, Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington worked together again in the TV series Derek . There is also an official podcast to accompany the programme and book. The programme was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky1 , and has since started airing in other countries. The very first episode of An Idiot Abroad aired on 23 September 2010 at 9:30pm on Sky1 and achieved an official audience figure of 1,241,000 viewers based on BARB. These audience figures were Sky1's best viewer numbers for

1254-652: Was displayed in the popular travelogues of the day. Today, travelogues are most often seen in IMAX theaters and play a role in fiction film cinematography. IMAX was invented more than 40 years ago by Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroiter, and Robert Kerr who pioneered the technology and debuted it at the EXPO 67 in Montreal , Canada and later again at EXPO 70 in Osaka , Japan. Since then, IMAX and travelogues have latched onto each other. In

1292-465: Was done by Sibling Rivalry, a New York–based design agency. The channel launched a high-definition simulcast feed that broadcasts in 1080i ; it was launched on September 1, 2009, along with Discovery Channel HD, TLC HD and Animal Planet HD. Science Channel broadcasts a number of science-related television series originally produced by or aired on Discovery Channel, such as Beyond Tomorrow , among others. Discovery Communications has also produced

1330-446: Was published shortly after the series. It was authored by Pilkington and gives a deeper insight into his feelings on what he was experiencing. The second series shows Pilkington performing activities from a general (but not his) "bucket list". Gervais produced a Christmas special mini-series that aired in the UK in late 2012. The original concept, pitched by Gervais, was to show Pilkington and Warwick Davis travelling around England on

1368-404: Was ready to retire in 1897, he arranged for Holmes to take over the rest of his speaking arrangements. Holmes went on to become the premier travel lecturer of his day and coined the term, "travelogues," in 1904 when he introduced film clips to lecture series making them wildly popular. After World War II, Lowell Thomas created popular Movietone News Reel travelogues shown in movie theaters across

1406-513: Was released on Blu-ray in the US on 16 November 2010, and a Blu-ray box set of the first and second series on 29 November 2011. The first series was released on DVD on 10 January 2012, and series two was released on DVD on 8 January 2013. This is a list of countries, locations and events that Pilkington experiences over all three series of An Idiot Abroad . China, India and the United States are

1444-478: Was released through Canongate Books. A second book entitled The Further Adventures of An Idiot Abroad was released on 20 September 2012 by Canongate Books. The second book features a conclusion where An Idiot Abroad 3 is featured, but it is unclear if a third book will be released. The show has received widespread acclaim. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter praised the show, saying: "At times, it's nearly impossible not to fall apart laughing. An Idiot Abroad

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