Charley Boorman: Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means

gnolan · 25-09-2009 3:03pm #1

Just wondering what people's reactions are to this returning on Sunday night.

It is effectively a spin-off of "The Long Way Down/Round" with Ewan MacGregor. And although i wouldn't be Ewan MacGregor's biggest fan, i found the programme much more entertaining with him in it.

Boorman's last 'By Any Means' series, was one i found to be a huge disappointment; and for many reasons. First and foremost, the man himself is incredibly annoying. Although i probably can't remember every aspect that grinds my gears about him, as it is a while since i saw the programme, i remember how much it irked me that everything was "bootiful"! Now, this may seem a little petty, but when literally everything is declared as being "bootiful", it tends to grate on the old brain!

A second thing which gets to me (somewhat guiltily) is that he is not a handsome man! Now thats all fine and dandy, but there are so many close-ups of him with his yellow gnashers and his big beetrood head on him, its quite hard to avoid the issue.

Thirdly, and perhaps most closely related to the programme itself, is the 'By Any Means' part of the show. Whereas, the 'The Long Way Down/Round' were really about exploring different countries and cultures and whatnot, they seem to have tried to add in a novelty/quirky aspect to the programme by having a little counter in the corner of the screen relaying the number of different types of transport Mr. Boorman has used. It's just not necessary. It is an ammendment to a programme which should, by all rights, be strong enough to attract a decent audience with a proper frontman - which it does not have.

Soooo.....yeah, what do people think of the return of 'By Any Means'? Not for me clearly, but would be eager to hear if i'm the only one with a miltant attitude towards Boorman!

jasonb · 25-09-2009 3:10pm

Have to say, I really like The Long Way Round'. The Long Way Down wasn't as good, it just felt more forced. The first one was a dream they'd had, that there were in a position to fulfill. The second one was more 'lets go do it again, but in a different direction'.

As for By Any Means ( and 'Race To Dakar' ) I think they're flogging a dead horse at this stage. Personally I think Ewan McGregor is more interesting the Charlie, and also Long Way Round had the advantage of the relationship between the two of them, two mates going off on an adventure.

'Race To Dakar' at least had a common thread and a goal, the race itself. When I watched the first 'By Any Means' it felt very rushed, like it was a race to try as many modes of transport possible and there was very little mention of the countries he was actually in.

At this stage, I'd suggest he get a direct flight from Sydney to Tokyo and save everyone a lot of hassle and time...

J.