Characters / Around the World in 80 Days (2021)

Character page for the 2021 series Around the World in 80 Days.

For the source material by Jules Verne, see here.

---

The Travellers:

Phileus Fogg

"No one knows more about missed opportunities than I do."

Played by: David Tennant

• Adaptational Wimp: A downplayed example; Fogg is still a "hero" in the sense of being a genius capable of calculating complex odds and accommodating real-world factors into his calculations, but this version is less confident in his equations than in the original novel, implied to be due to some past event. Furthermore, whereas in the original novel he was characterised simply as a stoic, almost mechanically efficient recluse, this version is established to be a rather timid and shy Cowardly Lion who appears to be slightly phobic of leaving his house.
• Cowardly Lion: This is Fogg in a nutshell. He clearly regrets his rash decision to engage in the bet before he has even reached France yet still manages to continue on his journey despite his self-doubts, even saving the day in some cases. When he is due to be flogged in Hong Kong for stealing the White Dragon (Passepartout was the thief), he faces it stoically.
• Dark and Troubled Past: In Episode 6, Fogg reveals the true story of him and Estella; they were due to get married in Paris and travel the world together. But Fogg's insecurities, fuelled by Bellamy, made him lose his nerve and abandon her on the boat to France. He's never moved on from the shame or the pain of losing her.
• Defiant Captive: When sentenced to a dozen lashes for a crime he didn't commit, Fogg manages to maintain a stoic facade in front of Donaldson while maintaining his innocence, even cracking a joke.
• Establishing Character Moment: Fogg is first seen in his house, getting ready to go out to the Club as usual. He seems quite sad and lonely, but becomes animated when presented with a postcard with the single word "coward" on the back, which clearly means something personal to him.
• Friend to All Children: Fogg has shades of this, immediately showing a kinder, more open side of himself to the children he meets on his adventures than he shows to any of the adult characters pre-Character Development. He quickly bonds with young Alberto Moretti, and his reaction to being hugged by Aouda's young daughter and being hugged by Abigail moments later show this clearly—with the first he just hugs her back in confusion, the second, he turns into a statue.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: Kneedling is using his position as a police officer to interfere with Fogg's journey by pretending that he's a fugitive. First the bank manager is persuaded to prevent Fogg accessing his money, then the Governor and the chief of police are set against him just as a valuable necklace is stolen...
• Hidden Depths: Under the influence of datura, Fogg reveals some of his past with Estella to Abigail, who realises that his motive for his journey is a broken heart. Then he surprises everyone with a Rousing Speech defending Arjun's actions in deserting to attend his wedding, telling Lieutenant Bathurst that when he faces real action, it won't be duty that spurs him on, but the thought of seeing his beloved Penelope again. It works, and Bathurst dishonorably discharges Arjun (allowing him to stay with his bride) rather than sending him to the tin mines.
• Idle Rich: By his own admission, Fogg has spent 20 years at the Reform Club reading the paper. Of course, as we learn over the course of the series, it's his own fearfulness and insecurity that have kept him in London.
• Innocently Insensitive: Fogg is a very kind man, but as a sheltered Victorian gentleman he has his biases and frequently blunders his way into offending female or non-British characters — which accounts for most of the cast.
• Oblivious to Love: Fogg can be forgiven for missing the multiple women who flirt with him given his Single-Target Sexuality towards Estella, but he also misses the obvious tension between Fix and Passepartout until it's pointed out to him.
• The Smart Guy: Fogg's primary contribution to the journey is his Arbitrarily Large Bank Account and his extensive knowledge of modern science and technology. In the second episode, he calculates exactly how much weight they needed to discard and what was needed to bring a locomotive over a broken bridge and get it to the next town in time to give a young boy urgent medical treatment.
• The Stoic/ Not So Stoic: In Episode 5, Fogg maintains a stoic demeanor in front of Donaldson, but in the prison cell he cries while trying to distract himself by reading the newspaper and while Abigail and Passpartout scream that they have his pardon he frantically twists around trying to see what's happening, desperately hoping he might be spared the pain.
• Took a Level in Badass: Fogg proves in Episode 8 how far he's come. When he's held up by Kneedling on the way back to the boat, remains defiant despite having a knife to his throat. The pair are attacked by a street gang who think Kneedling's mugging Fogg on their turf, and in the ensuing fight Fogg grabs a dropped bat and loses his shit, laying about himself to the point that the thugs decide it's not worth it and run away. Even better, he doesn't even mention the fight to Abigail and Passpartout, only commenting that he met Estella and apologising for alarming them. Later, he finally stands up to Bellamy and gets him thrown out of the Reform Club.
• What You Are in the Dark: When he comes around from being drugged, everyone seems to assume Fogg will want to get the hell out of Dodge. Aouda even seems about to offer her guide, no strings attached, after what he's been through. Instead, Fogg simply asks when Arjun's hearing is being held, and demands to be taken there straight away. After all, he's a gentleman and he gave his word.

Jean Passpartout

"Why can't we get a train, like normal people?"

Played by: Ibrahim Kona

• Adaptation Deviation: In the book, Passepartout expects a quiet life as Fogg's valet, and is aghast when Fogg tells him about the bet. In the series, he tricks his way into the valet role because he overheard about the bet, with his main purpose being to get out of the country following an altercation.
• The Atoner: After being bribed into drugging Fogg to slow him down, almost killing him, Passpartout commits himself to Fogg's wager with zeal. This leads to disaster in Episode 5, when Passpartout commits theft to fund the next leg of the journey and accidentally gets Fogg the lash. After confessing his misdeeds and earning Fogg's wrath, Passpartout finally redeems himself by making himself sick by finishing Fogg's raft overnight in the rain.
• The Corruptible: Goaded by what he considers Fogg's cavalier attitude towards other people's troubles, Passpartout accepts a bribe from Kneedling to stop Fogg's journey by drugging him. However, he's horrified when, rather than sending Fogg to sleep, the drug puts him on a Mushroom Samba that almost kills him. Passpartout becomes The Atoner out of guilt, committing to Fogg's journey with zeal.
• Dark and Troubled Past: It's revealed early that Passpartout's father was executed as a political dissident and that he ran away from his grief. He travelled the world for some years before becoming embroiled in Fogg's wager, including as a sailor and as a thief for a Hong Kong gangster.
• Dirty Coward: Downplayed. Passpartout is very physically brave but avoids emotional entanglements due to past hurt. Abigail spots the pattern early: he fled his grief after his father's execution, he fled the Reform Club due to some trouble, and he plans to leave Fogg as soon as it's convenient. His Character Development involves choosing to stay with Fogg and Abigail.
• Establishing Character Moment: Passpartout is introduced breaking up with a woman who clearly hoped for a real relationship with him. He gives no real reason and says that whoever does marry her will be a lucky man, indicating his tendency to runaway when feelings rear their head.
• Guile Hero: Joins Fogg's journey when he finds himself in a spot of bother and needs to make himself scarce in a hurry. Hearing Fogg ask the Club's front desk to send him another valet from the agency, he intercepts the message and presents himself to Fogg as the new man.
• Life of the Party: Relegated to the third class of a train, he's soon making friends with everyone, complimenting food other passengers have given him to try, getting a singsong going and being invited to a poker game.
• Omniglot: Passepartout can speak French, English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, a little Cantonese, and can ask "where is the fire escape" in Swahili.
• What You Are in the Dark: After the drugging, everyone thinks Fogg is just sick, but Passpartout knows different. He could have kept his mouth shut and pretended to be as confused as everyone else, but instead confesses to Aouda so she can treat Fogg.

Abigail "Fix" Fortescue

"A woman needs a man like a fish needs a penny farthing."

Played by: Leonie Benesch

• Action Girl: Much to the discomfort of the male travelling-companions determined to keep her safe. Whether she's climbing to the front of a train over a chasm with a bucket to replace the one Passpartout dropped, hiring her own guide to follow her companions when they ditch her, or saving her companions from the Ku Klux Klan in a moment of Horseback Heroism she does not back down from a challenge.
• Adaptation Deviation: Fix in this iteration is not only female (her full name is Abigail Fortescue; Fix is a pen name) but a budding journalist that is following Fogg to document his progress. The original books had Fix be an Inspector chasing Fogg and his crew down after suspecting he is a thief.
• Chekhov's Gun/ Chekhov's Skill: When Abigail expresses an interest in guns, having learned to shoot from her father, Reeves gives her Abernathy's "elegant" six-shooter to keep. Later, she uses it to save the menfolk in spectacular fashion.
• Dark and Troubled Past: She was raised by her father due to her mother's "melancholy" (depression to a modern viewer).
• Decomposite Character: Detective Fix from the original novel has been split into Abigail Fix, who inherited his name and main character status, and Thomas Kneedling, a much less sympathetic Dirty Cop who knows that Fogg isn't actually a criminal.
• Determinator: Your father printed your article under a male pseudonym? Fine, onto the next thing; follow his friend on his round-the-world adventure no one expects to work and write about that, without listening to anyone's Women Are Delicate crap or asking permission. The travellers you're following condescendingly try to send you home or tell you to Wait Here? Ignore them and just keep coming.
• Establishing Character Moment: Abigail anxiously waits for the newspaper with her article in it to be released, eagerly anticipating her father's pride in her work. She is, however, incensed when her article is printed under a man's name and marches into his Club to give him a piece of her mind. This shows her Well Done, Daughter Girl tendencies as well as her willingness to Call The Old Man Out when she sees fit.
• Fiery Redhead: Has red hair and is not shy about barging into the Reform Club to shout at her father when he publishes her article under a male pseudonym.
• Motor Mouth: Many characters comment that she sure does talk a lot.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Abigail is a high-spirited lady reporter who accompanies Fogg on his trip. She is an obvious analogue for Nellie Bly, the famous lady reporter who repeated Jules Verne's trip in Real Life, and wrote a book about it, Around the World in Seventy-Two Days.
• Nom de Mom: Abigail Fortescue uses her mother's maiden name of Fix for professional purposes to avoid backlash against a woman writing from damaging her father's reputation. This is after he published her article under a male pseudonym.
• Silly Rabbit, Cynicism Is for Losers!: Despite Passpartout's gloomy predictions that there is no future for their relationship outside of the crazy adventure they've been on, Abigail declares that she'd rather find out for herself than never know.
• Well Done, Daughter Girl: Her ambition to be a journalist is motivated by a desire to make her father proud. When she learns from Jane Digby that her father is a liar as well as a coward who copied other journslists' work, she loses her way for a while before writing on her own terms.

General:

Nyle Bellamy

"May the best man win! See you tomorrow."

Played by: Peter Sullivan

• Everyone Has Standards: Bellamy has often belittled Fogg and was willing to sabotage his chance to win the bet to sort out his own financial woes, but in Episode 6, his reaction to learning that Fogg and the others may have gone overboard makes it clear that he didn't want any of them dead to achieve that goal.
• Meaningless Villain Victory: Fogg wins the bet, but gives Bellamy the cheque for the prize money anyway, exposing his bankruptcy and the fact that he made the bet without the means to cover it if he lost. Bellamy has to take it, stripping himself of all respectability in the eyes of his fellows, and he's run out of the Club on rails.
• Smug Snake: Bellamy's opinion of Fogg is low enough that he considers the prize money all but won, even getting extra time from the bank to pay off his debts by using the prize money as a guarantee. Every word out of his mouth cements his status as this trope a little more. See character quote.
• Toxic Friend Influence: When Passepartout voices his suspicions about Bellamy, he also points out that as a waiter in the club, he never saw Bellamy treat Fogg as a friend—instead sneering at, insulting, demeaning, and humiliating him whenever possible. Fogg eventually sees the truth in this, although he still insists that Bellamy didn't want him dead (which is true: Bellamy wanted Fogg stopped, but Kneedling interpreted his orders much more broadly than intended).

Thomas Kneedling

"Do you know the saying, "If you want a job doing, do it yourself"?"

Played by: Anthony Flanagan

• Corrupt Cop: Takes a bribe from Kneedling to stop Fogg from winning his bet. First he bribes Passpartout in turn to drug Fogg with what he claims is a sleeping drug but is in fact datura, a dangerous psychotropic that almost kills him. When Fogg survives that, Kneedling uses his position to spread rumours that Fogg is a fugutive using the wager as a cover. This prevents Fogg from accessing his money and gets him blamed for a theft. When Fogg makes it onto a boat anyway, Kneedling finally loses patience and forces the trio onto a lifeboat at gunpoint, setting them adrift. He meets his end in New York, when his attempt to prevent Fogg from boarding his boat at knifepoint attracts the attention of a gang who think he's mugging Fogg on their turf.
• Inertial Impalement: How Kneedling meets his end in the last episode, falling down onto a knife during a brawl.
• Villain's Dying Grace: Dying of his wounds after the dockside fight, Kneedling confirms to Fogg that Bellamy hired him because he's in debt and needs the winnings, even giving him the telegram from Bellamy telling him to intercept Fogg in New York before passing.

Bernard Fortescue

Played by: Jason Watkins

• Intrepid Reporter: Defied. He's told his daughter Abigail he's this trope throughout her childhood, impressing her with thrilling tales of his exploits around the world. Turns out he stole those stories from braver reporters.
• Parents as People: Fogg tries to defend him to Abigail using this trope, but she insists that having lied is unforgivable. By the time they're reunited, though, she seems to have come around to viewing her father as a flawed man she can love if not respect as she once did.
• "Well Done, Dad!" Guy: Seems to his a Despair Event Horizon when Abigail learns of his lies and no longer respects him.

Paris:

Gérard Passpartout

Played by: Loic Djani

• Canon Foreigner: Has no equivalent in the book, where Passpartout has no backstory.
• Death Seeker: Implied by the fact that he's trying to assassinate the President of France in what he fully expects to be a Suicide Mission.
• Multiple Gunshot Death: He's shot to death by the Gendarmerie after his failed assassination attempt.

Dupuy de Lôme

Played by: Andre Penvern

• Historical Domain Character: Based on a real person who did, in fact, build an airship. Artistic License – History is in play, however, as his airship was a dirigible, which was only flown once in February 1872, about ten months before the episode is set.

Italy:

Niccolo Moretti

Played by: Giovanni Scifoni

• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When his son is gravely injured and Fogg's crazy idea is the only thing that could get him to a doctor in time, Moretti begs Fogg to try it despite his earlier derision of Fogg's character. It works.
• Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Moretti is a self-made wealthy industrialist who looks down on dreamers and idealists like Fogg and his own son, Alberto, and resents how well they get along when Fogg shows interest in the same books and ideas as Alberto. This results in Moretti finding excuses to shout at Alberto and Fogg, although he seems to regret his actions later
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Seems to deal with every problem by shouting at it, especially if it has to do with being upstaged or his failure to bond with his son.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Moretti is clearly a man of action and purpose, an industrialist who has trouble connecting to his dreamer son and deals with the problem as he would a problem with his business; by bullying him to do things his way, and getting frustrated and angry when that doesn't work. He lashes out when Fogg arrives and gets the attention that was previously Moretti's and gets along with his son better than he does. However, the next morning he does appear regretful of his actions, and is perfectly willing to eat humble pie when Alberto is injured and Fogg has an idea to save him.
• Jock Dad, Nerd Son: He's a highly pragmatic businessman whose son is a fan of Jules Verne and who has made a model rocket. Needless to say, they have trouble connecting.
• Parents as People: He's not actually malicious; he's mourning his wife, struggling to connect with their son in her absence and getting frustrated. After yelling at both his son and Fogg, he's seen the next day looking unhappy and somewhat ashamed of himself, but unsure what to do about it.
• Self-Made Man: Is introduced telling the story of being refused work by a restaurant owner, ending with buying the restaurant later once he'd made his fortune.

Alberto Moretti

Played by: Christian De Vergori

• Inter Generational Friendship: Bonds easily with Fogg as they both enjoy Jules Verne, to his father's frustration.
• Jock Dad, Nerd Son: He's the only child of a Self-Made Man who sees the world in terms of money and practical uses. Alberto, meanwhile, loves Jules Verne and has built a model rocket.
• Missing Mom: His mother has recently died, and father and son are having trouble connecting in her absence.

Yemen:

Jane Digby

Played by: Lindsay Duncan

• Big Damn Heroes: Jane and her husband are as guides hired by Abigail when Fogg and Passpartout leave her behind. They end up rescuing the menfolk from the Thirsty Desert.
• Historical Domain Character: Jane Digby was a real English aristocrat.
• Maligned Mixed Marriage: The main point on which she's been reviled by the press is her marriage to "an Arab camel-driver." In fact, he's a Sheikh, but as he points out it wouldn't matter if he was a camel-driver.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Jane Digby's husband says Abigail reminds him of Jane. Jane is adamant that she was never that annoying. When Abigail is at a loss after admitting her father's faults, it's Jane who persuades her to keep going on her own terms.
• Slut-Shaming: Abigail is horrified to discover that her father spread salacious lies about Jane Digby in revenge for her refusing his advances.

India:

Aouda

Played by: Shivaani Ghai

• Adaptation Personality Change: The Indian Princess Aouda, who was Fogg's love interest in the tale, simply appears in one episode as the village chief and mother-in-law of an Indian soldier who is tried for desertion.
• Adapted Out: In the novel, Fogg and Passepartout rescue Hindu widow Aouda from Sati (being ceremonially burnt alive at her husband's cremation) and she becomes their travelling companion, eventually falling in love with Fogg. This was considered too controversial for modern audiences, the suppression of Sati considered one of the most positive achievements of British rule in India.
• Demoted to Extra: With the addition of Fogg's lost love, Aouda's role in the book would get in the way, so while a character of that name appears in the India episode, she doesn't join the travellers or have any reason to do so.
• Mama Bear: Clearly doesn't like or trust her daughter's choice of husband, but when he's arrested for desertion, she strongarms Fogg into intervening, threatening to withhold the guide he needs to stay on schedule if he doesn't.
• The Medic: Apparently an expert healer, able to cure anything. When Fogg is poisoned, she knows exactly what to do and is able to make a cure that saves his life.
• Mythology Gag: With the addition of Fogg's lost love, Aouda's role in the book would get in the way, so while a character of that name appears in the India episode, she doesn't join the travellers or have any reason to do so.
• What the Romans Have Done for Us: Fogg defends British rule of India to Aouda by pointing out the technological and intellectual advances they brought. She replies that India had universities for 3,000 years before the British arrived. Fogg offers the railway system as an advantage of British occupation, although Aouda points out that he's in her village asking for a guide because the railway is incomplete.

Rockies:

U.S. Marshall Bass Reeves

Played by: Gary Beadle

• Badass in Distress: Held at gunpoint by Abernathy and his henchmen along with Fogg and Passpartout.
• Badass Longcoat: His signature look is a The Men in Black version of this trope.
• Baritone of Strength: Has a very deep voice and is definitely a badass.
• The Gunslinger: Travels the Deep South tracking down members of the Ku Klux Klan and taking them back to face justice.
• Historical Domain Character: Bass Reeves was a real person, the first black U.S. Marshall, with a record of 3 000 arrests and the real-life inspiration for The Lone Ranger. Artistic Licence – History is also in play, however, as the series is set in 1872, three years before Reeves became a Marshall.
• A Real Man Is a Killer: Averted. Contrary to Abernathy's opinion, Reeves only condones killing when necessary.

New York:

Estella

"Some of it was astonishing, some of it was sad. Day and night, sun and rain, it all makes up a life."

Played by: Dolly Wells

• Action Girl: When Fogg backed out of their planned elopement, she travelled the world alone.
• Amicable Exes: When Fogg finally reunites with Estella in New York, they have a friendly conversation but ultimately accept that they have moved on from their past relationship.
• Canon Foreigner: Has no equivalent in the book version.
• Hero of Another Story: Had a whole life after Fogg, travelling the world before marrying another man, raising a family and finally becoming widowed. The day she buried her husband, she thought about Fogg and sent him the postcard that inspired his adventure.
• The One That Got Away: Fogg lost her due to his cowardice twenty years before the start of the series, and hasn't moved on.