Around the World in 80 Treasures (DBL DVD)

I loved this travel series and rewatching it again made it even better.It's not that I'd ever get to the places he goes to(but that's not the point is it?)- he's revealing and reviewing these places as the makers are sure most won't see these things as well-and that's what makes it good.I especially liked the Silk road/carpets/tiles and arabesque buildings-that's something the west doesn't always appreciate.Dan Cruikshank has a demenour and humour that is unique and also needed as he stumbles his way around some of the most sensitive parts of the globe.Don't expect in depth history lessons from him and take it as a casual stroll around the planet. That'll make it a favorite.This is a great travel brouchure series and if you can never get to his selected 80 treasures you can always watch the DVD.

I borrowed this from the library but was unable to play some segments due to scratches so I purchased a copy with great expectations. Very disappointed to find I can't play it in New Zealand as the region is 1 and can't be played here. Not sure of the logic in sending a region 1 disc to an address in New Zealand! The actual contents are brilliant, Dan Cruickshank is so enthusiastic and makes the whole experience delightful plus the treasures he chooses are varied and extremely interesting.

I found the narrator of these "trips" to be a bit long-winded and somewhat full of himself. He tends to ramble and mumble as he "travels" to each place. He is also British so some of the humor did not "translate" well to my students. I teach elementary gifted students and we are studying World Wonders as our topic. I bought this DVD along with other resources. The Reader's Digest "Great Wonders fo the World" was better because it was more on topic and more understandable and consise for historical facts.

Congratulations to Mr. D. Cruickshank and to all the BBC team who made possible this beautiful documentary. It is in itself a treasure !!I recommend this DVD series not only for family-home entertainment but also for libraries, schools and science museums in order to promote this so fine work. The quality of image and sound is excellent.Key words from my part to this product: culture, knowledge, travels, photography, dream come true, peace, wonders of the world, amazing planet, beauty, diversity, mankind, animals, plants, architectural structres, ancestors, modernism. I can only compare this TV series with just one other TV series, and only one: COSMOS !!.

Amazing 5 month tour of 34 nations. Having worked or traveled in most these countries, I was much impressed by Cruickshank's ability to capture the essence of these diverse cultures as manifested in their art and architecture. His comments were intelligent. One might quibble over some of the details, but all in all it's a stunning achievement. I really appreciated his covering lesser known spots like Mali and Ethiopia. Of course, I have my own photos, but they cannot compare with the beauty captured by these professional cameramen. What a marvelous addition to my own memoirs!

The narrator's British accent and seemingly constant enthusiasm makes this video a jolly good treat. He manages to provide new insight to some very exposed art treasures.My only complaint is that there is no program directory- I suppose he wanted the `treasures' to be unexpected.Not having a program, makes finding a specific treasure to view difficult. I had to take notes, so I could go directly to video segments for class use. Maybe the producers could post a program list on the BBC website?I highly recommend this video!

Wonderful. I remember this when it first aired on t.v. and thought I must get a copy so I can record all 80 treasures. Cruikshank is a treasure himself-full of enthusiasm and knowledge. It's a great DVD to have because there were too many unknown places to remember at a single viewing.

I ordered this set of DVD's for the pure enjoyment of seeing places in the world we would most likely never be able to travel to. They would have been a nice journey if Mr. Cruickshank had kept his political views to himself. As it is, he is just one more liberal voice with the same rhetoric and opinions about what he thinks about this country and about historical events world-wide. It appears he embraces Communism. He is from Britain and that in itself makes me wonder how he can be so critical of this country or others when his own country has such a deeply embedded plank in it's own eye. I'm sending this set back even before finishing it. We travel to get away from the day to day weariness of 'news' and opinions, not to hear the travel host and others he or she interviews tell of their own opinions limited to their own ignorance and assumptions of history.

Dan gets a little whiny towards the end of his trip and he shares is logistical and other problems a bit too much (surely the production people can sort this out?)Also he seems obsessed with phallic symbols (I guess he is gay - so what?!)Of course I wouldn't expect the BBC to say anything meaningful about ancient Egypt!Another complaint I have is that the show is rushed with the "80 days" format, which doesn't really work that well.Still we enjoyed it for a single viewing - I've watched Adventures in Architecture many, many times and that's a 5*.On the plus side the scenery is stunning and it allows me to indulge my love of travel whilst being locked down.

So educational to see so many astounding places of interest that one could never afford the cost or time to travel in ones lifetime to visit in person. One thought comes to mind that many of the stuctures visited were built on a huge scale when tools and equipment were so primative. The hight and huge size of buildings in such early times in our history are "mindblowing". A wonderful collection of DVD's showing the result of skills of the people who created these stuctures.

I've only very recently discovered Dan Cruickshank when I was browsing through history & arts documentaries on YouTube. I came across clips of Mr Cruickshank's stuff and I found him to be so knowledgeable, interesting, passionate and at the same time, very relaxing to listen to. So I immediately purchased his whole Around the World in 80 Treasures series on DVD from Amazon.It arrived quickly & I pretty much went on a Dan Cruickshank binge - I watched all 4 discs within 2 days and when I slept, I dreamt of far-off exotic architecture & market places & of beautiful man-made treasures!This series is so interesting and I will definitely re-watch it, over and over again. So it has been money well spent, in my case! :)

This is just a wonderful piece of work. Dan Cruickshank circles the globe to take a close look at his own personal set of 80 treasures, some of them totally unexpected. This a documentary as they used to be made, no frills, simple clear direction and production, lot's of enthusiasm and a natural presenter that's interested in sharing his knowledge rather than making a song and dance about being a 'star'.

Enjoyed this when on the TV, like Dan Cruickshank's presentation style, and its been enjoyed again.