Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #560 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-11-03
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 363 minutes

Synopsis
Following the phenomenal success of Long Way Round, Race to Dakar and Long Way Down, adventurer extraordinaire Charley Boorman is back with a brand new voyage. Charley, travelling with his best friend and director, Russ Malkin, is faced with the utmost challenge: to get himself from Wicklow County in Ireland to Sydney, Australia by any means of transportation available. From yaks to Yugos, trucks to trawlers and ferries to fruit boats, no mode of moving transport is overlooked as Charley negotiates his way through 25 countries and over 20,000 miles.

Taking in Eastern Europe and the undiscovered countries of far Western Asia, moving across India and high up into the Himalayas, Charley mixes his passion for travelling with his love of meeting people and appreciating some of the world’s most incredible offerings. This is an exhilarating story uncovering a vast array of exciting vehicles that in turn unleashes the flavour of each nation visited. A must-watch for all.

Customer Reviews

by all means wait till the full version comes out
hi
i've been watching this on iplayer and it's a great program the only thing i'd say is w.a.i.t until the full 'extended version' hits the shops the production company have a habit of releasing the product on dvd then re releasing it with more added bonus content just a couple of months later...that's what happened with the long way down and i bought the first version so felt somewhat annoyed at being short changed on extra's by being enthusiastic about the program...would have been nice to be given the option of a download area for those who were first to buy..still learned my lesson and will wait fo the proper dvd version this time.

other than that this is a great journey to watch charlie 'do his thing'

stee

Give this a chance
I've really enjoyed this series. Charley gets a bad press and I myslef have grown to like the guy more after reading all the books and watching the DVDs. His enthusiasm is infectious and he doesnt moan like Ewan Mcgregor. Long way Round was super but this series is entertaining and a good watch

On yer bike, Charley...
Oh, Charley, Charley, Charley...
Where's it all gone wrong? The beginning of these epic journeys, Long Way Round, was an unforgettable experience, a real portayal of the daily grind across the world on two wheels with two friends and a minimalist crew behind them.
Long Way Down was more of the same - it bit more commericalised, clearly an easier ride for them, but still great fun, and Africa was brilliantly portrayed. Despite the rift created by Ewan's wife, LWD was still good.
But what's this? Charley Boorman, travelling from Ireland to Sydney 'By Any Means'?

My reaction to this is: why? Where's the friction of the journey, the troubles and breakdowns, the sense of achievement? Whereas travelling such vast distances on motorbikes is impressive, anyone could do what Charley is doing. While this has it's advantages (it mixes up the travel a bit, and you could envision yourself doing this), watching it is a dull experience. Gone are the tense moments of cars toppling over or bikes giving up halfway up a mountain or being held at gunpoint; the nearest this gets to that is Charley running back to a train before it leaves, sandwiches in hand. Yep, been there, done that. 'By Any Means' comes across too much as a holiday slideshow, with too much 'here we are' and 'we're on our way to...'. It moves so quick from place to place, too: in one episode we move from Paris all the way to Iran. Too rushed.

Clearly I prefer the duo and chemistry of Charley and Ewan, as I'm sure most will. While some may say that Charley lacks the on-camera polish and charisma of his partner-in-crime, I think this makes him more charming and likeable: if anyone had tried such a show, it would've fallen flat on it's face. But Charley carries it off, and he alone gives this show an extra star.
But it's not such much Ewan's absence that stings as it is the presence of that stitch-in-the-side Russ. He wipes the picture clean of any fun when he's around. He's the irritating bossy-boots of the holiday, who wants to do nothing but push on. Schedule and Itinerary are his middle names. I haven't liked him on any of the other trips, and his heightened presence has made things worse.

So, 'By Any Means' isn't awful: it's perfectly watchable and makes for easy viewing in the evening. But this is no Long Way Round or Down, not by a long way. On yer bike, Charley...