Customer Reviews
Still a great adventure! - By: N. Arif, 11 Nov 2008 
I only bought this DVD after watching the first few episodes on NatGeo. I didn't plan on watching it after reading the bad reviews here. But I loved Long Way Round & knew I just had to watch these two guys again.
The first big criticism abt this series must be Eve's (Ewan's wife) out-of-the-blue decision to join them. As a woman I was slightly embarrassed for her because she had never even ridden a motorcycle before! It didn't help that Ewan was gleeful of the prospect & I felt exactly what Charlie must have felt - oh gooooooood! It all seemed like too much of an indulgence on Ewan's side & Eve looked like a clueless & spoilt, bored housewife. However, what most reviewers did not say is that she only joined for a short section of the journey - thankfully on a realistically easy route from Malawi. Despite my earlier apprehension, I have to say that she did remarkably well & didn't whine & whinge despite falling off her bike riding on the sand. And everyone was very gracious about her being there. That said, I did think it was a bit much to have Charley riding on his own (on one section) while Ewan took Eve on an easier route. But Charley was a real sport & didn't bitch about it, which I though showed why he & Ewan are best mates. If the McGregor decide to go on another bike trip together, they should save it for a trip all on its own. Leave the two lads to go on with their own adventure!!
Second criticism about the show being too commercial is I think being a tad unfair considering how much it must cost to embark on such a journey. Despite the trip being on the poorest continentin the world, the places they stayed at (lodges & hotels) charge prime rate (unless they're all part of the freebies). No one claimed that they were going to do this on backpacker's budget! But neither was it Hollywood-budget!
The thing that stuck to me the most was that there was a bit when Charley & Ewan had a huge bust up which they decided not to show on film. I wasin two minds about this. One one hand I think it was a relief they didn't go the "reality tv" route & air all their dirty laundry - this kept the dignity & integrity of the show I think. But on the other hand, it was a missed opportunity & the programme after that just seemed to skim the surface of their friendship. We see them laughing & joking a lot but it certainly would have been intriguing to see another side to their relationship. Still, all credit to them for kissing & making up!
The second & third leg of the journey were certainly more "involved" - the first leg (from Scotland to Sudan) was them just plowing through. But I liked that they realised this hence they took more time to see & experience Africa afterwards. I did think the arrivalin Cape Town was a bit of an anti-climax. Not sure why but it just seemed that way. And why do we see Charley reunited with his wife & kids, but no Eve for Ewan? No one mentioned this at all. Just seemed another production hole!
I liked the extras but I wished they had done the same (as they did for Long Way Round) & did reactions about the trip months afterward (not just about the various charities they got involved with afterwards). I would have liked to hear more about Eve's involvementin the trip & hear if she thought it was a good idea & would she continue biking! Even going on a trip herself!
I love love love Ewan & Charlie because I think they are such decent & fun fun chaps!! Sooooo looking forward to Long Way Up!!! And they still have India & South East Asia to tackle!
Better than the Standard 2 Disc Edition - By: Mr. Pjk Patching, 07 Nov 2008 
I wrote a review on the first DVD set of this documentaryin which I gave it 3 stars because of how little footage there seemed to be. Thankfully having the extra 3 episodes & the extra footagein the other episodes have helped the programme greatly.
There have been complaints about how much the support team, which consisted of Russ & David (producers), Dai (medic), Claudio (who rode with Ewan & Charley), Jimmy & Jim (cameramen + Jim dealt with security), featuredin this sequel to Long Way Round. However what seems to have been forgotten is that for the majority of the trip they weren't traveling through the relative safety of Europe, Russia & America, like LWR, instead they traveled through areas which are notoriously unsafe for foreigners - Southern Egypt, Sudan, Northern Kenya are a couple of examples. (For reference this year's (2008) Dakar Rally was cancelled due to security fears). Due to this potential risk it meant that they had to ride/drive as a group for a fair amount of the North African leg plus it was a requirement from the Tourism Offices of several of the countries visited, the Libyan stage is a perfect example. Personally I found it provided a different dynamic which added to the whole programme.
Overall I found it to be a good series, not as good as LWR, but still gave a taste of what's out there & for those who have a thirst for knowledge & travel this is definately worth a watch.
Let down by massive support team - By: Alex, 08 Oct 2008 
The concept for this series is fantastic; two men on bikes across Africa from north to south. Except it isn't two men on bikes, it's let down by a unnecessarily large entourage following them around, at times it feels like the circus is coming to town!
A Humanitarian View of Africa - By: Bob Evans, 21 Sep 2008 I loved this series, showing our 2 adventurers, warts & all, appreciating the beauty & tragedy of Africa. I have been working there for 30 years now & really appreciated what a balanced view they gave of a continent which few Europeans have visited outside the better-known tourist resorts & which even fewer understand. I have watched the series at least 3 timesin the last 12 months & it's one of the few videos I keep permanently on my Archos.
Waste of time - By: C. T. DUNCAN, 14 Sep 2008 
Contarary to othe reviews I have to say this documentary was a HUGE disappointment. Long way ROUND was excellent & more of a story about Charley & Ewans friendship & their love of bikes than the locality of the trip itself.
This documentary was more about the production team. There is never a sense of the trip beingin jeopardy as there is a HUGE entourage of production team all over the footage. The producers are really really annoying & seem to love the fact that they have become associated with Ewan - the most annoying is the producer called Russ who is totally unwatchable & spoils everything by being, well - just there.
I would seriously think hard before getting this. I didn't & I was a massive fan of the first series. The new series 'By Any Means' is being broadcastin the UK now (Dec 2008) & is twice as bad as this with our friend Russ now appointed official major contributer (and director!!). Why? I have no idea. It has to be nepotism.
Don't buy it.
