Marco Polo on Netflix: Is it any good?

On 12th Dec Netflix unveil their latest and great series 'Marco Polo' to the world.

A massive $90 million production filmed in Italy, Malaysia and Kazakhstan, Marco Polo is being billed as the new Game of Thrones - just with more history and a lot less fantasy.

The story of Marco Polo is told to us over twelve episodes. How he came as a young Italian merchant to the court of Kublai Khan in 13th Century China, was left there as a bargaining pawn by his father and how he used his wits to survive and flourish in the brutal new world he found himself in.

Image:Netflix

Having just returned from the première screening in New York (yes really!) I can report that it is truly stunning. Epic battles, glorious scenery, sexual intrigue, greed and betrayal abound, as well and fascinating characters such as the Blue Princess, Hundred Eyes and of course the very talented and gorgeous Lorenzo Richelmy as Marco Polo himself. 

Oh look  - there we are...

Me and Lorenzo. Swoon. 

Watching the two hour première show it was hard to believe that Lorenzo not only had to learn extreme horse riding skills and martial arts, but also the English language from scratch. Hugely impressive stuff.

The rest of the characters are equally brilliant. Tom Wu (Kick Ass) plays Hundred Eyes - Marco's blind martial arts trainer. Zhu Zhu (Cloud Atlas) - a huge actress in her own right in China, plays Marco's love interest Kokachin. Benedict Wong is also larger than life as the infamous Kublai Khan.

Image: Netflix

Remi Hill playing Prince Jingim one of Kublai Khan's many sons in the series.

And with me at the première...

Written and created by John Fusco, and with the backing by the great Harvey Weinstein Marco Polo is sure to be another big Netflix hit.

Even Boo from their other hit show Orange is the New Black agrees....

My sister wining and dining with the stars at the after show party. 

So don't miss out - make sure you're watching on the 12th Dec. You can thank me after.

An unexpected trip

This day next week I will be making a very unexpected trip to New York City.

The last post I put up here was about my pre-kids travels and explorations. It was written as part of a Netflix Stream Team competition to celebrate the launch of their huge new series Marco Polo.

A few days later I got a call to say I had won and would be jetting off with a guest to the world premiere in New York as the UK and Ireland Stream Team representative.

Holy shit. 

I must have sat at my desk for half an hour in shock. Oh shit. Oh crap. Oh no. Oh my God. Oh wow. Oh brilliant. Oh oh oh...

The one and only time I have been to New York previously was when I did a stint working there briefly in a different life about 15 years ago. I fixed the inflight entertainment systems in the British Airways planes that flew into JFK airport for about three weeks. Like I said - a different life.

During those weeks I only had to be in work for a couple of hours a day and the rest of the time I had to myself. Very much to myself. In fact I knew not one person in the city and I stayed in a soul sucking hotel beside the airport. The loneliness and boredom got the better of me by the second week and I moved myself into a YWCA hostel in the city in a bid to improve my fortunes. It didn't. I wandered the streets alone. Ate in cafés alone. Visited the Empire State Building alone. And took a tour of Harlem alone.

Macys New York - as seen from the Empire State Building. Alone. 

To be honest I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there. 

But now, finally, I am able to exorcise the demons. I get to go and experience a different New York. The cold, Christmasy, snowy New York. The glittery star-studded New York. The New York of bars and diners and shopping malls and yellow taxis. The New York of Central Park, Greenwich Village and Manhattan Island. 

So now all I have to do is break it to these guys that they're not actually coming...

The maps are out

Wish me luck.