Do people of tenderer years than me know about the curate's egg? A polite young clergyman, entertained at breakfast by his bishop, was asked about his stale egg. It was 'good in parts', said the curate, remembering the shell.
Around the World in 80 Treasures is 'good in parts'. How could it be otherwise? A crew spends months travelling the world to present wonderful things made by man, ancient and modern. Of course there has to be a mix. Some treasures are new, others are old. Some are enormous, others are tiny. Think of a contrast and you'll find it.
The bad parts are when presenter/writer Dan Cruickshank appears, speaks and gesticulates. He is an embarrassment of the highest order. Can't he voice words except in a breathless whisper? Why does every sentence have to be punctuated by unnecessary pauses? Is he incapable of speaking without making irritating hand gestures every few seconds? Why choose a presenter who can't even pronounce 'treasure' properly?
The choice of treasures hardly matters. The series includes things and places that everyone has heard of (Angkor Wat, Petra, Granada...) and a smattering of oddities (VW beetle, modern chair...). Many of them are astounding, but as soon as the the viewer begins to marvel the idiotic presenter intrudes.
When Cruickshank is absent his series provides wonderful images. As soon as he appears, any magic vanishes. My rating is an average of at least 9/10 for the choice of treasures, and at most 1/10 for the execrable way in which they're presented.