After several years working as a presenter and interviewer for BBC Radio 4, Vernon's first travelogue series was Fat Man On A Bicycle. As the title implied, Vernon was obese and the first episode followed the health tests he had to undergo before setting off on his journey, which took him from Muswell Hill to the Mediterranean coast of southern France. He would repeat this journey fifteen years later for the TV series, Fat Man in France.

17,300 miles is the distance from Los Angeles, California to New York, New York — seven times. It is about 5,000 miles less than the entire circumference of the Earth. It is a number I had only seen on the odometer in my car.