Race Across the World is a British television competition programme, in which teams of two race across an area of the world to become the fastest to reach a destination using any means of transportation other than air travel.[1] The programme was broadcast on BBC Two for the first two series, but due to better than expected viewership moved to BBC One for the third series. It has been narrated by John Hannah since first airing in 2019.[2]
The first series, consisting of six episodes, aired from 3 March to 7 April 2019. On 9 July 2019, the BBC confirmed that a second and third series had been commissioned.[3] The second series consisted of nine episodes, with the opening episode broadcast on 8 March 2020.[4] In September 2022, the BBC announced the third series, which is set wholly within Canada and a move to BBC One.[5][6]
In an announcement on 3 October 2019, it was revealed that a celebrity spin-off series was in the works,[7] but production was subsequently delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] The line up and route for the celebrity edition was confirmed in a BBC press release on 27 July 2023.[9]
Following the conclusion of the fourth series the BBC confirmed that the show was renewed for a fifth series set to air in 2025 along with a second celebrity series.[10]
Format
The programme follows pairs of competitors racing around the world to be the first to reach the final destination. In the first series, the race started from London and finished in Singapore. The competitors cannot fly but are each given an amount of money equivalent to the price of a one-way plane ticket to the final destination, which they can use to travel by land or by sea. The funds can be used to pay for the cost of any travel including food and accommodation, but teams may also work to earn more money along the way. The competitors are not allowed any mobile electronic devices or credit cards at the start of the race, but are given a world map, a GPS device to track their progress and for safety as well as finding the checkpoints, and a travel guide with local job adverts, in addition to the money. In every episode, the teams are given a checkpoint they have to reach. One team may be eliminated if they come last at a pre-determined checkpoint. At each checkpoint, the racers are given a 36-hour break. The first team to reach the final destination is awarded the cash prize of £20,000.[2]
Production
Before the race, two assistant producers conducted a recce research trip to assess the feasibility of such a journey within the budget constraints. All likely bus and train journeys were assessed beforehand. Visas were applied for the countries along all possible routes before the race as well as any necessary vaccinations required for entry to these countries.[2]
During the race, each team had two film crew members who travelled along with them. All decisions, however, were made by the racers and the crew cannot interfere with their choices. A director of photography travelled behind the teams for additional location filming. To ensure the safety of the racers, there may be local fixers and security advisers who observed the racers from a distance, and a medical support vehicle also travelled an hour behind the teams in some countries.[11][12]
The programme was commissioned by David Brindley and Michael Jochnowitz for BBC Two.[2]
The first series of Race Across the World consisting of six episodes first aired on BBC Two from 3 March to 7 April 2019.[1] Five pairs of racers travelled from the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London and finished at the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore. The itinerary of the race covered countries in Europe and Asia with checkpoints in Greece, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, China and Cambodia. In the first series, the contestants were each given £1,329 for the whole race, a journey of 12,000 miles which was completed in 50 days.[11]
The first series featured five pairs of competitors at the start of the race: Natalie and Shameema, Jinda and Bindu, Darron and Alex, Josh and Felix, and Sue and Clare.[13] Jinda and Bindu withdrew due to family illness in the first episode, and were replaced by Tony and Elaine, while Sue and Clare were eliminated in the second episode. The winners were Tony and Elaine.[14]
The series was the most successful debut for a factual entertainment show on BBC Two in over three years, and one of the most-watched shows of the year for the channel.[15]
A second series began airing on 8 March 2020 with five teams setting off from Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City in a race to the most southerly city in the world, Ushuaia in Argentina, covering a distance of 25,000 km in 2 months, passing through 7 checkpoints in Honduras, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and Argentina.[4] Each team was given £1,453 for the entire trip, equating to roughly £26 per day.[16] Filming started in September 2019.
In this series, the no-fly rule was abandoned due to civil unrest in Ecuador which made land travel through the country unsafe - all the teams were flown from Colombia to Peru to continue the race. The 5 teams of racers were Dom & Lizzie, Jo & Sam, Jen & Rob, Shuntelle & Michael, and Emon and Jamiul. No one was eliminated in this series but two teams decided to quit; Shuntelle & Michael left after losing half of their money in leg 2 of the race,[17] while Jo & Sam withdrew after they had run out of money in leg 7.[18] The winners were Emon and Jamiul who beat Jen & Rob to the final checkpoint by seconds.[19]
The number of episodes increased from six to nine this series; eight episodes on the race followed by a reunion special.[20]
In a subsequent press release dated 15 March 2023, the BBC revealed the five pairs of competitors as Cathie and Tricia, Claudia and Kevin, Ladi and Monique, Marc and Michael, and Mobeen and Zainib.[22] In a move from its previous Sunday evening broadcast to a midweek timeslot, the air date for the first episode of the third series was confirmed as 22 March 2023. Once again the series comprises nine episodes: eight episodes on the race followed by a reunion special.[23] The winners were Cathie and Tricia.[24]
The fourth series of Race Across the World began airing on 10 April 2024 and featured five teams racing from Japan to Indonesia, but skipping over China. China was omitted during the planning stage due to "time constraints and difficulties in travel in the aftermath of the global pandemic", so a flight was organised to move the contestants from Seoul to Hanoi.[25]
The teams were mother and daughter Brydie and Sharon, as well as Eugenie and Isabel; two friends, Alfie and Owen; husband and wife, Stephen and Viv; and brother and sister, Betty and James.[26] This series were won by Alfie and Owen.[27]
On 27 July 2023, the BBC announced that the delayed celebrity edition of Race Across the World would air later that same year and revealed a route spanning 24 countries and over 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) starting in Marrakesh, Morocco and finishing in Tromsø, Norway.[9]
In the same press release the BBC announced that this series would consist of 6 episodes and revealed the four pairs of competitors as weather presenter Alex Beresford and his father, Noel; former All Saints singer Melanie Blatt and her mother, Helene; McFly drummer Harry Judd and his mother, Emma and former British F4 Racing Driver Billy Monger and his sister, Bonny.
It was announced by the BBC on 30 July 2024 with a transmission date of 14 August 2024.
In the same press release the BBC confirmed that the series would once again consist of 6 hour-long episodes and revealed the four pairs of competitors as broadcaster Jeff Brazier and his son, Freddy; actor Kola Bokinni and his cousin, Mary Ellen; former model Kelly Brook and her husband, Jeremy and BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills and his husband Sam.[28][29]
Reception
Race Across the World has received generally positive reviews mixed with some negative reviews. Michael Hogan of The Telegraph found the first series "fiendishly addictive", and thought that it "reaffirmed one's faith in human nature" where friendships are "formed across cultural divides", with the series ending on an act of kindness that was "apt" and "heartwarming".[30] Jeff Robson of the i newspaper regarded the series as "flawed but engaging", and that although the show lacked the "challenges of some extreme travelogues, nor the sense of peril", it "succeeded in recreating the combination of unexpected highlights, soul-destroying lows and crucial budget decisions which characterised old-school seat of the pants travel".[31] Carol Midgley of The Times regarded the challenge of racing to be "quite tough" and "dramatic".[32]
In the second series, Joel Golby of The Guardian judged it "an astounding piece of TV" that "captures all the vibrant highs and exhausted lows of travel in all of their raw glory", and one that made him "genuinely caring how this one ends and the impact it will have on the lives of those who lived it".[33] Anita Singh of The Telegraph thought "the casting is one of the strengths of the series" and she "can't help but warm to these wacky racers",[34] however, Chris Moss of the same paper was more negative; he found that the obstacles the contestants faced were "largely fictive" and the tension "fabricated", and thought the show used the "old idiot abroad trope", and the viewers were "asked not to marvel at faraway places but to engage with the participants".[35] Equally negative was Barry Didcock of The Herald who considered the show's premise of travelling without flying "a frivolous exercise" and of questionable taste as the budget of racers would exceed that of a refugee at the Mexico-Guatemala border.[36] In contrast, Shaun Kitchener wrote in the Metro that the show "is the heartfelt light we all need in these dark times" as it was aired during the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that with the "masterful combination of escapism (the scenery!), warmth (the contestants!), drama (the conflict!) and adrenaline (the actual race!), Race Across the World is a merciful piece of TV to keep us briefly distracted over the next few weeks".[37]
The programme aired in Australia on the Nine Network in December 2019.[39] In the United States, the series became available on Discovery+ at launch in January 2021.[40]
In Hong Kong, RTHK aired the first two seasons on RTHK TV 31, the first season aired as Race to Singapore in Chinese (鬥快去星洲) from 6 April 2020,[41] while the second season, following in 5 October 2020, title as Race to South America in Chinese under the series of Let’s Explore (一齊闖天下:鬥快去南美).[42] The third season moved to RTHK TV 32 and began on 20 June 2024 and was titled as Race to North America in Chinese (鬥快去北美).[43]
Danish TV 2 produced the first international adaptation named Først til verdens ende (translation: "First to the end of the world") in Autumn 2019 with a route between Odense and Singapore. The series began airing on 31 March 2020.[44]
In April 2021, TV2 and production company Strong began casting for a second season with an expected filming period from 10 October until the end of November 2021.[45] The season premiered on 11 April 2022[46] and saw contestants travelling in a circle around Europe to arrive back in Denmark. During the production, two participants tested positive for COVID-19, causing the competition to come to a halt for 11 days and participants being transported to the next checkpoint, before continuing.[47]
On 23 May 2022, a third season was announced with casting starting the same day.[48] The season premiered on 11 March 2023 and shows contestants travelling from New York City in USA to Buenos Aires in Argentina.[49]
On 3 May 2024, a fifth season was announced and is set to be filmed from 7 October to 8 December 2024.
Finnish version
In November 2023, it was announced, that Finnish network MTV3 would air their local version named Race Across the World Suomi (translation: "Race Across the World Finland") in spring of 2024 hosted by Ernest Lawson. The race will start in Morocco, Northern Africa and will see contestants travelling through Europe and finishing in Finland.[50][51]
In August 2021, it was revealed that Germany's RTL Zwei was preparing an adaptation of the format for the German audience.[53] In March 2024, it was reported that Tower Productions would begin filming a six-part series for ZDF in the fall. It is set to be aired in Spring 2025.[54]
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