Race Across The World

Celebrity Race Across The World to return for second series

A row of people walk down a street. Behind them, a desert backdrop on the left transitions into an Arctic backdrop on the right

The first series saw four pairs of stars and one of their relatives compete to get from Africa to the Arctic without the use of phones or flights.

The journey took place over road, rail and sea across 24 countries, featuring McFly drummer Harry Judd and his mum, Emma, and weatherman Alex Beresford with his dad, Noel. Alex and Noel won the contest by just four minutes, while Emma succeeded in winning fans’ hearts.

Race Across The World, the show’s original format featuring members of the public, first aired in 2019.

Celebrity families line up for Race Across The World

Beresford will be joined by his dad Noel, while Judd will team up with his mum Emma. Singer Mel Blatt will also be taking part with her mum Helene, and British Racing Driver Billy Monger with his sister Bonny.

Hot on the heels of the emotional roller-coaster that was series three, the celebs will be taking on the same epic challenge but racing a different route.

This time they will start in Marrakech, Morocco, the most north-western country in Africa, and end in the Arctic capital of Tromsø, Norway, in a journey that spans 24 countries and over 10,000km.

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While everyone continues to remark on the so-called golden age of drama on TV, a growing number of constructed factual shows have been quietly grabbing huge audiences and winning awards.

Fresh off the block, The Traitors – effectively a game of “wink murder” writ large in a spooky Scottish castle, with Claudia Winkleman presiding – won at the RTS Programme Awards and the British Press Guild Awards, as well as grabbing two Baftas.

The 2023 Race Across The World teams - ranked!

The five teams will have to traverse Canada from the very edge of the Pacific Ocean in Vancouver to North America's most easterly city, St John's Newfoundland, all at ground level. And as always, the contestants will have to leave the modern world and all its comforts behind. There will be no air travel, no phones, no internet and no credit cards; just the cash equivalent of the same journey by plane.

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When showcasing the new series at a special event, Kate Phillips, BBC Director, Unscripted, said: “From stand-out documentaries like the Real Mo Farah and Freddie’s Field Of Dreams, to the BBC Proms and the launch of Frozen Planet II, the team here are at the very top of their game, bringing audiences high impact, uniquely public service content at its very best.

Who's taking part in Race Across the World series two?

Credit: BBC

The second series has been extended by two weeks and will now air for eight weeks, with contestants competing to get from Mexico City to the most southerly city in the world, Ushuaia in Argentina.

Like series one – where contestants travelled from London to Singapore – they will need to travel thousands of miles without taking any flights or using a smartphone and with a limited set amount of money.  

The 10 travellers will work in pairs to navigate across 16 countries via horse, foot, boat and bus to reach the finish line.

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From her first days working in television as a founder member of Meridian, the South of England regional ITV company, Jane Turton knew that she’d landed in exactly the right place professionally.

“I’ve always loved being in TV. It’s full of interesting people,” she says. “TV is always exciting. The product – if we’re allowed to call it that – is fascinating – part manufacturing business, part creative, part art, part commerce. TV brings all that stuff together in a way that is challenging and interesting.”