The premise of traversing 12,000km across the globe without mobile phones, flights, luxury accommodation, or even bank cards sounds like an impossible feat. Yet, this is precisely the challenge facing contestants on BBC One’s Bafta-winning series, Race Across The World.
For its sixth series, five new civilian pairs are set to embark on a gruelling journey from Palermo, Sicily, to the remote village of Hatgal on the shores of Lake Hovsgol in northern Mongolia. Their ultimate goal is to be the first to reach the finish line and secure a £20,000 cash prize, all while adhering to a strict budget of less than £26 per person per day. The epic route will take them through eight diverse countries: Italy, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia.
Among the most intriguing pairings are 66-year-old retired London architect Mark and 59-year-old Liverpool-based hypnotherapist Margo. For four decades, they have been fractious in-laws, their relationship often strained. However, a profound shift occurred when they were compelled to set aside their differences to care for Julia – Mark’s wife and Margo’s elder sister – before her passing.
“We were typical in-laws you tolerate, Julia was the glue. I thought Mark was boring and judgemental,” Margo admitted, to which Mark promptly added, “I was judging you. I thought you were loud.”
Margo, unfazed, continued: “I knew I wasn’t just imagining it. I am loud. But also, I’m a bit like the water off a duck’s back. You can judge me. It’s not my concern. That [was the] dynamic between us.” She reflected on their shared experience during Julia’s illness: “When we did come together, we were both doing our jobs very well. I brought all the good times to Julia, and Mark took charge of the medicines and made sure we kept to appointments. We were a great tag team with really defined roles.”
The race, however, introduced a new dimension to their evolving bond. “When we started the race, the reality that I was going to be in the same country with him really hit home in the first episode. We didn’t really know each other. The first few days were difficult, and then it just became really comfortable,” Margo explained. “Obviously, we had ups and downs, and the awkwardness, but our friendship grew. It was effectively like going on holiday with a stranger, and the real start of our relationship. We had a superficial understanding of each other, but soon found out a lot of different things.”
Other teams competing include childhood best friends Jo and Kush, inseparable siblings Katie and Harrison, father and daughter Andrew and Molly, and cousins Puja and Roshni.
For 54-year-old Geography teacher Andrew and his 23-year-old daughter Molly, from Northern Ireland, the experience proved a rigorous test of their relationship. “You’re brought back to a raw state where you’re relying on somebody. You have to have a bit of give and take. You can’t get your back up. You have to move on to the next thing. So in that way, I found it really lovely to work as a team and try my best to think differently,” Andrew shared.
Junior doctor Molly elaborated on the challenges of their dynamic: “He’s [Andrew] very much my dad, and there’s an aspect of people pleasing. But at times, I just had to be decisive. Saying, ‘I don’t mind’, or ‘I don’t know’ isn’t helpful on the race. It’s not fair. Being indecisive is almost more of a burden because you’re putting it all on the other person.” Andrew concurred, adding: “You learn to live and die by your decisions and not get annoyed if it’s the wrong decision or the right decision. You’re constantly making decisions based on the information that you have at that moment in time.”
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London-based doctor Puja, 31, initially didn’t consider her cousin Roshni, 32, also from London, as her ideal travel companion. “Rosh and I spent most of our childhood together. But as we got older, life made it harder to be with each other. So at the time, I actually thought Rosh was too busy and wouldn’t actually agree to go with me. I needed to go with someone I knew would be able to take off two months from work,” Puja explained.
Roshni initially declined the invitation, citing work commitments and the need to find a new home. However, a serendipitous conversation with her husband changed her mind. Software engineer Roshni recounted: “I had just come back from a holiday, and I was telling my husband about how it would be great to go somewhere else, and at that exact moment, Puj called me and asked if I would join her.” Her husband, on the Tube with her during the call, urged her not to miss the opportunity. “He told me not to be stupid. So I called her back and signed up.”
Manchester siblings Katie, 20, an account manager, and Harrison, 23, a finance assistant, initially harboured significant concerns about their on-screen portrayal. “It’s a major consideration because this experience is a TV programme. But once you’ve done two to three days of the race, the camera is the least of your problems,” Harrison explained. “You no longer really care what you look like, think about what you’re saying or how you’re coming across, because there are so many other challenges. The camera is there constantly; it becomes normal very quickly, which is very strange.”
Katie echoed his sentiments: “I was absolutely petrified. The actual race itself didn’t seem as scary; it was being on TV that was so daunting to me. But you do just forget that they’re there and completely settle down.”
Liverpool college student Jo, 19, and her best friend, gap year student Kush, 19, also grappled with the constant presence of cameras. “It’s a bit weird, the cameras, though I didn’t really care too much. But it does add a different type of pressure, because you have to consider that other people will be watching,” Jo noted. Kush, a seasoned musician, found the prospect less daunting: “I’ve been performing music for a few years. So the idea of being on TV wasn’t something I feared anymore; it was more exciting.”
Race Across The World begins on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursday, April 2.
