Name: Race Across the World
Genre: Reality
Rating: 7.8
Cast: John Hannah

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John Hannah

In a frenetic race across the world, travellers can choose any route they like - but no flights or phones are allowed. On the trip of a lifetime, which pair will finish first?

Race Across the World

Race Across The World 2024 Series Trailer

The teams set off from Greenwich. They must pass through five checkpoints to reach their final destination. First up: the ancient city of Delphi.

Greenwich, London to Delphi, Greece

The five teams head to their next checkpoint - Baku in Azerbaijan - a journey that will see them leave behind the familiarity of the West for the exotic and unknown of the East.

Delphi, Greece to Baku, Azerbaijan

The four remaining teams leave Azerbaijan and head across the deserts, mountains and Silk Road cities of Central Asia in the third leg of the challenge. Along the way, they meet a stuntman with a high-octane car, get the chance to watch a grisly 13th-century Kazakh sport played between horse riders and using the carcass of a dead goat, and brave a storm on the Caspian sea.

Baku, Azerbaijan to Tashkent, Uzbekistan

The global travel series reaches another level this week as the four remaining teams enter the People’s Republic of China. After nearly a month on the road together, relationships are coming under increasing pressure in what is the most challenging leg of the race to date. With vast distances to cover to the checkpoint - the ancient village of Huangyao - budgets are running low and emotions are high.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan to Huangyao, China

It is the penultimate leg of BBC Two’s unrivalled travel series, that has taken viewers on a journey through the wilds of Kazakhstan to ancient villages in China. This leg sees the remaining four teams head through the dense forests and bustling metropolises of Cambodia and Vietnam, and the final checkpoint before Singapore – the island paradise of Koh Rong.

Huangyao, China to Koh Rong, Cambodia

The teams face the final leg of their journey, travelling 1500 miles down the Malaysian Peninsula to Singapore. However, seven weeks on the road is starting to take its toll. Josh and Felix are reliant on the kindness of strangers, Natalie and Shameema make a desperate gamble, Tony collapses with back pain, and Darron is forced to face his fear of dogs. Last in the series.

Koh Rong, Cambodia to Singapore

In the first episode, the teams set off from Mexico City – a gargantuan metropolis and the largest Spanish speaking city in the world.

Mexico City, Mexico to Copan Ruinas, Honduras

The race to Ushuaia is underway, and the five teams head out of Copan Ruinas in western Honduras to their next checkpoint – Panama City

Copan Ruinas, Honduras to Panama City, Panama

Setting off from Panama City, they take to the Caribbean Sea, bypassing the most dangerous place in the Western Hemisphere - the Darien Gap.

Panama City, Panama to Villavieja, Colombia

As the 25,000km race to Ushuaia approaches the half-way mark, the four teams compete not just with each other but with the extreme altitudes of Peru.

Villavieja, Colombia to Puno, Peru

To reach the next checkpoint - Cafayate in Argentina - teams must choose to travel through either Bolivia or Chile, but an unstable political climate in both countries puts everyone’s journeys at risk.

Puno, Peru to Cafayate, Argentina

With three teams at the checkpoint at Cafayate in Argentina, one team is yet to arrive. Dom and Lizzie are over 24 hours behind their competitors and after a disastrous last leg must rely on all their ingenuity to claw their way back into the race.

Cafayate, Argentina to Ilha Grande, Brazil

With two teams at the checkpoint – Ilha Grande in Brazil – the remaining teams are engaged in a frantic race to avoid finishing the leg in last place.

Ilha Grande, Brazil to Mendoza, Argentina

The teams embark on the final leg of their journey, heading off on the 4,800 kilometre trek to the finish line in Ushuaia, Argentina, the most southerly city in the world. However, as they prepare to leave the last checkpoint, one of the teams reveals that they have run out of money and will not be completing the challenge. The three remaining pairs rely on different tactics to get ahead, benefiting from risky gambles, lucky opportunities and the kindness of strangers.

Mendoza, Argentina to Ushuaia, Argentina

The five teams reunite for the first time to reveal fascinating insights into their different strategies and individual experiences - from their highest highs to their lowest lows.

Reunion

Five teams set off from Vancouver on a race across Canada. Without smartphones, internet access or credit cards, they will need plenty of ingenuity to make it to the finish line in Newfoundland.

Vancouver to Tlell

The race to St John’s continues as the five teams leave Haida Gwaii and head into the heart of the Yukon towards the second checkpoint, the former gold rush boom town Dawson City.

Tlell to Dawson City

The five pairs leave Dawson City and head south to the third checkpoint, the Rocky Mountain resort town of Banff. This time, the team arriving in last place will be eliminated from the race.

Dawson City to Banff

The teams head for the fourth checkpoint, the remote outpost of Churchill, on Hudson Bay. The only transport is a twice-weekly train, and they have just three days to catch it.

Banff to Churchill

The teams head for Lake Huron, a 3,000-kilometre journey, but the pairs only have one way out of Churchill – a noisy overnight train south.

Churchill to Manitoulin Island

In the sixth leg of the race, the pairs must brush up on their language skills, as the next stop is in Quebec. To get there, the teams must navigate Canada’s most densely inhabited region.

Manitoulin Island to Quebec City

41 days since the start on Canada's Pacific coast, the teams now have the Atlantic within their reach, lapping the shores of the seventh checkpoint at the seaside town of Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

Quebec City to Liverpool

The third series of Race Across the World reaches its epic climax as the pairs complete their gruelling journey across Canada. Which team will triumph?

Liverpool to St John's

With a thrilling third series of the Bafta-winning adventure now over, our five pairs meet up again to reflect on the adventure of a lifetime. Season Finale

The Reunion

Episode 1

The race to Lombok is well underway and less than five hours separate the teams. Leaving Nara City, they must cross their first border into South Korea to reach the second checkpoint in Sokcho.

Episode 2

The teams enter south east Asia, starting the third leg from Vietnamese capital Hanoi. They must race over 2,000km through Vietnam and into the Kingdom of Cambodia to reach Phnom Penh.

Episode 3

The teams are starting from the third checkpoint in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and must travel 1,400 kilometres through Thailand, one of the most visited countries in the world.

Episode 4

The teams must navigate the full length of Thailand to reach the next checkpoint - Koh Phi Phi - an archipelago of islands immortalised by the Hollywood blockbuster movie The Beach.

Episode 5

After the tranquillity of the islands of Koh Phi Phi, the teams now face a giant leap into the unknown, leaving Thailand behind to embark on a 2000km journey to the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Episode 6

The teams must travel through the populous Indonesian island of Sumatra, where they will endure an ad-hoc transport system, limited accommodation options and virtually zero English spoken.

Episode 7

Twelve minutes is all that separates the first two teams as they embark on the final leg of their Race Across the World from Jakarta to Lombok.

The Final

The five intrepid teams reunite in London to look back at their 51-day thrilling adventure through some of the most beautiful, populous and remote places on the planet.

Five intrepid duos are tasked with undertaking the trip of a lifetime, racing over 14,000km across the world’s largest continent, Asia, taking in three of its nations – China, Nepal and India.

The teams race to reach the second checkpoint – Sanya, one of China's most southerly cities. As well as choosing the best route to get there, they have a typhoon to contend with.

The five pairs are challenged to race from the island checkpoint of Sanya to the mysterious Shangri-La – a city sitting on the edge of the Tibetan plateau towards the foothills of the Himalayas.

After reaching Shangri-La in China, the teams discover where they’re headed next – one of the world’s oldest living cities, Varanasi.

After journeying through China and Nepal, the teams have reached northern India. Ahead of them is a journey of 1,500km north west of Varanasi to the fifth checkpoint, McLeod Ganj.

With over two thirds of the race completed, and almost 10,000km travelled, four teams have successfully made it to the fifth checkpoint, McLeod Ganj.

In the penultimate episode, the finish line is in sight for the four remaining teams, who need to reach the seventh checkpoint - Panaji, the tiny capital of India’s smallest state, Goa.

After racing nearly 13,000 kilometres over seven weeks through China, Nepal and India, the four teams are about to embark on the final leg of the race.

Finale

Six months after undertaking the race of a lifetime, the five intrepid pairs meet for the first time since returning home in this reunion episode.

Five adventurous teams are pushed to the limit, battling extreme climates and harsh terrain in a 12,000km race across Europe and Asia to reach Hatgal in northern Mongolia.

Leaving the tranquillity of Kefalonia behind, the teams race through Greece to reach one of Europe’s biggest and most vibrant cities, Istanbul, where Europe and Asia collide.

The five teams bid farewell to Europe and head into Asia, racing toward the remote riverside town of Halfeti, where the last to arrive will be eliminated from the competition.

With over 4,500km behind them, the race steps up a gear as the remaining teams learn the fourth checkpoint lies in Georgia’s futuristic capital, Tbilisi.

At the halfway stage of the race, the teams discover their next checkpoint lies within Zaamin National Park, Uzbekistan. To reach it, they must navigate the endless horizons of the vast Kazakh steppe.

With the leaderboard closer than ever, all four teams leave Zaamin National Park and race towards the next checkpoint, Almaty, Kazakhstan’s former Soviet-era capital.

In the penultimate leg, the teams enter Mongolia, the final country of the race, battling freezing conditions and brutal off-road travel to reach Kharkhorin.

After more than 11,000km across eight countries, the teams face one final test of endurance as they race to claim victory at the finish line in Hatgal, Mongolia.

Six months after the race, all five teams reunite to relive their 12,000km journey from Palermo to Mongolia, with unseen moments and unprecedented behind-the-scenes access

In a sneak peak of BBC Two’s adrenalin-fuelled adventure series, we meet the couples who are taking part in a race to Singapore. In a world where we reach our destination by flying over rather than travelling through, these everyday Brits have agreed to give up their phones, bankcards and the trappings of modern life to journey to a destination 12,000 miles away without setting foot on a single plane. All they have is the money that the airfare would have cost on the day they set off from Greenwich in London. With this money they must eat, pay for both transport and their accommodation, so they must travel smart if they are to make it to Singapore.

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