Race Across The World is back with a fresh group of eager duos hoping to speed their way to the finish line.
Series six of the Bafta-award winning show begins on April 2 at 8pm on BBC One, with five teams hoping to take home the £20,000 prize.
This year’s adventurers will be making the 12,000km journey from Palermo, Italy, to Hatgal, Mongolia, as they cross through eight countries.
With only £23 per day and no smartphones at their disposal, contestants must travel through Italy, Greece, Türkiye, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, until reaching their final checkpoint.
The journey will take them through parts of the historic Silk Road, as they aim for one of the world’s most remote locations, the Mongolian Steppe.
As usual, the duos are made up of best friends, siblings, and parent-child combos, as well as the first-ever in-laws.
Let’s find out who is taking on the challenge, and where they’re heading…
Mark and Margo
In a first for Race Across The World, 66-year-old Mark will be racing with his sister-in-law, Margo, 59.
The pair bonded after years of being at odds while caring for Mark’s wife (and Margo’s sister), Julia, before her death in July 2022.
‘We tolerated each other,’ Margo told Metro. ‘I thought he was boring and judging me.’
She continued: ‘It’s the maddest thing because we’re just not someone you choose to go on a holiday with, let alone this kind of thing, but I just had this feeling it was the right thing to do. I asked him, and he said yes because Julia wanted us to be friends.’
Mark, a retired architect, shared: ‘It was her last dying wish… but also I wanted to experience the excitement of Race Across The World.’
‘We didn’t really know each other, we had preconceived ideas, the first few days there was a modesty cocoon and then it just became really comfortable,’ Margo added.
Puja and Roshni
Doctor Puja, 31, is taking part with her software engineer cousin Roshni, 32, after originally applying with a friend.
‘I was advised to do it with someone I’ve known for a really long time so I reapplied with Roshni,’ she explained to Radio Times, saying she was glad they ‘did it together’.
They had both just tied the knot with their partners while Roshni was house hunting – the perfect time to disappear for three months.
Puja is apparently the extrovert of the pair, taking the lead when they needed help from strangers, which happens a lot every single series.
‘We found out a lot about each other,’ Roshni shared when asked if the show had changed them.
‘There’s nothing now that we won’t be able to work past,’ her cousin added.
Katie and Harrison
Sibling duo Katie, 21, and Harrison, 23, signed up for Race Across The World when their mum sent them the link, although the initial idea was firmly Harrison’s.
‘I just needed to convince Katie because she was scared of doing it until we got there,’ he revealed.
His little sister admitted she was ‘nervous about the TV aspect’ more than the travel, even though she had packed for Brazil, believing they were heading to South America.
Despite needing convincing, Katie said the race ‘strengthened’ their relationship as they were nicer to each other while travelling.
‘At home, it’s constant banter and taking the mick out of each other,’ she revealed.
Harrison added: ‘We do everything together, so we had a strong relationship and foundation going into the race, but we made a conscious effort to not wind each other up.’
Andrew and Molly
Geography teacher Andrew ‘never in a million years’ thought they’d be picked as he signed up alongside his daughter Molly.
The 54-year-old filled out the form while his daughter, a 23-year-old junior doctor, was sitting her finals.
Andrew was most nervous that they might fall out at some point over the 12,000km but they quickly strategised.
‘Daddy went to older people and I approached young people,’ Molly explained, adding: ‘We said that we live and die by whatever call we make at that moment.
‘There’s no “You said that” or “That was a bad idea”.’
Her dad said: ‘It gave me confidence and courage, to stop overthinking and seize the moment.’
Kush and Jo
Kush roped his best mate Jo, both 19, in for the adventure after seeing the advert on Instagram, figuring they had ‘nothing to lose’.
‘We were confident it was strong enough to overcome any sort of challenges,’ said Kush of their friendship.
The pair admitted going without phones was hard, wanting to call their family more than anything, but Jo said the race takes ‘so much attention’.
When decisions needed to be made, the agreeable duo took the compromising route, although Jo apparently was ‘very determined’ to win.
The new series of Race Across The World starts on April 2 at 8pm on BBC One.
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