BBC’s Race Across the World triumphantly returns for its fifth series

Race Across the World series 5 spoilers below!

One of BBC One’s most beloved TV shows returned for its fifth series over the past couple of months. Race Across the World sees five pairs travel from one area of the world to another, with no technology and only the amount of money that it would cost them to get a flight from the starting point to the finish line. The unique format of the show has seen millions of people across the country tuning in to see the players race from checkpoint to checkpoint, with the finale, which aired on 11 June, raking in 4.2 million viewers.

This year’s series, similar to last year’s, followed the five couples race from one area of Asia to another. However, while series 4’s race was from Japan to Indonesia, this year’s race started in China, and the final checkpoint, where £20,000 was waiting for the winning team, was in the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari. In total, the players raced 14,000 km across Asia with a budget of £2,200, the lowest in the show’s history. While the competitors can earn extra money to bulk up their budget from jobs, they are not permitted to accept any money from strangers, no matter how depleted their budget is.

In total, the players raced 14,000 km across Asia with a budget of £2,200, the lowest in the show’s history.

Like every year, the main appeal of the series is that we watch ten ordinary people, just taking a break from their day jobs, take on this great feat. It is this authenticity which grabs millions of viewers. TV critic, Scott Bryan, agrees, emphasising that, “each team making their own decisions – we see their mistakes and watch them gain confidence, and it’s cast brilliantly.”

As much as we get to take in the scenery on our TV screens, we get to see the relationship between the pairs, and the confidence within themselves, evolve. This year was no different. The racers ranged from siblings, to a mother and son, to a divorced couple turned best friends.

Brian and Melvyn, 60-something-year-old brothers who chose different paths in life once leaving their family home, became the people’s champions throughout the series. Providing as many witty moments as they did heartfelt, the brothers worked on their personal relationship whilst consistently being one of the first to sign in at the checkpoints.

As much as we get to take in the scenery on our TV screens, we get to see the relationship between the pairs, and the confidence within themselves, evolve.

The brothers were not the only siblings in this year’s race, as sisters, Elizabeth and Letitia, also took on the adventure, on a quest to better their relationship after spending ten years living apart.

Moreover, for the first time ever, the show saw a divorced couple, Yin and Gaz, enter the competition. Although their time was cut short at the end of the third leg, with disaster after disaster preventing them from making it to the third checkpoint in Shangri-la, China, their interesting relationship was a talking point for viewers.

The youngest-ever racers, Fin and Sioned, aged 18, continuously expressed their amazement at the vastness of India compared to their native Wales. Watching Sioned’s confidence grow throughout the young couple’s time in India proves one of the selling points of the show; the contestants go on as much of a personal journey as they do a physical one.

The contestants go on as much of a personal journey as they do a physical one.

The series’ winners, mother and son Caroline and Tom, very much began as the underdogs; it was not until the final legs that they leapt to the front of the pack. Still, Caroline’s eagerness to get stuck into every task eventually won over viewers as they were the first to sign in at the final checkpoint.

The complicated format of the show brings up the question of how the series is filmed. Stephen and Viv, who took part in last year’s series, revealed all of the behind-the-scenes tips and tricks in an interview with Saga. Each pair is assigned its own crew, which stays with them for the entire journey. This crew includes camera and sound people, and a medic (in short, all the people necessary to make a TV show happen), and the teams must always be accompanied by at least one member of the crew, even in their overnight accommodation and on all transport. Consequently, if there are only two train tickets left, the team must wait for the next train. While all of the racers must strictly follow their budget, the crew have an unlimited budget, meaning that they can spend as much on food as they like, while the competitors are scrounging for the cheapest options.

As they race, the pairs must also assimilate into the culture around them. This is easier said than done. The language barrier makes it difficult for the contestants to book travel tickets and interact with the locals. Indeed, the racers have no idea where they will be racing to and from until they reach the airport, so there is no time to learn the language in advance. The fact that Letitia could speak some basic Mandarin was a pure coincidence, but it did help to give the sisters an advantage as they navigated China.

While all of the racers must strictly follow their budget, the crew have an unlimited budget, meaning that they can spend as much on food as they like, while the competitors are scrounging for the cheapest options.

The race took them from the most rural areas to the bustling cities. The contestants had to learn to become accustomed to jumping on the over-packed trains in India. Some of the most special moments of the series are when the racers take part in home stays with locals, with the kindness and generosity of the hosts at the forefront. The home stays allow the pairs to embrace the culture, for example by trying the local cuisine, and are popular as often the stays are free in exchange for the competitors’ work the next day.

The teams must also navigate a balance between actually racing and enjoying the culture around them. Sometimes, a three-hour wait for the next train is a blessing in disguise as the racers can take a break from the pressures of the race and explore the local culture.

Seeing ordinary people every year participate in the race means that the show is inundated with applicants every year.

As the series has now taken place in parts of Europe, South America, Canada, and Asia, the question is, where will series 6 take us?

You can watch all episodes of Race Across the World on BBC iPlayer now.