OK, bold statement but I really do think Celebrity Race Across the World is the most enjoyable show on TV right now.
You've got your critically acclaimed Slow Horses season 4 on Apple TV Plus, and gripping The Perfect Couple on Netflix, but there's something really special about this series of the BBC One show which sees four pairs of celebs race each other across South America.
One of the keys is each celebrity team — TV presenter Jeff Brazier and his youngest son Freddy; Heart Radio DJ Kelly Brook and husband Jeremy; BBC Radio 2 DJ and Eurovision host Scott Mills and husband Sam; and Ted Lasso star Kola Bokinni and cousin Mary Ellen — are just so likable.
Let’s start with Jeff and Freddy. I love watching these two bond and Jeff trying to parent his son and encourage Freddy to take responsibility. I'm also laughing every time Jeff drops a not-very-subtle hint that perhaps it might be time for Freddy to move out! Freddy starts chatting at one point about wanting to move to the city and Jeff says well he wants to move somewhere quiet like the seaside.
Freddy, not taking the sledgehammer hint, then says he's fine with that if the seaside town has a pier to which Jeff's like it won’t have a pier! It feels like a really important trip for the pair and actually, as a viewer, you're getting a real insight into their lives. We've seen some deeply poignant moments between them too as Freddy speaks about growing up without his mother Jade Goody.
Freddy has even invented an entirely new phrase. "I'm a house son," he boasted when talking about how he helps with the chores, much to the bemusement of poor Jeff. "A house son?! Have you ever heard of a house son?!"
Next, up how much fun has it been watching Kelly and her husband Jeremy?! While Kelly wants to do nice things on the trip like going wine tasting, Jeremy seems to have decided this is his Olympics and nothing is going to stop him winning the gold medal. And boy does he not like spending money! So, in every episode, Jeremy is trying to cover like 1,000 miles on a horrendous-looking overnight bus journey while Kelly, not unreasonably, wants to see the actual places they’re traveling through.
As for Scott and Sam, they seem to have a good balance between wanting to win and seeing places. There was a nice moment in episode five where Scott, seeing Sam struggling a bit from lack of sleep, agreed to go in a car at high speed as he knew it would cheer Sam up even though he hated it.
Finally, Kola and Mary. Personally, I didn't know that much about Kola other than watching him in the brilliant Ted Lasso. But this series has really provided an insight into him as well. The pair initally got way behind on their journey with a bit too much partying and not enough haste. But with one episode to go, they have a real chance of winning.
And that brings us to another reason why this has been so much fun. Rather than releasing it as a box set, the BBC is showing it every Wednesday which has made it event TV watching. It feels like you need to be in on a Wednesday. And I'm sure everyone who's been enjoying the series will be tuning in on Wednesday, September 18 at 9 pm on BBC One to see who wins in the final.
It shows how likable they all are that I don't mind who wins. If you've not watched it then please give it a go with all the episodes available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
