The race is on once again. In the latest season of Race Across the World, the BBC’s wholesome globetrotting hit, five pairs of travellers relinquish their smartphones and embark on a journey that will take them from sun-soaked Sicily to the snowscapes of Mongolia, tracing parts of the ancient Silk Road in the process.
It’s a format that is now in its sixth season, not counting the smattering of celebrity spin-offs. Yet it still feels far fresher and funnier than a) any of the innumerable travel programmes featuring pairs of male comedians dispatched to unlikely locations, and b) the slew of imitation shows that have sprung up to try and capitalise on its success.
Perhaps that’s thanks to the good-natured way that Race Across the World combines high-stakes drama – all that rucksack-laden rushing from checkpoint to checkpoint – and dazzling scenery with the low-stakes squabbling of a family holiday.
Will the dad from County Derry use every possible opportunity to treat his daughter to an ad hoc geography lesson? Will the resolutely sensible older brother ever admit to his sister that cannoli might actually be nicer than his beloved custard creams? Will the friendly taxi driver get offended when one duo tells him that his English is very good – only for him to reveal that he’s actually Australian? These micro-interactions are a huge part of the show’s joy, and on this front, season six’s opener doesn’t disappoint.
First, we’re introduced to childhood best friends Jo and Kush, both 19, who are convinced that they will be able to use their “scouse charm” to ensure their journey to Mongolia runs smoothly; for them, the race is “one more side quest” before they have to “go into the adult world”.
Then there’s Katie and Harrison, siblings in their early twenties who share a close bond forged in a childhood where they had to move home 14 times – and a love of the aforementioned beige biscuits. Father-daughter duo Molly and Andrew, cousins Puja and Roshni and brother- and sister-in-law Mark and Margo round out the lineup.
Their journey begins in Palermo, where street stalls promising cheap Aperol spritzes offer constant temptation to fritter away their tight budget (just under £26 per person per day, a number that the majority of contestants baulk at, but Jo and Kush, perhaps with a dash of teenage naiveté, reckon is “sound”).
The first checkpoint is in the Greek village of Fiskardo, on Kefalonia, the sort of place that could comfortably be the backdrop for a third Mamma Mia! film. After locating it on their unwieldy paper map – or charming passers-by with smartphones into giving them some intel – they must head there by land or sea, budget depending.
As ever, you can tell that the contestants have been selected for their potential to make an emotional journey as well as a physical one, but all this is done with a light touch. Unlikely pair Mark and Margo bonded while caring for Julia, his wife and her sister, who died three years ago. One of Julia’s last wishes was for them to get on after her death, and taking part in the race is their idiosyncratic way of doing so.
They have shades of the classic sitcom odd couple; hypnotherapist Margo is a glamorous free spirit, while Mark appears more detail-oriented, the type of man to fashion a makeshift “modesty cocoon” from sheets while sharing a double bed with his sister-in-law, much to her bafflement.
This is reality TV that you can enjoy without the queasy feeling that accompanies many more over-produced offerings. And with the world seeming as uneasy and strange as it does right now, this show remains a wonderful source of escapism.
