The much-awaited Celebrity Race Across The World is set to captivate viewers on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year, as the line-up of famous personalities taking part in this thrilling adventure has been officially confirmed.
Among the notable figures embarking on this journey are broadcaster Alex Beresford and his father, Noel; singer Mel Blatt and her mother, Helene; McFly drummer Harry Judd and his mother, Emma; and British Racing Driver and pundit Billy Monger and his sister, Bonny. This exciting new series follows the successful and immensely popular Race Across The World, a BAFTA Award-winning format produced by Studio Lambert.
The challenging expedition commences in the vibrant city of Marrakech, Morocco, situated in the north-western region of Africa, and culminates in Tromsø, Norway, known as the Arctic capital. Over the course of the adventure, the teams will traverse 24 countries, covering an astonishing distance of more than 10,000 km. Their journey will take them through a diverse array of landscapes and cultures, from the enchanting city of Marrakech to the picturesque Mediterranean coast, historic and cosmopolitan cities, majestic Alps, unexplored regions of Central Europe, captivating Baltic States, and the snow-covered territories of Scandinavia.
In this six-part celebrity edition of the beloved series, the four pairs of celebrities and their racing partners will be tasked with reaching a finish line thousands of miles away, without the use of air travel or modern conveniences. Stripped of all luxuries and amenities, they will have to rely solely on their skills, resourcefulness, ingenuity, and hard work to succeed in their endeavour. The journey will require them to manage without credit cards, smartphones, or internet access, armed only with the equivalent cash for completing the journey by air. Along the way, they must earn extra money and seek the kindness of strangers to aid their progress. This extraordinary expedition will provide a unique insight into the celebrities’ personalities and their dynamics with their travel companions, showcasing the resilience and camaraderie that emerges amidst the challenges of such a remarkable journey.
Explaining why each of them decided to sign up to Celebrity Race Across The World, the teams shared their thoughts:
Alex Beresford said: “I thought it was a fantastic opportunity to do something that we’ve never done before. Neither of us has ever backpacked, so it’s a new experience. And, also, just to see some amazing places! Across continents and across countries, and you’re getting to see everything at ground level, so it’s completely different to just flying over – getting to immerse yourself in different cultures and communities.”
Noel Beresford said: “I’m into exploring new things, so this seemed like a good opportunity to see all the different cultures and how other people live and see how we get on.”
Mel Blatt commented: “For the experience, to be out of my comfort zone, to do something that I wouldn’t necessarily choose to do on my own. I’m definitely up for challenges and pushing myself… And this is what mum does all the time!”
Helene Blatt said: “I like to discover new things and have experiences and it’s one of my passions – travelling, having new experiences.”
Harry Judd said: “I never travelled when I was younger. I travelled with the band, but I never properly did backpacking and I always wanted to. I think the same applies for my mum, she always wanted to but started a family when she was 22.”
Emma Judd continued: “Yeah, I was young and one thing I think that I’ve missed in my life, not that I regret it, was actually backpacking and going off on an adventure like this. So, when Harry had the opportunity to come along, I thought what could be better than going on an adventure with my son!”
Billy Monger said: “We’ve spoken about travelling before, but it would probably be a little bit different to what I imagine this is going to be like – in terms of doing everything on such a budget and staying in hostels and being tight on money for food. With this opportunity, I spoke to Bon about it, and she said it could be quite cool. So, we sat down and watched the previous series and got more and more into it and then decided why not!”
Bonny Monger added: “We’ve always spoken about travelling and going and doing something together, but we’ve never actually been organised enough to do it. With this, it’s not organised for us, and we have to do it ourselves so it’s kind of like being thrown in the deep end and you’ve just got to do it.”
Celebrity Race Across The World, a 6×60′ series for BBC One and BBC iPlayer will debut later this year. Lucy Shepherd, Tim Harcourt, Jo Harcourt-Smith and Mark Saben are the Executive Producers for Studio Lambert. Lucy Curtis is the Series Producer, Maria Kennedy is Line Producer and Kezia Walker is the Production Executive. The series was commissioned by Catherine Catton, Head of Commissioning, Factual Entertainment and Events, and the Commissioning Editor is Michael Jochnowitz. It is distributed by All3Media International.
