Look out world!
As the sixth series of Race across the World begins, we meet this year’s intrepid explorers. What did they pack? What did they miss? And did they fall out?
- Katelyn Mensah
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Five intrepid duos — best friends, a father and daughter, cousins, siblings and the show’s first set of in-laws — set off on a 12,000km journey from Palermo in Italy to Hatgal in Mongolia in the sixth series of Race across the World. Stripped of their phones, they each have a budget of just £23 a day to survive and make it to the final checkpoint ahead of the other contenders.
Cousins Puja (31, doctor) and Roshni (32, software engineer) from London
BBC/Studio Lambert
Whose idea was it to sign up?
Puja I applied a few years ago with another friend. I was advised to do it with someone I’ve known for a really long time so I reapplied with Roshni. I’m so glad we did it together.
Roshni We’d both just got married and I was house hunting and trying to be an adult. Leaving work for three months didn’t sound like the smartest idea…
Was it hard not being able to contact home?
Puja Definitely. We come from Asian families. We’re both married, but our parents still want to know what we’re doing every day.
What were you nervous about?
Roshni For me, it was food. Given we’re vegetarian, I knew we would have to make sacrifices.
Puja Running out of toiletries.
Who was better at approaching strangers for help?
Roshni Puja did take the lead at the start and watching her pushed me to do it.
Did the race change you?
Roshni Definitely. We found out a lot about each other.
Puja There’s nothing now that we won’t be able to work past.
In-laws Mark (66, retired architect) from London and Margo (59, hypnotherapist) from Liverpool
BBC/Studio Lambert
You’re in-laws, who at one point didn’t get on and yet you took on this journey — why?
Mark My late wife Julia was a big fan of the show but she would never have done it, she liked five-star hotels! One of Julia’s last wishes [before she died in July 2022] was that Margo and I continue the friendship we’d been building while caring for her. This was a way of doing that.
What was your reaction when you learnt the final checkpoint was in Mongolia?
Margo I don’t do cold!
Mark I had an inkling it could be Mongolia. Very few people go, so I was thrilled.
My late wife Julia was a big fan of the show
Mark
What were you most nervous about?
Margo We probably weren’t as nervous as we should’ve been! We had a little bit of chutzpah. We’re used to travelling, we’re grown-ups and we were a little bit gung-ho.
Did you agree to prioritise sightseeing or the race?
Margo We thought that it would be nice to see things but how we got along was my priority.
Mark Our intention was to be the oldest couple to win.
What did you learn about yourselves along the way?
Mark It was a turning point in my life. I’m quite shy and introverted. But on one particular leg of the race, I had an out-of-body experience in a way and it changed my view of life.
We're used to travelling and we were a little bit gung-ho
Margo
Margo We were both surprised at how much we were there for each other. We read the world in different ways, our brains work completely differently but we found common ground and connected.
Would you go on another adventure together?
Margo Absolutely!
Mark It was great fun being with Margo and we work well together and enjoy each other’s company. I could see us doing something again.
Siblings Katie (21, account manager) and Harrison (23, finance assistant) from Manchester
BBC/Studio Lambert
Whose idea was it to sign up?
Harrison It was my idea. Our mum sent us the link. It’s a show I’ve always watched. I just needed to convince Katie because she was scared of doing it until we got there.
Katie I was excited for the race, but nervous about the TV aspect.
What was your reaction when you learnt that the final checkpoint was in Mongolia?
Katie I was stressed because I’d packed for Brazil, I really thought we were going there so I was worried about my clothes!
What made you most nervous about the task?
Harrison I was concerned about being hungry.
Did the race test your relationship?
Katie It strengthened it. Our race relationship was slightly different to our home relationship because we were nice to each other. At home, it’s constant banter and taking the mick out of each other.
I was stressed because I'd packed for Brazil
Katie
Harrison 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.
Was there an item you were happy you packed?
Katie My face masks, especially because your skin gets so dry. It was a nice luxury.
Harrison I was pretty practical. My calculator and my notebook made me feel better.
What did you learn about yourselves on the race?
Katie To be a bit more confident in myself. It made me view the world differently.
Harrison I live quite a regimented life so I think I discovered a different side to me that maybe I didn’t know existed.
Would you go on another adventure together?
Harrison We’ve been waiting to finish my exams, then maybe South America.
Katie You keep saying maybe, but it’s a definitely!
Father and daughter Andrew (54, geography teacher) and Molly (23, junior doctor) from Northern Ireland
BBC/Studio Lambert
Whose idea was it to sign up?
Andrew I decided to fill out the form. Molly was sitting her finals. Never in a million years did we think we’d be picked.
What were you most nervous about?
Andrew Would we fall out? That was my biggest fear.
Molly Just doing well. I thought we’d get there eventually, but how was that going to happen?
Did the experience change you?
Andrew It gave me confidence and courage. To stop overthinking and seize the moment.
Molly For me, it was realising you can’t plan the future. Stop worrying about it because you’ll get through it and it’ll be OK.
Was there a luxury you wish you’d taken with you?
Andrew A spare razor!
MollyA nice outfit.
Who was better at approaching strangers to ask for help?
Molly There was a strategy. Daddy went to older people and I approached young people.
Did you agree to prioritise sightseeing or the race?
Molly 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”.
Andrew We just wanted to enjoy it.
Childhood best friends Kush (19, gap-year student) and Jo (19, college student) from Liverpool
BBC/Studio Lambert
Whose idea was it to apply?
Kush It was mine! I was on Instagram and saw the advert. I called Jo and said, “Do you want to sign up for this?” and he was like, “Yeah, sound.”
Jo We felt like we didn’t have anything to lose!
Not having a phone was a blessing in disguise
Kush
Were you worried your friendship would be tested?
Kush We were confident it was strong enough to overcome any sort of challenges.
Was it difficult to live without your phones?
Kush It was a blessing in disguise. The worst part was not being able to contact my mum and family.
Jo In the first week I was craving it quite a lot, but the race requires so much attention.
Did you agree to prioritise sightseeing or the race?
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Kush We decided to compromise. When we applied, I was more “Let’s just experience everything”. But Jo was very determined and said, “We’ve got to win.”
Authors
Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
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