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Who are Andrew and Molly? Meet Race Across the World 2026 contestants

Will they go the distance?

Andrew and Molly stood next to each other, smiling ahead as they pose for a photo.

BBC/Studio Lambert

Published: Thursday, 21 May 2026 at 1:00 pm

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Race Across the World returns for its high-stakes finale tonight (Thursday 21 May), as the remaining teams make one last push across Mongolia.

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Among the finalists are father and daughter duo Andrew and Molly, who have defied their own expectations by making it this far – and are now firmly in with a shot at winning.

"There’s a lot of mixed emotions," Andrew said of reaching the final leg. "Mixed emotions of coming to the end of an experience that we never thought that we could do, and mixed emotions that we are now in with a chance of actually winning."

Molly added: "We’re going into the last leg knowing that we have thoroughly enjoyed the first seven, and we are willing to do whatever we need to. The next leg is just about absolutely going for it."

As the race reaches its conclusion, scroll on to find out more about the Race Across the World 2026 contestants.

Who are Andrew and Molly?

Andrew and Molly stood next to each other smiling ahead.

Andrew and Molly. BBC/Studio Lambert

Relationship: Father and daughter

Junior doctor Molly, 23, and her father Andrew, 54, have always been close, but Race Across the World has changed their relationship in a profound way.

Molly said the experience had taken them from "father and daughter to very much, a team", explaining that while she had initially been ready for Andrew to take the lead, she gradually found herself stepping up and making decisions too.

"We both relied on each other just as heavily, and we’ve really understood what this journey has meant to each other and have wanted to just see each other enjoy it," she said.

Andrew added that he now sees Molly "as a very, very capable adult who will do her own thing and will go through the world and be happy".

"As a father and daughter, I couldn't ask for anything better," he said. "My relationship with her is less of a father's frustration, and more of an equal partnership now."

Their biggest challenge has been balancing the pressure of the race with the once-in-a-lifetime experiences along the way.

Molly said Khiva was a particularly tough point, explaining that they were surrounded by "the most amazing things in the world" but could only think about how to keep moving.

Andrew added: "It was that constant pressure of having to make decisions and kind of missing out because you had to keep racing, so we kind of made a call that we would race when we had to, but enjoy it where we can."

Could Andrew and Molly win Race Across the World?

They certainly think they have a chance – though Andrew believes Jo and Kush are their biggest competition going into the final leg.

"Jo and Kush have been beside us so much, and going into the last leg, we are of course the top two teams," he said. "We’re quite ahead of Katie and Harrison and Mark and Margo and things would need to go really bad for it not to be one of us two teams, I think. But in this race, anything can happen."

Molly, however, had a slightly different answer: "Can I say Mongolia itself? What we have learnt in the last leg is that it can go your way really easily or go against you really easily."

As for what winning would mean, Molly said it would prove they had been able to both enjoy the experience and race it properly.

"We have enjoyed seven legs completely and wholeheartedly, and so to win it whilst enjoying it would mean everything to us," she said.

Andrew added that winning had never been their main reason for taking part, but now that they are so close, they are ready to go all in.

"We’ve kind of had a mantra from about the fifth leg to stay in the game," he said. "Winning has never been our biggest reason for doing the race, but now we are so close, we are going to take every chance we can to win."

Race Across the World continues on Thursdays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer. Seasons 1-5 are available to watch on iPlayer.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Katelyn Mensah, smiling against a lime green background.

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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