Celebrity Race Across the World

[Aslockton]

Starts Wed 13th September on BBC1. Saw the trailer for it this morning!

Cast: https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/celebrity-race-across-the-world-2023-cast-line-up/

Rucksacks ready....!

But there wasn't any prize money at all in this one after looking it up

I was quite pleased Harry didn't win - all that 'come on, pump your legs, swing your arms' to his mum at the end was infuriating. He was desperate to win, regardless of what she was comfortable with - she was permanently breathless in that final episode. I thought she was quite indulgent of him - I'd have stopped dead and refused to move until he showed me a bit more consideration!

Just finished watoand have totally loved route! Loved Noel as he seemed genuinely upset at B&B leave.

Harry did annoy me but I think his Mum was quite up for it to be honest, she didn’t hesitate when he got her out of bed to get the bus.

Such a great series! DH and I want there to be a family one so we can do it with the kids. Can you imagine the arguments though 😂

Also Alex grew on me loads when he was so happy to be in Lapland. He had a genuinely child like excitement… that was lovely. So I was happy for him and his Dad to win after B&B having to leave.

I think Billy and Bonnie discussed their reasons for leaving with Alex and Noel - Noel said something like "that's the right thing to do".

It was a great series I thought - fab route and genuinely interesting contestants who were self reflective and open to the challenge and all the experiences.

Would have been happy for any of them to win really but lovely to see Noel and Alex having their moment.

When Mel and her mum were separated, I was surprised that, when they were reunited, Mel was all 'see, I'm OK mum'. I would have liked to have seen 'sorry mum, are you OK, how daft of me to have got on the train without you'. Not EVERYTHING is about her personal journey.
Loving the series though. Best so far.

Personally I don't think that was because it she thought it was about her personal journey but rather that that particular bit was a bit engineered.
It didn't quite ring true their actions after she'd lost her so I think the producers had engineered how they found each other again so it wasn't quite natural.

Yes, that's true

I did think Mel and her mum's reconciliation was a bit underwhelming and phoney. She just said "Mummy" and that was it.

I think the whole Mel and her Mum losing each other and being reunited at the next station was a prearranged set up and looked completely fake. When they parted company just before the train was due to arrive didn’t Mel say she was just going to get their McDonald’s? It would have been more believable when they were reunited if her mum said “WTF have you done with my burger Mel ?!!

Yep, Budapest to Vienna/Munich trains don't tend to stop at 'the next stop' ... or the next stop is Vienna, 2 hours away!

Just finished it.

I did wonder in episode 5 whether b&b were told about that very cheap but long distance bus and rest not told, to give billie a break from travelling so he could rest his leg a lot before the next stage.

As it seemed such an obviously good option to take and no one else considered it.

I think there's a lot we didn't see.

But still, what we did see was awesome. The way that Europe is so very different, the corners and edges of it, even though it's pretty small geographically. Eg Portugal is nothing like Austria, but they're not far apart, not really. That struck me.

Plus, all of these people are complex. Ok so obviously they are, we all are, but this series made me think that even though you think you have the measure of someone in the public eye, you don't really. It's made me consider that, and think that even with people around me, you just don't know what's going on with them.

I certainly think there was a bit of production inference with Alex and Noel were a full day behind and they 'chose' to go through Italy rather than getting caught up in the French rail strikes.

That's why I love driving through Europe. The change in geography is amazing. And not "too far" relatively speaking.

Just finished, and really enjoyed it.
Mel and her mum (but especially Mel tbf) started getting on my nerves. Did they do ANY work in the last episode apart from generally muck about.
And I think they were definitely given a lot of guidance. I don't think they would have got to the end without it.

I thought it was particularly blatant when they (Mel and mum) said, 'oh well, we'll just stand here and see if a bus comes' and tadaa! Along comes the Arctic circle bus. Like magic.
I honestly think that, without a shed load of hand holding, they'd have ended up still wandering around Marrakesh.

Oh yes!

I thought that' scene just made the person in the bus office look incompetent. Which is unfortunate if not true.

I totally want to do that bus ride.. https://bestarctic.com/thearcticroute/

But yeah .. amazing that the public bus didn't go.... and viola.. as if by magic, the bus driver appeared!!

Wow! The arctic route looks fantastic. It is £133 for a 10hr bus ride!