Race Across The World 2026

[LindorDoubleChoc]

Hooray!

This is back for another series, starting Thursday.

I just googled very quickly and they set off from Sicily and end the race in northern Mongolia - sounds interesting.

I don't know anything else about it at this point, but thought that we should have a thread ready and waiting.

Is anyone else watching the after show?

We’re watching on iPlayer, we started half an hour behind. Loving the places so far. None of the competitors are annoying me so far!

I swear young people today have twice as many teeth as they did when j was young.

(I’m referring to the people on the after show)

Same. I can understand when they stop the episode with one team not yet finished but I don't like this way of leaving you hanging.

Also not keen on all the flash forwards to later in the series. If one team is going to be eliminated as per then surely you will be able to work it out.

Im loving all the contestants this series so far, I'll be disappointed whoever gets eliminated first.

@AGlessandahalf, I am cheering for them. I have worked in Child Protection for over 20 years with amazing young people who have had to deal with things that would break most adults. I get fed up with the negative narrative they have to face on top of this- being born into the family/society/country you are dealt with is just luck.

When we watched RATW last year where they started in China I was so knocked out by the scenery that, well, DH and I are off to China ourselves in a little over a week! We will be there nearly three weeks. Which reminds me I must remember to set a series link to record the rest of the series....

Fab first episode. They all seem so nice. Really liked to brother and sister pair.

Oh wow!!! Have a fabulous trip.

How exciting. Where abouts are you going? I’ve been to Beijing and Shanghai, but other than the wall I’ve not seen much else.

Really enjoyed the first episode. It seem to finish really quickly.

One if the best things about the series is discovering new places. I imagined Diamanté would be famous for diamonds and/or jewellery, not wall murals.

Brother and sister pair are my favourite so far.

Scouse lads seem a good natured pair too.

Teacher Dad I think could get annoying, I wonder how much time was wasted by him not listening to his daughter about the maps.

I quite like Margo, still not sure about her BIL.

The two female cousins also seem nice but I don't feel we have really got to know them much yet.

Our favourite programme! A fair bit tonight had cries of ‘been there!’ For us. Lovely to see some places I know!

I like them all so far.

They never used to, you'd see everyone checking in, but last series or so they started doing it more and more. I think someone said on the last thread that there was a new director and so more 'jeopardy'?

Where is this?

We are on a small guided group tour.

Start in Beijing and doing the main things - Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Great Wall.

Then Xi An - terracotta warriors.

Chengdu - panda reserve!

After that we have some time in Emei Shan area which seems a bit mountainy. Apparently we see the Giant Buddha of Leshan which I am sure we saw on RATW last year. Also the Golden Summit and spend a night in a monastery!

Then it's a few days on the Yangtze followed by going South to Guilin where I think the landscape has those karst mountains. Again I am sure we saw some of that on last year's RATW which made me go wow!

We finish in Hong Kong.

Booked it months ago so can hardly believe it's nearly here! Frantically checking we have everything we need. We lucked out with the lifting of the visa requirements. We had just started the application process but hadn't paid anything then found we didn't need it anymore.

On Iplayer. Search Race across the world: the detour

@CrushingOnRubies, same but different travels. I finally travelled to Georgia and the stan's this year after after series one. Covid put it on hold, then DC heading off to uni. Finally did it myself as a solo trip for my 50th this year! Absolutely fell in love with the region. Have the best time!

It’s on iPlayer.

Loved that first episode but hated the cliffhanger end.

Didn’t really rate the after show. It didn’t add much.

I enjoyed the afternoon so and that it was fun to see old contestants reminisce – didn’t add a thing to the current show, but they can’t really give much away… Hilarious having Alfie as the travel expert reading badly off the autocue about the best route to take.

Who was presenting the detour thing?

So the first team to arrive in Kefalonia is Harrison and Katie - brother and sister with 84% of their money left.

All the others are at best 8 hours behind with minutes between them.

Margo and Mark have 80% - in laws
Andrew and Molly 83% - father and daughter
Kosh and Jo 85% - school friends
Puja and Roshni 83% - cousins

Loving so far .
No front runners ...but ohh my word ...I am loving the 2 lads !

By hook or by crook ...they will get to the end ! 😅