Celebrity Race Across the World lineup officially confirmed
Entertainment News: The BBC have officially confirmed the lineup for Celebrity Race Across the World.
All Saints singer Mel Blatt and her mum Helene will take on McFly drummer Harry Judd and his mum Emma, British racing pundit Billy Monger and his sister Bonny, and Good Morning Britain host Alex Beresford and his dad, Noel, in the series which will air on BBC One this Autumn.
The first celebrity series of the show begins in Marrakech, Morocco, the most north-western country in Africa, and ends in Tromsø, Norway, The route will see the celebrity duos race through every landscape and culture that this part of the world has to offer: from the great North African city of Marrakech, through the seaside ports and beaches of the Mediterranean, to unrivalled historic and cosmopolitan cities, the mighty Alps, unexplored Central Europe, the fairy-tale Baltic States, and snowy Scandinavia.
In this six-part series, the four celebrities and their racing partners will race to a finish line that’s thousands of miles away – without the use of air travel or any trappings of modern-day life. Stripped of all mod-cons and all luxuries they will have to rely on their skills, cunning, ingenuity, and hard work in order to succeed. Without the use of credit cards, smartphones or access to the internet and with just the cash equivalent of completing the route to their final destination by air, they will have to earn extra money along the way as well as call upon the kindness of strangers to help them progress. This incredible journey will give a unique insight into the celebrities and their relationships with their travelling companions.
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 have 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 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.”
The first three civilian series of the show are available to stream now via BBC iPlayer.
