FAMOUS faces are set to take part in the first celebrity version of the BBC show Race Across The World.
McFly star Harry Judd, ITV weather presenter Alex Beresford, All Saints singer Mel Blatt and racing driver Billy Monger will be taking on the challenge.
The three celebrities will each be joined by a family member as they race at ground level from Marrakech in Morocco to Tromso in Norway.
Beresford will be joined by his father Noel while Blatt will be joined by her mother Helene.
Judd will take on the challenge beside his mother Emma and Monger will race with his sister Bonny.
What will the challenge involve?
Each pair will take part in a race that will span 24 countries and more than 6,200 miles (10,000km).
The race will take the pairs through the seaside ports and beaches of the Mediterranean, to historic cities, the Alps, the Baltic States, and snowy Scandinavia.
There will be no air travel or a phone for the participants to use and they’ll only have a limited budget.
The budget is the cash equivalent of completing the route to their final destination by air.
Along the way, they will have to earn extra money by working and rely on the kindness of strangers for lifts and extra help.
What an amazing series of #RaceAcrossTheWorld 🤩
— Race Across The World (@RATW_official) May 16, 2023
Watch all episodes now on @BBCiPlayer 👉 https://t.co/dUz0CDQhlD pic.twitter.com/oHhPStTqZw
Explaining why he wanted to take on the challenge, 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.”
McFly star Judd added: “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.”
Blatt said she wanted to do it “for the experience, to be out of my comfort zone, to do something that I wouldn’t necessarily choose to do on my own.”
SPOILERS AHEAD! 🫣
— Race Across The World (@RATW_official) May 11, 2023
The #RaceAcrossTheWorld winners are... 🏆
Watch the full series now on @BBCiPlayer pic.twitter.com/ObHbiW2t8y
She added: “I’m definitely up for challenges and pushing myself… And this is what Mum does all the time!”
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!”
When will Celebrity Race Across The World air?
While there hasn’t been an official date confirmed for when fans of the show can watch the new celebrity series, it’s going to be available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
It will air later this year.
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