'Race Across the World is a rare reality show - it doesn't matter who wins'
As the BBC One travel competition comes to an end, it's clear that - for once - it really is about the journey
Wherever he was on the campaign trail, if Rishi Sunak had been watching the final of Race Across the World I suspect his heart would have been beating just as rapidly as the show’s seven million other viewers.
Not because it was the most exciting finale we have ever seen, with a speedboat chase AND a sprint finish, and mere minutes between the top two teams reaching the signing-in book for the final time. No, Sunak and his party people might have been sweating for another reason.
For there, on screen on primetime BBC One some of those lazy and feckless young folk, against whom the Tories have been stirring up something of a culture war of late, were absolutely smashing it. Resilience and resourcefulness, kindness and caring, compassion and emotional maturity in abundance.
And they did it all without an enforced stint of national service under their belts. It was incredible to watch and, unless the BBC’s casting department cunningly recruited some exceptions to the rule, it left me thinking that, just maybe, the kids are actually alright.
Watch: Race Across the World 2024 crowns its winners
Two of their cohort, 20-year-old best friends Alfie and Owen from Hertfordshire, even managed to win the first prize of £20,000. Not that the money really mattered by the end of an exhilarating eight weeks of television that firmly cemented this programme’s position as one of our biggest hits.
Normally in reality TV programmes when I hear proclamations such as “We’re all winners” and “It’s the taking part that counts” my eyes roll straight to the back of my head. In Race Against the World though, those cliches are refreshingly true.
Nail-biting as the final was, the truth was I’d decided long ago that I wouldn’t really care who emerged victorious from the 15,000 km trek across Eastern Asia. That was mainly because, unlike The Traitors and The Fortune Hotel, the contestants themselves didn’t seem too bothered about the cash.
Read more: Race Across the World
Alfie even admitted at the start of the final that: “The motivation behind winning isn’t money, the motivation is winning.” As the finish line loomed he updated that to a simple “With every passing hour I'm coming round to the idea of pride in just finishing.” Of course, he was pretty happy when he did win. And what a brilliant final ten minutes or so it was.
Just when we all thought Alfie and Owen had it in the bag, the producers lobbed in one more obstacle.
The finishing post was actually on a small island off Lombok and there would be no boats until the next morning — by which time Eugenie and Isabel in second place would have made up the four-hour gap.
That set the scene for the Bond-style speed boat chase and the final foot race and, as Eugenie had already reminded us as she (intentionally?) invoked the 1966 spirit of Sir Alf Ramsey: “We’ve beaten them in a foot race once. We can do it again.”
Sadly for the mother and daughter duo, it was not meant to be. However, they had the (much greater) satisfaction of reconnecting with each other and making up for lost time.
Similarly, while sister and brother Betty and James could only manage third place they formed a fresh bond on their journey which should last them for life. Plus, James already had a contender for next year’s Bafta TV Moment in the bag with that emotional appeal for a hug from the camera crew when it had all gotten too much for him in the penultimate episode.
At the other end of the age scale, Stephen, who was on one last big retiree adventure with his long-suffering wife Viv, had a slightly different outlook: “If we come back as a couple, it’s a win for me.” The fact that Stephen was only half-joking made the fact that he got his win in the end all the more euphoric — for him and the viewers.
Although they trailed in over a day and a half behind, in many ways Stephen and Viv provided the real emotional engagement in the final — perhaps because as well as being highly personal their story was also relatable and universal.
The sight of them slow dancing on a rainy street as a busker performed Ed Sheeran’s Perfect was a particular highlight, not least because we knew that elsewhere at that exact moment the other three teams were still breaking their necks trying to win the race.
"You are enough for me. You're more than enough."
Stephen and Viv share an emotional moment 🥺❤️ #RaceAcrossTheWorld pic.twitter.com/a4xUIF3oAh— Race Across The World (@RATW_official) May 29, 2024
If you watched the reunion show, you’ll know Viv and Stephen’s story had an even happier ending. Far from being their final adventure, their time on the show relit the travel fire in their bellies. They are now planning a motorhome tour of Canada, together.
If you’re wondering where they got that idea from, it's a safe bet it was the previous series of Race Across The World. If you didn’t watch that series, the good news is it’s still available on BBC iPlayer.
The even better news is that at the end of last night’s final, the BBC ran a teaser for the next series of Celebrity Race Across the World.
Rather cruelly, the all too brief sneak peak didn’t identify who was taking part.
Get your guesses in now.
Race Across the World is streaming on BBC iPlayer now.
