Race Across the World series 1

Race Across the World
Series 1
Presented byJohn Hannah (narrator)
No. of days50
No. of contestants12
WinnersElaine and Tony Teasdale
No. of legs6
Distance traveled12,000 mi (19,000 km)
No. of episodes6
Release
Original networkBBC Two
Original release3 March (2019-03-03) 
7 April 2019 (2019-04-07)
Series chronology

The first series of Race Across the World first aired on BBC Two from 3 March to 7 April 2019. Five pairs of racers travelled from London to Singapore, with the contestants each given £1,329 for the whole race without using air transport. The racers travelled over a distance of 12,000 miles in 50 days.

Start and end points

The first series featured five pairs of competitors at the start of the race: Natalie and Shameema, Jinda and Bindu, Darron and Alex, Josh and Felix, and Sue and Clare. Jinda and Bindu withdrew due to family illness in the first episode, and were replaced by Elaine and Tony. Sue and Clare were eliminated when they finished last in Baku. Retired PE teachers Elaine and Tony Teasdale were the first to reach the final checkpoint in Singapore, and were crowned the winners.

The series was the most successful debut for a factual entertainment show on BBC Two in over three years, and one of the most-watched shows of the year for the channel.