“We’re going in totally the wrong direction.”

Never have I been so thrilled to hear those seven words. 

Thankfully, they’re not coming from my mouth (for once) or indeed anyone I’m out and about with. They’re the opening words to the new teaser trailer for Race Across the World, my most beloved TV show. 

The always excellent BBC series is back for more terrible decision-making, unimaginably long bus journeys, incredible landscapes and opportunities for me to shout, “Just dump your bags and leg it!”

In fact, Race Across The World is perfect shout-along telly (also heard in my living room: “Obviously, don’t go that way!” and “Why are you spending your money on that?”) while also being a gorgeous feast for the eyes and a fascinating look at human interaction. 

Previous routes have included London to Singapore; Mexico City to Ushuaia, Argentina; Vancouver to St John’s, Newfoundland; and Sapporo, Japan to Lombok, Indonesia. But 2025’s journey looks to be the best one yet as the pairs of adventurers will be starting at The Great Wall of China for this year’s epic race, navigating 14,000km across China, Nepal and India to be the first reach the finish line, Kanniyakumari, at the southernmost tip of India, to win the £20,000 prize. 

And the contestants sound just as compelling. The teams include sisters Elizabeth and Letitia; former married couple Yin and Gaz; brothers Brian and Melvyn; teenage couple Fin and Sioned; and mother and son Caroline and Tom.

In case you skipped over any of that, let me reiterate: one of the teams is a former married couple. My undying respect to Yin and Gaz; I couldn’t cope with a 20-minute bus journey with one of my exes, let alone crossing three nations without a smartphone or credit card. 

Thankfully, we don’t have long to wait for blast off as Race Across The World returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Wednesday, 23 April at 9pm.

Until then, immerse yourself in this teaser trailer…

Images: BBC