Studio Lambert’s high-octane reality format Race Across The World is moving to BBC One for a celebrity special.
The show started life on BBC Two, where the series finale became the highest-rated episode of a new factual entertainment title since 2016 when it aired to 3.4M viewers earlier this year. BBC Two swiftly doubled down with a two series, 16-episode recommission.
Now, the BBC is going one further, with six-part Celebrity Race Across The World for BBC One, in which four famous faces and a partner have to get from one side of the planet to the other without the luxuries of air travel, credit cards, smartphones or access to the internet.
Armed with some cash, the equivalent of a one-way airfare to their final destination, they have to earn extra money along the way and rely on the kindness of strangers to help them win the race.
Studio Lambert creative director Tim Harcourt said: “This format has been described as fiendishly addictive and was a smash hit for both viewers and critics alike. I can’t wait to see celebrities undergoing the transformative powers of this global race at ground level.”
David Brindley, the BBC’s head of commissioning for popular factual and factual entertainment, added: “Our celebrities won’t be able to rely on their fame and fortune on this journey and we can’t wait to see whose wit and skill gets them to the finish line first, in what is fast becoming one of the most revealing and testing challenges on TV.”
Celebrity Race Across The World was commissioned by Brindley, BBC director of content Charlotte Moore and Michael Jochnowitz. Harcourt is the executive producer alongside Mark Saben, Stephen Day and Matt Smith.