What is the Route for Celebrity Race Across the World?

Starting tonight at 8pm on BBC One, the new series of Celebrity Race Across the World sees four famous duos taking on an epic 7,500 km journey across two continents. Traversing prehistoric jungles, dense rainforests, and island heartlands, the teams must make their way through five checkpoints across three countries before pushing towards the finish line on the opposite side of the planet.

The Route Breakdown: Borneo to Melbourne

• Starting Line: Kuching, Sarawak (Borneo, Malaysia) The race launches in the vibrant city of Kuching, located in the Malaysian state of Sarawak in northwest Borneo. Serving as the gateway to the island’s vast wilderness and ancient rainforests, this adventurous starting location marks a major series first.
• The Intermediate Journey: 5 Checkpoints & 3 Countries Leaving Borneo, the competitors must navigate diverse landscapes spanning Southeast Asia into Australasia. While the exact locations of the intermediate checkpoints are kept under wraps until the pairs open their logbooks at each leg, the route crosses two continents and three countries, requiring strategic decisions on local land and sea transit.
• Finish Line: Melbourne, Australia For the first time in the show’s history, the race heads down under, concluding at the sunbaked southern tip of Australia in the metropolis of Melbourne.

Key Race Facts & Rules

• Total Distance: Approximately 7,500 km
• Daily Budget: Just £26 per person per day
• Banned Items: Smartphones, credit cards, flight travel, home comforts
• Allowed Assets: Physical paper map, cash budget, local transport, resourcefulness

The Celebrity Pairs

Starting tonight at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer, Four duos are leaving their phones, credit cards and home comforts behind for the journey of a lifetime as Celebrity Race Across the World returns to BBC One and iPlayer.

The famous faces embarking on this epic 7,500 km journey are:

• Ella Eyre (Brit award-winning singer-songwriter) and her childhood friend Nana
• Jeff Stelling (veteran sports broadcaster) and his son Matt
• Princess Andre (influencer) and her brother Junior Andre (musician)
• Sam Ryder (acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician) and his best friend and tour manager Kaz

Leaving luxury behind them, these household names will be tested; emotions will run high, and relationships will be transformed on an adventure as challenging as it is rewarding. The teams will need to rely on their own resourcefulness, local transport, and the kindness of strangers to make it to further into the race, equipped with only a map and a budget of just £26 per person a day.

What the Show’s Creators Say

Tim Harcourt, Chief Creative Officer, Studio Lambert, says: “This year’s pairs navigate a journey that lays bare two extremes of today’s world. We can’t wait to share how they get on. Contestants give unfiltered and honest reactions to the experiences they face that are as demanding as they are joyful. That’s so rare on television and it’s clear audiences love seeing their favourite stars deal with these daring challenges in spectacular worlds.”

Jasmyn McGuile, Commissioning Editor, BBC Factual Entertainment and Events, says: “Audiences have been asking when the Race might reach Australia, so we are delighted that they will be able to experience this unique journey for the first time in Celebrity Race Across the World. With an adventurous start in Borneo’s Sarawak rainforest, another series first, it makes for an unmissable opener for this year’s celebrity teams.”

Watch on demand via BBC iPlayer.

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