Who’s in the cast of Race Across The World 2026? Everything you need to know

Race Across The World is back on BBC screens this week, with a new batch of pairings taking on the terrain from Palermo in Italy to Mongolia in the hopes of claiming the £20,000 prize on the show.

The competition reality show is back on April 2 with five teams racing across more than 12,000km of Europe and Asia, with only £26 to their name, per person, for each day.

We already have the mapped out details of the route, which will carve out across eight countries: Italy, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.

In what the BBC has billed as ‘the most extreme race to date’, the conditions racers will face will range from the sweltering Mediterranean heat to the glacial temperatures further east.

As per each iteration of the show, the teams will be stripped of their smartphones, bank cards and internet access, relying solely on cash and their nous to get to that finish line in Mongolia.

So who will be this year’s batch of Race Across The World hopefuls?

Scroll on to meet them…

Jo and Kush

Childhood best friends Jo, 19, and Kush, also 19, are the Liverpudlian duo who are the youngest taking part this year.

Fresh out of school, with Jo at university and Kush on a gap year, the pair are taking a break from living with their mums to take on the BBC challenge.

They’re hoping they can make the most of their youth by capitalising on other competitors undermining them.

They’ve been watching prior seasons of the show for useful tips, like bringing a whiteboard and a maps folder.

As for what they hope to learn along the way?

Jo said: ‘We’re at the stage of our lives where our brains haven’t fully developed yet.

‘We’re almost there, but this will hopefully give us that final push to realise who we are as people and maybe even potential career paths.’

Katie and Harrison

Mancunian siblings Katie, 21 and an account manager, and Harrison, 23 and a finance assistant, are bringing very different approaches to the race.

While Katie is willing to take the plunge on anything, Harrison describes himself as ‘risk-averse’, which he’s trying to work on for the race.

Katie – who got a lash lift and her hair done in preparation for the race – said: ‘I’m up for anything.

I love anything, especially to do with extreme stuff, heights and things like that.

I generally have a never say no motto, I never say no to anything.’

Molly and Andrew

Close-knit father-daughter duo Molly, 23, and Andrew, 54, are from Northern Ireland and hoping to spend some quality time together before Molly starts her career in medicine.

Describing their application as a ‘joke gone too far’, Molly says they’re going to find it difficult to be away from the family group chat and the luxury of Google Maps.

From the sound of things, they’re going into the show joined at the hip, so it’s a question of whether the demands of the race might change that… Andrew said, ‘Molly is my best friend after my wife.

‘It’s a father-daughter relationship; I understand that, but there’s a bit more than that, and that’s why I want to do it with Molly.

She gets me; I get her, and she’s a great kid.’

Puja and Roshni

Cousins Puja, 31 and a doctor, and  Roshni, 32 and a software engineer, have so far put their desire to travel on hold to pursue careers in London.

Then, Puja hit a ‘career block’ and decided to apply for the show.

‘I decided I would do something that I wanted to do for a very long time and so decided to apply for the race,’ she said.

‘That was the predominant reason why I just wanted to do something that was for myself, for my personal life, and something that will give me memories to last the rest of my life.’
Although they’re apprehensive about being away from their phones and dealing with the weight of a gargantuan backpack, they’re looking forward to the unforgettable memories.

Roshni said: ‘This was an opportunity to spend a bit more time together before life goes on.

Also, I don’t think I could do it with anyone else, she’s quite a mellow girl.’

Mark and Margo

Mark, 66, and Margo, 59, are what the BBC has dubbed an ‘unlikely duo’, given that they’ve been ‘fractious in-laws’ for 40 years.

But the pair recently put aside their differences to care for Mark’s late wife, Julia, and discovered a new fondness for one another.

Entering the race was Margo’s idea (she’s a hypnotherapist, so perhaps that’s how Mark was talked around).

They’ve both upped their daily step count in preparation and have packed some crocheted worms Mark’s son made, to stay connected in spirit if not via texts, as well as Julia’s celebration of life.

They wouldn’t mind bagging the £20,000, but Margo says their main motto along the way is: ‘Fun, fun, fun.’
Race Across the World returns to iPlayer and BBC One for its sixth series on 2 April 2026.
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