Race Across The World's famous narrator who's been in loads of huge movies and TV shows

Wales Online

23-04-2025

Race Across The World's famous narrator who's been in loads of huge movies and TV shows
Race Across the World is back on our screens, and that means so is a very famous voice, but who is the show's narrator?
Race Across the World is back on our screens, but who is the famous narrator behind the series?
(Image: BBC )
Race Across the World is soon to be back on our screens and there are five new couples competing to win the cash prize of £20,000. With no smartphones or bank cards at their disposal they must strategize their way using only the cash equivalent of an airfare to travel from their starting point of The Great Wall of China to Kanniyakumari, which is India's southernmost point.
The new series starts back on BBC One tonight, Wednesday, April 23 and despite new teams and new locations one thing remains the same, the narrator.
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The Scottish voice that narrates the show may sound familiar, and that's because he's a respected actor in both TV and film and has been for the last three decades. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
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Actor John Hannah has provided the narration for every series of Race Across the World including its celebrity spin-off editions since it first began in 2019.
Although, many viewers may not just recognised his voice, but also his face as he notably played the bumbling Jonathan Carnahan from The Mummy trilogy alongside Brendan Fraser.
He first stepped in to the spotlight when he played Matthew from Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994, for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
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John Hannah has featured in several famous film and TV series over the last three decades.
(Image: PA )
In 1998, he acted alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in the award nominated film Sliding Doors, where he played Monty Python-quoting love interest.
More recently, he has appeared in several TV shows adored by fans across the world including Black Mirror, Silent Witness and the Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
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Born in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, the 63 year old John Hannah developed a passion for acting and participated in the East Kilbride Rep Theatre Club. After completing his electrician apprenticeship, he attended the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
John Hannah was the original DI John Rebus, in the TV adaptation of the Ian Rankin novels Rebus, but only portrayed the detective character from 2000 to 2001 before the show was taken over by STV Productions.
Despite this, he went on to have a successful career, appearing in ITV's crime drama Blood, as Jack Roper in New Street Law, Quintus Lentulus Batiatus in Spartacus, Jack Cloth in A Touch of Cloth, and Jason's father (Aeson) in the BBC series Atlantis.
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Not only has he narrated Race Across the World, but he also lent his smooth Scottish tones to Roald and Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse and is the voice of the Co-operative Group adverts in Europe.
Outside of his acting career, John has been happily married to actress Joanna Roth since 1996. She has appeared alongside her husband in Rebus, the BBC One drama series New Street Law, and the film Sliding Doors.They now reside in Richmond, London with their two children.
This year's series of Race Across the World will feature five new teams including childhood sweethearts from Carmarthen Fin and Sioned; siblings Elizabeth and Letitia; ex-spouses Yin and Gaz; brothers Brian and Melvyn; and mother-son pair Caroline and Tom.
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The new series starts back on BBC One and BBC iPlayer tonight, Wednesday, April 23 at 9pm.