Race Across The World narrator is huge nineties movie star with famous actress wife
Viewers may love the action of Race Across The World but the BBC show's "gentle commentary" has also received praise by fans who have discovered the very famous face behind the voice
With no flights and no phones, five duos are attempting Race Across The World 's ultimate challenge as they embark on a 14,000km trek across Asia. Now in its fifth series, the latest line-up of contestants includes a teenage couple as well as a pair who were formerly married – and the show has already brought us plenty of dramatic moments.
But while viewers may be caught up with the teams' triumphs and travel disasters, the narrator of Race Across The World has got people at home talking after realising he's a huge nineties movie star. Narrated by actor John Hannah, film fans will be familiar with the 63-year-old's extensive career on our screens having racked up an impressive career.
Born in East Kilbride to a cleaner mother and toolmaker father, John has previously opened up about his childhood during an interview with The Guardian in 2014. 'My family lived in a little terraced council house in East Kilbride, Scotland 's first new town, and it was a brilliant place to grow up. The street was full of parents with young children the same age,' he said.
'My childhood memories are like everyone else's in the late 60s and early 70s – endlessly playing football in the street and being at each other's houses. I don't remember school at all – I remember summer holidays and endless sunshine. There probably wasn't any sunshine, but it feels like there was.'
Although he initially trained as an electrician, John embarked on a very different path when he later studied acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Since then he hasn't looked back.
In 1994, the Scottish actor secured his breakthrough role in Richard Curtis ' iconic romcom Four Weddings and a Funeral where he played the role of Matthew. The role even saw John nominated for Best Actor In A Supporting Role at the BAFTAs.
After being catapulted into the spotlight, four years later John played Gwyneth Paltrow 's love interest in Sliding Doors. As well as this, John's other big screen credits include The Mummy, Damaged and Overboard.
On our TV screens, John has starred in many high profile shows including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Frasier and Black Mirror. He also appeared in the 2021 New Year 's Day special of Taskmaster alongside Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Nicola Coughlan, Rylan Clark-Neal and Shirley Ballas.
However, it's Race Across The World that many fans adore him for. '#RaceAcrossTheWorld it's great listening to John Hannah's gentle commentary again,' wrote one person on X. 'The John Hannah voice over really adds to Race Across The World,' added another.
Away from his glistening career, John is married to actress Joanna Roth after meeting her at the National Theatre when they played opposite each other in Measure For Measure. Having been 'enormously attracted' to her, John invited Jonna for a picnic in Battersea Park, though things didn't go as planned.
'I was leading the way. Then, at a set of traffic lights, I put on the brakes without enough warning and Joanna ran right into the back of me,' he told MailOnline.
'I looked in my mirror and she was slumped over her steering wheel – in embarrassment, as it turned out. But I didn't know that. I scrambled out of my car, raced over to hers, gently eased her out and started comforting her.'
Despite the rocky start, the pair's relationship has stood the test of time and they are parents to twins. During lockdown John discussed his life with Joanna, telling The Telegraph about his dreams to give up acting for a year.
'I dream about taking a year out...with my wife Joanna and living somewhere like Buenos Aires in Argentina – and we think about that even more, now that we can't travel,' he said.
'We'd like to rent our house out to give us a bit of income, then spend all our time flamenco dancing and drinking caipirinhas. I like the idea of escaping being an actor for a year and working in a café somewhere very far away.'
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