3 days ago
Race Across the World stars reunite including eliminated Yin and Gaz
Race Across the World's cast are reunited in full for the first time since the BBC show ended.
Fun first look pictures reveal the friends enjoying a catch up six months after undertaking the race of a lifetime. Race Across the World was filmed over eight weeks from October until December last year, with the winners of £20,000 kept secret. It has played out on our screens over eight one-hour episodes.
Six months later a one-hour catch up was filmed, including behind-the-scenes insights and unseen moments from the BBC show. Race Across the World: The Reunion will air on BBC One at 9pm on Wednesday, 18 June.
It captures the first time the five teams — including eliminated pair Yin and Gaz — have had the chance to get together again. The eliminated couple find out how the rest of the teams — sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, mother and son Caroline and Tom, brothers Melvyn and Brian as well as couple Fin and Sioned — have done in the race for the first time.
The Reunion is a celebration of their Race Across the World journeys where all the contestants have the chance to reflect on the race. They covered ground across China before the final four teams went onto travel into Nepal and India.
There is plenty for the stars to catch up on. Regardless of the £20,000 prize money, the race has changed the lives of the stars. Yin tells Yahoo UK she has had the chance to move out of Gaz's house. Sioned and Fin tell Yahoo UK that they had the chance to travel to Australia while Elizabeth and Letitia say they have been to Kenya. Brian and Melvyn tell Yahoo UK that they talk everyday now. Caroline and Tom tell Yahoo UK of their plans to do a mini Race Across the World in Kazakhstan with only the rucksacks on their backs.
In the reunion show, the stars look back on their journeys and how they were forced out of their comfort zones. They reminisce too over the beauty of the landscapes they witnessed as well as the harsh realities of being on the road. Race Across the World: The Reunion will allow viewers one last intimate look at the epic journey and how it's impacted their lives as well as their relationships.
From behind the scenes, Brian revealed how all the teams speak on their Whatsapp group. Before having the chance to film the reunion, he told Yahoo UK: "Yeah [we have a] big WhatsApp group, we speak daily. We are trying to meet up if we can but it's quite difficult to get everybody together. It is tough."
In a stark contrast to the BBC show being filmed across Asia's three most diverse nations, the contestants made the journey to London to film the reunion.
It's still a big journey for some of the contestants like Fin and Sioned who have to travel from Nantgaredig, a small village in Carmarthenshire, Wales to the capital. That's a six-hour train journey, although nowhere near as tough as some of the travels they faced on Race Across the World.
Of course, for the reunion, the teams left their heavy rucksacks at home (and Melvyn's wheelie case too).
The contestants all met at a fancy hotel, not unlike some of the impressive checkpoint hotels they visit along the way on Race Across the World. The table was set for their visit and decorated with beautiful blooms in white, apricot and fuchsia pink.
Race Across the World is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
