Race Across the World
Synopsis
Couples are challenged to get from London to Singapore. They're given the air fare in cash.
Easy, just go to the airport and buy a ticket, right? Wrong - they're not allowed to fly. Overland transport only.
Er, ring up someone and ask for a lift? Nada - there are no mobile phones.
OK, whack it all on the credit card, right? Nope - they're not allowed to use any money other than cash. The teams are allowed to work, and the producers arrange some possible jobs along the route.
First to Singapore wins a cash prize of £20,000.
The finish line is on top of the hotel.
Race Across the World settled into a distinctive style. There was a lot about the mechanics of travel, about navigating connections and crossing town, about the trade-off between fast and comfortable. Establishing shots and big captions make it clear where we are, and John Hannah's voiceover tells us about the place.
The show was a mixture of travelogue, relationship diary, and economic management. It was all of these things and none - not a pure travelogue, not a pure people show, and not really an egonomics study. It proved to be a winning formula, viewing figures increased by 50% during the first series.
Champions
Tony and Elaine
Title music
Michael Burns, credited for "Original Music".
Trivia
The series had a 5-minute preview at 10.25 on Thursday evening. Episodes went out at 9pm on Sunday evenings from 3 March, shifting to 8pm from 31 March as the series threatened to dent BBC1's high-profile drama Line of Duty.
