Epic Asian Odyssey: Race Across the World 2025 Traverses China, Nepal, and India

The fifth edition of Race Across the World has kicked off with its most ambitious route so far, taking five teams on a 14,000-kilometer adventure through Asia. Contestants begin at the famous Great Wall of China close to Beijing and travel through varied landscapes in China, Nepal, and India to the southern tip of India at Kanniyakumari.

Highlights:

Route Information: Teams set off from the Great Wall's Huanghuacheng section, 80km north of Beijing, and early hurdles include getting to Beijing and the first checkpoint in Huangling. Later legs include coastal roads to Hainan Island and making typhoon-plagued ferry crossings.

Cost Cutting Measures: All teams have a very tight £1,140 per person budget (£22/day), the toughest ever on the show, ruling out air travel and modern money machines such as mobile phones or bank cards.

Contestants: The group consists of sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, former spouses Yin and Gaz, brothers Brian and Melvyn, young Welsh pair Fin and Sioned, and mother-son pair Caroline and Tom.

Filming Challenges: Production encountered challenges in China owing to previous restrictions, such as bans in Xinjiang and pandemic-related restrictions during the 2024 season.

The competition, broadcast weekly on BBC One and iPlayer, is set to deliver dramatic scenery, cultural immersion, and pressure-packed decision-making as teams battle for the £20,000 prize.

Sources: BBC Media Centre, Radio Times, The Independent, Evening Standard