Catch up TV

Series 4: Episode 1

Four familiar faces paired with a friend or a loved one leave their luxury lifestyles at the starting line for a journey that will take them to the other side of the world and push them to the limits of their endurance. The pairs embark on a life-changing adventure - a 7,500km race from the prehistoric jungles of Borneo to the sun-baked southern tip of Australia.\n\nCompeting in this series are acclaimed singer-songwriter and musician Sam Ryder, and his best friend and tour manager, Kaz; veteran sports broadcaster Jeff Stelling and his son Matt; BRIT award-winning singer-songwriter Ella Eyre and childhood friend Nana; and influencer Princess Andre with her brother musician Junior Andre.\n\nStripped of their smartphones and bank cards, these household names will be tested; emotions will run high, and relationships will be transformed on an adventure that’s as challenging as it is rewarding. They will need to rely on their own resourcefulness and the kindness of strangers to reach the finish line, equipped with only a map and a budget of £26 each a day.\n\nTheir race begins in Kuching, a vibrant city in north west Malaysian Borneo and the gateway to the island's vast wilderness. From there, the teams must cross three countries and two continents, weaving through five checkpoints before reaching the finish line in Melbourne, Australia.\n\nThe teams must tackle the most formidable race yet - traversing the ancient jungles and indigenous heartlands of Borneo, navigating the Makassar Strait to Sulawesi, an island of cinematic, towering limestone cliffs, before reaching the kaleidoscopic splendour of Queensland's landscapes, from the turquoise blues of the Great Barrier Reef to the arid, expansive orange of the outback. Finally, they will thread through sprawling Sydney before reaching the finish line on the southern tip of Australia.\n\nMusician Sam and tour manager Kaz embrace an unexpected start to the race and dive straight in, relishing the chance to revisit the early days of their friendship when roughing it on tour was the norm. They undertake a jungle adventure, heading inland to connect with the indigenous Tae people.\n\nFirst-time backpackers Princess and Junior have shared a childhood in the public eye, making their sibling bond incredibly strong, but find themselves in at the deep end when trying to navigate the winding streets of the Sarawak capital. Keen to make the most of the adventure, they choose to spend time in Malaysia, putting in a shift at a family-run coconut farm in Mount Kuwai.\n\nElla and best friend Nana bonded at school but now live countries apart. Hoping the race will reunite them, they embrace village life in West Kalimantan and are welcomed into a traditional Dayak longhouse. But with erratic public transport running through the remote rainforest, the pair face a nerve-racking dilemma.\n\nDetermined to keep up with the youngest of the teams but the most cautious of the pairs, Jeff and his son Matt face an early test to their relationship as they get off to a faltering start. They manage to escape the intense equatorial heat by opting for water travel down the coast through the meandering river delta.\n\nAs the series unfolds, the teams have to make it through some of the toughest legs the race has ever seen. Famous faces are tested like never before, relationships strengthen, and countless memories are made in jaw-dropping locations. The race starts now...

Source: BBC 1