Race Across The World - BBC

BobbyBobberson · 10-03-2019 10:12pm #1

Anyone been watching this?

Couples have to get from London to Singapore without a plane or their smartphones, they have a limited supply of cash too. Episode two on now.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000319z

stargazer 68 · 10-03-2019 10:15pm

Yep. On the same premise as the amazing race but no challenges to do along the way. They have been given their whole budget up front as opposed to a bit each leg but can earn more by working along the way which is good.

The kid is an annoying fecker!

BobbyBobberson · 10-03-2019 10:19pm

Never heard of the amazing race, will look it up. Yeah the kid was doing my head in too!

I have to say its enjoyable, some of decisions would make your head melt. I was laughing at them all trying to get out of London.

gmisk · 10-03-2019 10:20pm

I only saw this due to clip in gogglebox, it's a lot of fun, clever of the dad and son to get the bus to dortmund

10-03-2019 10:24pm

Dovies wrote: »

Yep. On the same premise as the amazing race but no challenges to do along the way. They have been given their whole budget up front as opposed to a bit each leg but can earn more by working along the way which is good.

The kid is an annoying fecker!

What age is the kid? He's mopey but nothing unusual in that if he's as young as he looks.

BobbyBobberson · 10-03-2019 10:24pm

Pretty sure they said he was 20 but cant fully remember.

10-03-2019 10:44pm

BobbyBobberson wrote: »

Pretty sure they said he was 20 but cant fully remember.

He's verging on comedy gold in fairness.

BobbyBobberson · 10-03-2019 10:46pm

Deleted User wrote: »

He's verging on comedy gold in fairness.

Referring to Dussledorf as Dumbledore did make me laugh. I like the two older women, one is so driven to get there and the other is like "Ah no, we should enjoy it" :pac:

jimmii · 10-03-2019 10:47pm

BobbyBobberson wrote: »

Referring to Dussledorf as Dumbledore did make me laugh. I like the two older women, one is so driven to get there and the other is like "Ah no, we should enjoy it" :pac:

Dumbledorf was brilliant :pac:

jimmii · 10-03-2019 10:48pm

Shows not quite what I expected it but enjoying it none the less and it's interesting to see what everyone is planning.

Everyone is tearing through the money should be interesting to see who cracks when they start to run out of cash.

BobbyBobberson · 10-03-2019 10:50pm

Having a look at what twitter is saying, this woman does not understand her own hashtag

https://twitter.com/Ariadne_Griffin/status/1104859282581929984

jimmii · 10-03-2019 10:52pm

If they get 36 hours at each stop they have plenty of time for a bit of touristing there. I'd be looking to get there as quickly as possible which is kind of the whole point!

jimmii · 10-03-2019 10:53pm

I really like this back up couple for some reason. They seem the nicest.

jimmii · 10-03-2019 10:55pm

The lads faces when they sign in is going to be good!

10-03-2019 10:59pm

jimmii wrote: »

I really like this back up couple for some reason. They seem the nicest.

They have a good attitude.

The risk of a 24 hour bus is you're so wrecked after it you need a proper rest after it.

jimmii · 10-03-2019 11:00pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

They have a good attitude.

The risk of a 24 hour bus is you're so wrecked after it you need a proper rest after it.

Yeah absolutely. I thought the father son were mad in the first episode. Longest bus trip I've done is 12 hours and it was brutal.

BobbyBobberson · 10-03-2019 11:00pm

Deleted User wrote: »

They have a good attitude.

The risk of a 24 hour bus is you're so wrecked after it you need a proper rest after it.

They are good, I liked Tony's comment about being tight "Short arms, deep pockets"

BobbyBobberson · 10-03-2019 11:01pm

jimmii wrote: »

Yeah absolutely. I thought the father son were mad in the first episode. Longest bus trip I've done is 12 hours and it was brutal.

I did 26 hours on South America and unlike these lot unfortunately there wasnt 20k at the end of it!

jimmii · 10-03-2019 11:01pm

It's a shame they've put spoilers in the credits. I think just use footage from previous episodes or just use destination shots. Meant there was no tension at all as to who was going to get their last.

jimmii · 10-03-2019 11:03pm

BobbyBobberson wrote: »

I did 26 hours on South America and unlike these lot unfortunately there wasnt 20k at the end of it!

Yeah the money and knowing in a couple of days you gets 36 hours in a decent hotel for free to relax and rack up as big a bill as you can probably helps!

Kiwi_knock · 10-03-2019 11:10pm

Really enjoyable watch, interesting to see the different tactics. Fair play to the retired couple, they really went all out to get there first.

10-03-2019 11:11pm

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

Really enjoyable watch, interesting to see the different tactics. Fair play to the retired couple, they really went all out to get there first.

Enjoyable alright, not sure it actually adds anything to send a team home, it's interesting just seeing how they cope with the travel etc.

jimmii · 10-03-2019 11:13pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Enjoyable alright, not sure it actually adds anything to send a team home, it's interesting just seeing how they cope with the travel etc.

Yeah the pace will no doubt show at some point especially for older people involved. Hard to keep up the non stop coach travel for long.

Dont really get the sending them home really either guess there will only be 3 for the last leg. At least it was the two that went didnt really like them and you got the sense they may not go home friends if they had to go on much longer!

BobbyBobberson · 10-03-2019 11:19pm

Yeah they have definitely ballsed it up by showing people racing in Singapore, weird that they have decided to do it that way.

jimmii · 10-03-2019 11:21pm

BobbyBobberson wrote: »

Yeah they have definitely ballsed it up by showing people racing in Singapore, weird that they have decided to do it that way.

Does seem strange given they edited the last to sign in bit as if the result wasnt known already. It's not.like it's a subtle bit of the credits either!

BobbyBobberson · 10-03-2019 11:26pm

Netflix has me spoiled, dont want to wait another week. The photography from the programme is lovely too, getting some facts in there too like the border being closed in Armenia.

stargazer 68 · 10-03-2019 11:29pm

BobbyBobberson wrote: »

Never heard of the amazing race, will look it up. Yeah the kid was doing my head in too!

I have to say its enjoyable, some of decisions would make your head melt. I was laughing at them all trying to get out of London.

Amazing race is excellent. Not sure off hand how many seasons but the USA is the original. There is a Canada one too. Been watching it for about 20 years!

jimmii · 10-03-2019 11:36pm

BobbyBobberson wrote: »

Netflix has me spoiled, dont want to wait another week. The photography from the programme is lovely too, getting some facts in there too like the border being closed in Armenia.

Yeah must admit my geographical knowledge of the area is quite poor so feel like I'm getting a bit of an education while watching!

BobbyBobberson · 19-03-2019 3:44pm

Just watching episode three here, some of these central asian countries look incredible.

BobbyBobberson · 24-03-2019 5:46pm

Episode four tonight, really enjoying this at the moment. One of the refreshing elements of it is that it is normal people involved and not celebrities.

jimmii · 24-03-2019 5:54pm

Yeah no doubt that will come if it proves a success much like they do the hunted specials.

I prefer where the race element takes a back seat and it becomes more about the experience. I think as it goes on that's what will become more important for the racers which is the whole point of it really!

BobbyBobberson · 24-03-2019 5:58pm

jimmii wrote: »

Yeah no doubt that will come if it proves a success much like they do the hunted specials.

I prefer where the race element takes a back seat and it becomes more about the experience. I think as it goes on that's what will become more important for the racers which is the whole point of it really!

Yeah there is definitely an irony in there isnt there? The narrator at the start bemoans about not travelling through and then the concept is to get there as fast as possible :pac::pac:

One of the older women from the start was mad to enjoy it more.

corks finest · 24-03-2019 6:00pm

Dovies wrote: »

Yep. On the same premise as the amazing race but no challenges to do along the way. They have been given their whole budget up front as opposed to a bit each leg but can earn more by working along the way which is good.

The kid is an annoying fecker!

BobbyBobberson wrote: »

Never heard of the amazing race, will look it up. Yeah the kid was doing my head in too!

I have to say its enjoyable, some of decisions would make your head melt. I was laughing at them all trying to get out of London.

Amazing race is ,,,,,,,,,, amazing,na its v good

jimmii · 24-03-2019 6:02pm

BobbyBobberson wrote: »

Yeah there is definitely an irony in there isnt there? The narrator at the start bemoans about not travelling through and then the concept is to get there as fast as possible :pac::pac:

One of the older women from the start was mad to enjoy it more.

Yeah they want to encourage people to enjoy the travel experience by trying to make them get there as quickly as they can? They should have made it who can the longest to get there with the budget they have! Let them get very creative with how they travel and where they stay!

S.M.B. · 24-03-2019 7:05pm

I like the concept, without the race element it just becomes a travelogue.

Encouraging people to soak up a bit of culture along the way makes it not quite Amazing Race levels of competitivenes. It was interesting to see them root for the Yorkshire guys as they attempted to get the ferry, little did they no missing out would have been a blessing in disguise.

They've been given a once in a lifetime opportunity so it's a matter of balancing between being in contention for the prize and exposing yourselves to unique experiences along the way.

BobbyBobberson · 24-03-2019 10:40pm

The two girls have definitely given up on the race anyway! Or at least thats the way it was coming across at the start.

Another good episode.

S.M.B. · 24-03-2019 11:21pm

Didn't think that myself. They thought their high speed / high cost strategy would have paid off massively but they struggled because they were last to leave and others spent similar amounts of cash.

BobbyBobberson · 24-03-2019 11:23pm

Yeah I jumped the gun on that one, was wrong.

Any idea where next checkpoint is? Ho Chi Minh? The two lads have a serious lead now.

jimmii · 25-03-2019 12:05am

Big lead alright. Definitely not had as good a quality experience though you can see the dad is finding that a bit frustrating. I guess if they win they can spend the money on doing it all over again and taking their time to see things then!

BobbyBobberson · 25-03-2019 12:11am

Someone on Twitter had a theory that every couple had to do at least some sightseeing in order to have enough footage. What do you think?

It would certainly explain why the two mates went rock climbing after getting stuck at the border. When they were late to the hotel they then referred to the border as holding them up but not a day rock climbing.

S.M.B. · 25-03-2019 12:17am

Yeah, I'd assume its HCM. I thought there was only one more leg left. These final two are quite small in terms of distance compared to the one they've just done.

S.M.B. · 25-03-2019 12:27am

The dad is a bit selfish tbh. His sulking about not being able to experience a Chinese village this leg is about as bad as anything the son has done. They can squeeze a stop off in on this upcoming leg now they've a bit of a buffer.

I don't think there's any forced sightseeing going on. Am I right in thinking the prize money is only 5 times the money they've been given to compete? Not sure if they're getting a salary too which would make it even less. I'd be more than happy to visit a few sights.

BobbyBobberson · 25-03-2019 12:45am

They got 2,600 and prize is 20k. Yeah they have a big whack of time anyway.

S.M.B. · 25-03-2019 8:56am

So prize money = 7.5 * competition money and like I said, I'm not sure if they'd be getting a 6 week salary from BBC/the production company on top of it.

It's not like their playing from a million like on The Amazing Race. That would be an entirely different proposition.

Limerick91 · 10-04-2019 8:48am

Enjoyed the show.
I would think every couple had to do a certain amount of sight seeing and a certain amount of work.

Sleepy · 10-04-2019 10:45am

I really enjoyed this. It does show just how far you can get (and how much you can get to see) on a relatively low budget if you're creative. Myself and Mrs Sleepy are hoping to do something similar to the route they took at some point in the future when the kids are grown (albeit adding a couple of weeks to the timescale to allow time to add in some more sight-seeing).

When you think about it 2,600 is about what you'd be paying for a 2 week cruise. I'd much rather a little discomfort on overnight trains/buses and a 2 month holiday.

The experience seemed to be the making of the young lad. I'd say he'll be off back-packing again as soon as he's earned enough to fund a few months of it (and his changed outlook by the end of the trip would make him far more likely to get off his arse and work imo).

jimmii · 10-04-2019 12:05pm

Sleepy wrote: »

I really enjoyed this. It does show just how far you can get (and how much you can get to see) on a relatively low budget if you're creative. Myself and Mrs Sleepy are hoping to do something similar to the route they took at some point in the future when the kids are grown (albeit adding a couple of weeks to the timescale to allow time to add in some more sight-seeing).

When you think about it 2,600 is about what you'd be paying for a 2 week cruise. I'd much rather a little discomfort on overnight trains/buses and a 2 month holiday.

The experience seemed to be the making of the young lad. I'd say he'll be off back-packing again as soon as he's earned enough to fund a few months of it (and his changed outlook by the end of the trip would make him far more likely to get off his arse and work imo).

Yeah for everyone else it seemed like it was a great experience for them but for him you really got the impression this could change the direction of his whole life. It was great to see. Was funny after the finish where the son was talking about the experience and how amazing it was and the dad was just next to him arms crossed having a sulk such a role reversal from the start!

stargazer 68 · 10-04-2019 12:11pm

jimmii wrote: »

Yeah for everyone else it seemed like it was a great experience for them but for him you really got the impression this could change the direction of his whole life. It was great to see. Was funny after the finish where the son was talking about the experience and how amazing it was and the dad was just next to him arms crossed having a sulk such a role reversal from the start!

Think he enjoyed chatting up the girls too

Really enjoyed it and the new amazing race Canada is due to start in May I think!

jimmii · 10-04-2019 12:14pm

Dovies wrote: »

Think he enjoyed chatting up the girls too
Really enjoyed it and the new amazing race Canada is due to start in May I think!

Ha yeah I'd imagine he'll be straight back over to China he seemed to enjoy it there :pac:

S.M.B. · 10-04-2019 1:47pm

Dovies wrote: »

Think he enjoyed chatting up the girls too
Really enjoyed it and the new amazing race Canada is due to start in May I think!

I really enjoyed it too, more so than TAR.

The US Amazing Race has just had its premiere bumped forward to next Wednesday. I was planning on starting a thread about it as its a CBS reality tv showdown so it should get some interest from the Survivor and US Big Brother fans on boards. I must admit I only watch TAR when it features contestants from these shows.

GalwayGrrrrrl · 10-04-2019 7:46pm

Where can I watch the Amazing Race? I loved the Rsce Across the World, one of the best tv series I’ve seen in a long time. Educational and enjoyable.

Race Across The World - BBC

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