BBC Race Across The World 2024 line-up in full: Who are the contestants competing?

Race Across the World is back, with the travelling show starting on BBC on Wednesday, April 10, at 9pm. The new season will see five teams take on a route in Eastern Asia, battling it out over 15,000 kilometres and across several countries.

For 2024, the teams include two mother and daughter duos, Brydie and Sharon and Eugenie and Isabel; best friends, Alfie and Owen; married couple, Stephen and Viv and brother and sister, Betty and James. They will start in northernmost Japan, where they will cross six seas and eight borders, skirting the path of the volcanic ring of fire, the most geologically unstable region on the planet to reach the finish line in Lombok, an idyllic Indonesian island paradise.

Hoping to cross the finish line first and claim the cash prize of £20,000, the teams will have to leave their smartphones, internet access, and bank cards behind. As usual, the race is expected to test the five teams like never before, pushing them to both their physical and emotional limits.

READ MORE: BBC Race Across the World 2024 contestants, start date, locations and how to watch

LATEST: Alex Jones on 'very special' Welsh town that's one of her 'favourite places in the world'

The teams this year include a football referee, a trainee pilot, a teacher, and a snowboard instructor. Here's everything you need to know about the BBC Race Across the World line-up.

BBC Race Across the World 2024 line-up

Alfie and Owen

Alfie (20, football referee) and Owen (20, trainee pilot) from Hertfordshire are best friends from school with a determination and maturity rarely seen. While one wants to experience everything the race throws at them, the other only has eyes for the finish line.

On why they wanted to take part in Race Across The World, Alfie said: "I think we wanted to take part in the series mainly because we’re both lovers of travelling and have done a little bit of travelling before but never done the whole backpacking, country-hopping situation. It was something that we wanted to try further down the line anyway and we thought it would be such a great experience that it would be impossible to say no to."

While Owen added: "We wanted to do this because, as Alfie said, we wanted to go travelling and we’ve never done this sort of thing together. Also, we wanted to put our friendship to the test, see what we can achieve with it. And personally, ourselves we wanted to see how we’d deal in this sort of situation and how well we can do, see if we can make it to the end and maybe even win."

Betty and James

Betty (25, social media and events manager for a gym) and James (21, sales consultant) from Yorkshire are sister and brother - one is well travelled, the other prefers partying in Magaluf. Barely in touch as adults, their hope is to share the experience of a lifetime.

On choosing one another as a travelling partner, Betty said: "I think I definitely chose James. I think it was because we’d always watched the show as a family, I’ve never really spoken about it with my friends, so I think it was the more natural decision to go for."

While James said: "I don’t think I’d have probably chosen Betty. But the thing is I never really thought about applying, obviously we’d said we could do it but it never really crossed my mind to actually go for it. I guess Betty’s got that “why not? Let's try it” mentality whereas I maybe wouldn’t have actually applied by myself."

Eugenie and Isabel

Eugenie (60, teacher) and Isabel (25, trainee clinical scientist) from Barking/Birmingham are a mother and daughter with clashing personalities and contrasting strengths who hope the race will improve their understanding of one another.

On how they've prepared, Isabel said: "We walked around with weights and backpacks, around the parks several times," as Eugenie added: "We put dumbbells and all kinds of things in our backpacks but even so when we’ve got these rucksacks on our back, it's crazy. Absolutely crazy heavy."

Sharon and Brydie

Sharon (52, cleaner) and Brydie (25, snowboard instructor) from Kent are a mother and daughter learning to embrace the challenges of travel and dyslexia.

On their strategy going into Race Across the World, Sharon said: "The only thing we’re doing, we're mum and daughter so we’re sharing everything. So, one’s got shampoo, one's got conditioner, you know, to lighten the load."

As Brydie added: "I think that’s our best strategy, our relationship, because we’re really tight."

Stephen and Viv

Stephen (61, retired) and Viv (65, retired) from Rutland are a retired couple on a quest to prove that wisdom, perspective and maturity is the winning formula. With a newfound zest for life, and in pursuit of a thrilling adventure, they are grabbing hold of life with both hands.

On their strengths and weaknesses, Stephen said: "Obviously our age, but in a lot of ways we think that might be a strength as well, we’re sort of perhaps less imposing then some of the youngsters, less threatening than perhaps some of the youngsters might be by approaching strangers, we’re not a threat to anybody. But, certainly, it’s literally the same thing as a weakness, we’re not going to beat anyone in a footrace that’s for sure. But we’re hoping perhaps our experience, life experience, our maturity might give us a perspective that perhaps other people don’t see. It’s guess work because until you’re there you just don’t know what cards you’re going to be dealt, it’s just no idea.

While Viv added: "I think we’re quite impulsive, I don’t know whether that’s going to be a strength or a weakness, I think it could be a bit of both." You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.