Creators of hit BBC series Race Across The World have told how producers and contestants alike face ever-present danger from civil war, natural disasters and local unrest as they travel through some of the globe’s remotest regions.
The show may have inspired wanderlust among millions of viewers, but for those behind the camera, it is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in TV.
Its fourth series, which has seen contestants travel from Sapporo, Japan to Lombok, Indonesia, is set to climax this week as the pairs compete to win a life-changing £20,000.
But the eight episodes and 9,300-mile journey has been beset with problems from the start – with dry runs of the route by producers being impeded by geopolitical issues, the threat of volcanoes and protesters.
Previous series have even seen repeated thefts of camera equipment and producers left stranded at sea for days on end.
Its fourth series, which has seen contestants travel from Sapporo, Japan to Lombok, Indonesia, is set to climax this week as the pairs compete to win a life-changing £20,000
Brother and sister duo Betty and James have taken the internet by storm after Betty opened up about finding out at 16 that she has no womb
Series four of Race Across The World sees contestants travel from Sapporo, Japan to Lombok, Indonesia
During the trip, contestants are unable to use a mobile phone or take flights and are given just a small amount of money, a map, travel guide and GPS tracker.
Creative Director of the firm behind the show, Studio Lambert, told the Times how there is always a risk that the team’s plans are derailed by changing events on the ground.
To test the route, producers are sent to do practice runs with the same equipment and money given to the actual competitors, with routes plotted out a year in advance.
‘We have to be avid readers of the newspapers because we genuinely are at the whim of quite a lot of geopolitics,’ Mr Harcourt said.
‘We are always trying to guess which way the wind is going with countries and whether they are liable to wars breaking out.’
For its fourth series, all contestants had to be flown from South Korea to Vietnam during the route due to travel through China being deemed too risky.
Previous series proved that producers cannot be too careful: the second series saw civil unrest break out in Chile, forcing the evacuation of one pair to Argentina.
For this series, threats were more natural with volcanic activity in both Japan and Indonesia
The show’s bosses have to carefully consider which producer to pair with each team due to the stress of the experience
Five teams of two are all hoping to snatch the grand prize after the adventure of a lifetime
And in Ecuador, an advance production crew landed to find an approaching uprising, with protesters surrounding the airport, forcing another hasty evacuation.
For this series, the threats were more natural with volcanic activity in both Japan and Indonesia.
Executive producer Stephen Day described how teams are sent out to test the routes beforehand.
He said: ‘People sign up to the recce thinking that it’s going to be one of the most fun jobs in telly but I think it falls a little short of that.’
The teams have to survive on the same amount of money and navigational information as the contestants – and often come across problems.
One such incidence saw a producer stranded at sea for three days on a dry run, and then a further five days during the actual show.
The show’s bosses have to carefully consider which producer to pair with each team due to the stress of the experience, and the fact they will be spending around 50 days together by the end of the series.
Staff accompanying each time – usually a producer and camera operator – also have the added responsibility of ensuring all their equipment is charged, operational and protected, meaning they often get less sleep than the racers themselves.
As well as the time pressure of the journey, and struggle to live frugally, emotions can often run high.
Last week viewers were left in tears after contestant James cried while listening to his ‘brave’ sister Betty open up about a health condition which has left her without a womb.
Betty, 25, discussed her rare congenital disorder, known as MRKH, and revealed to viewers she discovered age 16 she did not have a uterus, womb and only one kidney.
This series’ competitors cannot travel by plane or Japan’s famously fast bullet trains
Race Across The World has previously seen teams race from London to Singapore, across Canada and from Mexico City to Argentina
MRKH – or Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome – is a rare condition that affects the female reproductive system and is characterised by an underdeveloped vagina and uterus.
Betty and James, 21, who admitted they weren’t that close before appearing on the show, have bonded while travelling together across Eastern Asia.
Speaking to the camera after their conversation, James broke down and asked the cameraman for a hug as he admitted he had no idea his sister felt that way.
With this year’s series coming to an end, fans were excited to discover at the start of the race that Japan’s famous bullet trains had also been added to the banned list of transport methods.
It meant they could see alternative methods of travel in the country, with many expected to plan their own trips along similar routes.
Destinations featured in Race Across The World have previously reported a spike in visitor numbers after the show.
Five teams of two are all hoping to snatch the grand prize after the adventure of a lifetime.
The new teams include the race’s youngest competitors – trainee pilot Owen and football referee Alfie from St Albans who are both 20.
Retired couple Stephen, 61, and Viv, 65, from Rutland, are this year’s oldest racers embarking on a quest for one last adventure, after suffering a stroke and a heart attack between them, before they ‘dribble into old age’.
For the first time in the show there are two mother and daughter pairs, including Isabel, a trainee clinical scientist and her mum Eugenie, a teacher.
Sharon, 52, a cleaner from Kent, and her daughter Brydie, 25, a snowboarding instructor, are also competing for the prize.
Race Across The World has previously seen teams race from London to Singapore, across Canada and from Mexico City to Argentina.
Last year a celebrity spin off saw weather presenter Alex Beresford and his father Noel win the race from Marrakesh, Morocco to Tromsø, Norway.
The GMB star beat race car driver Billy Monger, McFly star Harry Judd and All Saints singer Melanie Blatt on the first celeb series.
