Way to win Race Across The World? Secret codewords, says ROLAND WHITE
Celebrity Race Across The World (BBC 1)
Scott Mills and his boyfriend Sam were more than a day behind the winning team in an early episode of Celebrity Race Across The World. But they came good when it mattered, and were last night first to cross the finish line.
The final wasn’t just good news for fans of the Radio 2 presenter, but also for bus spotters, whose hobby has been cruelly neglected by television. (Would it hurt Michael Portillo to take the occasional double-decker?)
The final stage of the contestants’ journey through South America, from Argentina into Chile, featured more buses than a four-hour specialist Bus Channel documentary on the London Routemaster. There were at least five scenes in which the contestants bought bus tickets, which is nobody’s idea of exciting TV.
It wasn’t just tickets. There were atmospheric shots of bus stations, luggage being stowed, contestants climbing onto buses, and contestants sitting in their seats and enjoying the ride.
‘What I’m excited about,’ said Jeff Brazier, ‘is getting to Santiago and realising that they have really good onward transport connections.’
Celebrity Race Across The World came to an end on Wednesday night as Scott Mills and his husband Sam (pictured) were declared the 2024 winners
Scott Mills and his boyfriend Sam Vaughan were more than a day behind the winning team in an early episode of Celebrity Race Across The World. But they came good when it mattered, and were last night first to cross the finish line. The pair are pictured together in the episode
In the final episode of the series, the four teams rushed to the finish line as they made their way through Argentina into Chile to get to the seaside town of Frutillar; pictured L-R Mary Ellen, Kola, Sam, Scott, Kelly, Jeremy, Jeff & Freddy
The final wasn’t just good news for fans of the Radio 2 presenter, but also for bus spotters, whose hobby has been cruelly neglected by television
Celebrity Race Across The World series two cast. L-R: Scott Mills’ husband Sam Vaughan, Jeff Brazier’s son Freddie, Kola Bokinni, Jeremy, Kelly, Kola’s cousin Mary Ellen, Jeff, and Scott
If the first thing that excites about the capital of Chile is the onward transport links, you have almost certainly spent too much time on the road.
It was left to actor Kola Bokinni and his cousin Mary Ellen to lift our spirits. They took a taxi to Chile, and were rewarded by striking mountain scenery and huge salt flats.
‘This is the best road trip I’ve ever been on,’ said Mary Ellen, excitedly. ‘Imagine if we were taking a bus into the city.’
We didn’t have to imagine, Mary Ellen.
Race Across The World is one of those shows that shouldn’t really work but somehow does.
It’s often difficult to follow the action as different teams set off in different directions, and the result seems to depend entirely on luck. Also, it’s now almost impossible to watch a road trip without thinking that Clarkson, Hammond and May would be a lot more entertaining.
But it works because it’s pacy, it packs in a lot, and the camera doesn’t hang around. And, of course, it’s fun to watch the travellers as their plans unravel.
The final stage of the contestants’ journey through South America, from Argentina into Chile, featured more buses than a four-hour specialist Bus Channel documentary on the London Routemaster. There were at least five scenes in which the contestants bought bus tickets, which is nobody’s idea of exciting TV
It wasn’t just tickets. There were atmospheric shots of bus stations, luggage being stowed, contestants climbing onto buses, and contestants sitting in their seats and enjoying the ride
Scott and Sam were the first to sign their name in the book signaling the end of the race and crowning them the winners – beating Kola and Mary-Ellen by two hours
As this was the final stage of their journey, everybody was in thoughtful mood. ‘What you teach me is to be less serious,’ said Jeff to son Freddy, whose mother was the late reality star Jade Goody.
‘I love you a lot,’ said Freddy.
Scott and Sam also enjoyed a moment of reflection about their forthcoming marriage. ‘If we got through the last 30 days, we can get through life together,’ said Scott.
It’s no surprise that they won. They were so competitive that they designed a code to hide their plans from the other teams: M for the city of Mendoza, S for Santiago, BC for border crossing.
I don’t think that would have given the Bletchley Park people too much trouble.
