Celebrity Race Across the World gets new launch date after being pulled

15 September 2023 , 16:34

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Celebrity Race Across the World gets new launch date after being mysteriously pulled

BBC programme Celebrity Race Across the World has a new launch date, after it was pulled off air hastily due to a Morocco earthquake.

The travel competition was due to air earlier this year, but BBC pulled it earlier this month ahead of its launch after an earthquake in Morocco killed nearly 3,000 people. The programme, which was filmed earlier this year, features Morocco's city Marrakesh in its opening episode so producers felt it was best to put off the season premiere.

The new air date for the competition will be Wednesday 20th September at 9pm on BBC One and will feature celebrity guests and their families travelling across the globe.

Celebrity Race Across the World sees four pairs race across the world from Marrakesh to Norway (BBC)

This year's line up of guests includes Strictly Come Dancing winner and McFly drummer Harry Judd and his mum Emma, Good Morning Britain presenter Alex Beresford and his father Noel, All Saints singer Melanie Blatt and her mum Helene as well as racing driver Billy Monger and his sister Bonny.

The programme sees the couples race from Marrakesh through the Mediterranean, the Alps, Central Europe, the Baltic States and Scandinavia, ending in the Arctic capital, Tromso in Norway. Episodes were filmed at the end of 2022 and the journey will span across 24 countries and over 10,000km.

Harry Judd picked up unlikely new hobby during global race with his mum

This year's Celebrity Race Across the World cast includes Emma Judd, Harry Judd, Mel Blatt, Helene Blatt, Billy Monger, Bonny Monger, Alex Beresford & Noel Beresford. (Studio Lambert Ltd/Pete Dadds)

In this six-part celebrity version of the much-loved series, the four celebrities and their racing partners will race to a finish line that’s thousands of miles away – without the use of air travel or any trappings of modern-day life. Stripped of all mod-cons and all luxuries they will have to rely on their skills, cunning, ingenuity, and hard work in order to succeed. Without the use of credit cards, smartphones or access to the internet and with just the cash equivalent of completing the route to their final destination by air, they will have to earn extra money along the way as well as call upon the kindness of strangers to help them progress

A statement earlier this year from the show explained why it had been pulled off air: "The BBC has announced that in light of the earthquake in Morocco, the first episode of Celebrity Race Across the World will be postponed.

Good Morning Britain presenter Alex Beresford and his father Noel are one of the duos taking part (Studio Lambert Ltd/Pete Dadds)

Racing car driver Billy Monger and his sister Bonny Monger are also competing (Studio Lambert Ltd/Pete Dadds)

"We of course started off our journey in Marrakesh – it’s a beautiful city and we were so warmly welcomed by everyone during filming. Our hearts go out to the people of the country, and our thoughts are with them."

The dedicated Twitter account for the programme shared a tweet on September 11 which read: "The BBC has announced that in light of the earthquake in Morocco, the first episode of Celebrity Race Across the World will be postponed."

Celebrity Race Across the World will premiere on Wednesday, September 20 at 9pm on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer.

Niamh Spence