Four years on, this is what the cast of Race Across the World series one are up to now

It’s now been over four years since we we watched the wholesome cast of Race Across the World series one on our screens. The debut of the show was received so well that two more series have been filmed since then with the third one airing right now depicting five new couples trying to race across the unforgiving landscape of Canada.

Series one saw the duos try their luck at travelling the longest distance possible by land from London to Singapore. Despite joining the race two days late after Jinda and Bindu were forced to drop out due to a family illness, Tony and Elaine ended up winning the show and its £20,000 prize fund. Along the journey there were definitely some memorable moments such as Shameema chatting up a guy on a train by telling him she was 14 years younger than she actually was and Alex nearly coming home with a girlfriend after a young girl in China became pretty smitten with him and begged to stay in touch.

Little did we know as we watched these five couples gallivanting around the world just how iconic the show would come, with the series even going onto a win a BAFTA for best reality and constructed factual show, something which both the cast and crew are incredibly proud of. But, what have they all been doing since? Here’s a rundown of what all the cast members of series one of Race Across the World are up to now:

Elaine and Tony

via BBC

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Retired PE teachers Elaine and Tony were inspired by their three children all taking gap years to join Race Across the World and ended up winning the prize pot of £20,000. The couple, who had been married for over 40 years, spent the prize fund on an electric bike each, which took the majority of their money, and then split the rest between giving some to family members and the rest to charity.

“We invited our grandkids and three children to watch the final episodes, they didn’t know we’d won so we cracked open all the champagne and got the cash out and we chucked it all up the air,” they said at the time. “The kids got what they could and we gave some to charity.”

Since their win, the pair have continued travelling and in the spirit of Race Across the World have swapped laying out by the pool at all-inclusive resorts for camping and staying in hostels with young people who “take care” of them, although they demonstrated they are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Their priorities very much remain on British shores though where they spend the majority of their time with their seven grandchildren.

Alex and Darron

via BBC

Alex and Darron may not have won the show but they won the hearts of the nation with their wholesome father-son dynamic, despite being estranged from each other when embarking on the race. Alex had the biggest personality development on the show and watching him grow was an absolute joy. Darron came on the show already with a love for travelling and it appears he’s now infected Alex with the same wanderlust because since filming ended they have been to over 17 countries and territories between them, including Tunisia, Egypt and Canada.

When they’re not busy jet setting around the world, Alex works as a Customer Advisor for EE and hosts a podcast about, yes, you guessed it: travelling. Darron is now working in IT and is planning to run the London Marathon this year in aid of Candlelighters Trust, a charity that helps children and their parents deal with cancer. The pair have stayed in touch with pretty much all their cast mates, going out for drinks with them all and even completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge with Shameema, Natalie, Elaine and Tony.

Natalie and Shameema

via BBC

Natalie and Shameema provided the comic relief of this season and I absolutely loved watching the friends interact having known each other for over 30 years. A true highlight of the season was when Shameema chatted up an 18-year-old man on a train and told him she was 25, despite actually being 39.

Since the show ended, Shameema returned to her day job as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist for the NHS but hasn’t lost her sense of adventure, doing sky dives in Dubai and the pair also undertook the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge with their fellow season one cast mates.

Josh and Felix

via BBC

Business partners Josh and Felix met in 2009 at an arts centre; the pair took their joint love of the arts and founded a business together in 2015 and now co-own an arts venue in Redruth, Cornwall. Since the show ended, the duo are still the bestest of friends, going on holiday together regularly and have grown their business to now be six people strong.

The duo have kept in touch with their season one cast mates and met up with Tony, Elaine, Alex, Darron, Shameema and Natalie for a pint and to perform some karaoke – obviously.

Sue and Clare

via BBC

Lifelong friends Sue and Clare were the first to be eliminated from season one of Race Across the World after they were the last pair to reach the second check point in Azerbaijan. Despite not making it far, Sue looked back fondly on her time on the show saying after that her only regret was having to frantically race rather than pace herself and talk to people they met.

Sue returned to the job she had before her adventure as one third of the comedy trio Three Menopausal Maids and even performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. However, she was clearly bitten by the travel bug as she ventured on a solo trip to Goa in India the following year and also visited Costa Rica.

Jinda and Bindu

via BBC

Jinda and Bindu only graced our screens for one episode after they had to drop out of the race on day two after receiving news of a family illness, having only made it as far as Aachen in Germany. They were replaced by Elaine and Tony who eventually went on to win the show.

Before the show, the married couple were the co-owners of small retain chain. Whilst very little is available online as to what they’ve been up to since, as self professed “workaholics” it is safe to assume they retuned to their business in Nottingham.

Featured image via @darron_speck on Instagram and BBC.

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