You might ask, “Who cares about filming dates?” Well, imagine if you watched a friend’s vacation video, only to realize they were there during a monsoon. Suddenly, their “glamorous” trek through the jungle makes you feel less envious and more relieved you were home with a cup of tea. That’s the power of context.
For the first series, which aired in 2019, the race was filmed in late 2018. The contestants trekked from London to Singapore, and if you look closely, you can spot the autumn leaves in some scenes. It’s like seeing a Christmas card that was written in September—the magic is still there, but you know the timing was carefully chosen.
The second series (2026) was largely filmed in mid-2019, before the world changed forever. Watching it now feels like a love letter to a simpler time, when you could hop on a train through Central Asia without a second thought. That snapshot makes you smile, even as you remember your own cancelled trips.
The COVID twist that changed everything
Then came series three, which was supposed to film in 2026. Life threw a hand grenade into the production schedule. The race was postponed, then eventually filmed in early 2026, thanks to strict quarantines and bubble protocols. The contestants probably felt like they were racing through a jigsaw puzzle, with missing pieces and sudden rule changes.
Race Across the World: filming secrets from behind the scenes
That delay gave us a rare gift: genuine uncertainty. When you watch that series, you’re seeing people who didn’t know if they’d make it to the next checkpoint before lockdowns shifted. It’s like rooting for a kite in a storm—you feel the tension in your bones because the timeline was real and fragile.
For the celebrity edition, filmed in late 2026, the production learned to roll with the punches. They used smaller crews and shorter legs, almost like a pop-up restaurant version of the race. It’s less about the distance and more about the grit, which makes you appreciate the contestants even more.
