The fourth series of BBC One and BBC iPlayer’s BAFTA-winning Celebrity Race Across the World features four celebrity duos, according to the BBC Media Centre. The 2026 race covers roughly 7,500 km, from Kuching in Malaysia to Melbourne in Australia.
Each celebrity takes part with a partner, so the cast is best understood as a list of pairings. The relationships range from childhood friends and best friends to siblings and a father and son.
This article sets out the four duos reported for 2026, the previous-series names that appear in coverage, and the details that remain unconfirmed, including whether a 2027 series has been announced.
Who is taking part in Celebrity Race Across the World 2026?
Four celebrity duos are reported for 2026, including siblings and a father and son. Ella Eyre, Jeff Stelling, Princess Andre and Sam Ryder are the celebrities named in the lineup.
The race covers roughly 7,500 km, starting in Kuching, Malaysia (Borneo), crossing South East Asia and ending in Melbourne, Australia.
The series premiered on on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The 2026 cast is reported by several outlets. The number of episodes, the broadcast end date and any 2027 series remain unconfirmed.
- The BBC Media Centre and Metro both report the same four duos, making the 2026 lineup the most widely corroborated detail.
- Some outlets give Ella Eyre’s partner’s surname as Pepera, while others name her only as Nana.
- The pairings vary widely, from childhood friends and a father and son to siblings and a best friend who is also a tour manager.
- Contestants must avoid flights, smartphones and credit cards, and work within a budget of £26 per person per day.
- Anita Rani, Dylan Llewellyn and Tyler West are reported as part of the previous series rather than the 2026 lineup.
- No source confirms the 2026 winner or the number of episodes.
| Fact | Value | Reported by |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Celebrity Race Across the World | The BBC and other outlets |
| Series | Fourth series on BBC One and BBC iPlayer | The BBC Media Centre |
| Premiere | The BBC Media Centre and others | |
| Route | Roughly 7,500 km, from Kuching to Melbourne | The BBC Media Centre and others |
| Budget | £26 per person per day | Several outlets |
| Number of duos | Four | The BBC Media Centre and Metro |
| 2026 pairings | Ella Eyre and Nana; Jeff and Matt Stelling; Princess and Junior Andre; Sam Ryder and Kaz | The BBC Media Centre and Metro |
| Number of episodes | Not stated | Not yet confirmed |
| Broadcast end date | Not stated | Not yet confirmed |
| 2026 winner | Not stated | Not yet confirmed |
How are the four celebrity duos paired?
Each pairing joins a celebrity with a partner who has a personal connection, and the relationships differ considerably from one duo to the next.
Each entry in the 2026 cast is a partnership rather than a single contestant, so the lineup reads as four duos.
Ella Eyre and Nana
Ella Eyre is a BRIT Award-winning singer-songwriter whose single “Waiting All Night” reached number one in the UK. She is racing with Nana, a childhood friend of more than 20 years.
According to the BBC Media Centre and Metro, the pair met at school. The Independent and Times of India give Nana’s full name as Nana Pepera, a detail not repeated in all coverage.
Jeff and Matt Stelling
Jeff Stelling is a veteran sports broadcaster who presented Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday for 29 years. He is also a former host of Countdown and Alphabetical, and he is taking part with his son, Matt.
Jeff said work has been a large part of his life, and that his current schedule makes the race “perfect timing”. WalesOnline reports that Matt did not see a single backpacker in their seventies in hostels.
Princess and Junior Andre
Princess Andre, 19, is an influencer and reality TV star. Her brother Junior Andre, 21, is a musician, and both are the children of Peter Andre and Katie Price.
Coverage from the BBC Media Centre and Metro describes the siblings as a pair who expect to be compared with their parents, and who want to be known for their own work.
Sam Ryder and Kaz
Sam Ryder is a singer-songwriter who represented the UK at Eurovision 2022 with “Space Man”, finishing second. He is racing with Kaz Coles, his best friend and tour manager.
Sam has said the pair met in 2013 as “two kids touring in vans”. For more on the contest itself, read Eurovision Song Contest – How Voting and Rules Work.
Who appeared in previous series of Celebrity Race Across the World?
Radio Times and Liverpool Echo report that earlier series featured several well-known duos. Their names do not appear in the 2026 lineup listed by the BBC Media Centre and Metro.
Anita Rani and Bal, and Dylan Llewellyn and Jackie
The previous cast included Anita Rani and her father, Bal, and Dylan Llewellyn and his mother, Jackie. Both pairings are reported as part of the earlier cast, not the four 2026 duos.
What happened in the 2025 final?
According to Radio Times and Liverpool Echo, siblings Roman and Harleymoon Kemp won the 2025 series. They triumphed over Tyler West and Molly Rainford in a tense finale.
The BBC describes 2026 as the fourth series, but the available coverage does not list the full casts of the earlier series. A series listing from 2023 also appears online with a cast not tied to any season, so those names are not treated as a confirmed earlier cast.
Is a 2027 series of Celebrity Race Across the World confirmed?
No confirmation of a 2027 series has been found. Reporting so far covers only the 2026 edition, and no 2027 contestants have been named.
Any future cast should therefore be treated as unknown until the broadcaster announces it. Until then, the 2026 duos remain the only lineup reported.
Only the 2026 duos are reported by both the BBC Media Centre and Metro, so they are the most reliable cast details currently available.
What is the timeline of the series so far?
- : The series is won by siblings Roman and Harleymoon Kemp, according to Radio Times and Liverpool Echo.
- : The BBC Media Centre publishes early information about the 2026 series.
- : The series premieres at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, according to the BBC Media Centre.
- : The BBC Media Centre and Metro report the four 2026 duos.
What is confirmed and what remains unclear?
| Established information | Information that remains unclear |
|---|---|
| The 2026 series features four celebrity duos, according to the BBC Media Centre and Metro. | The number of episodes and the broadcast end date are not stated in the available reporting. |
| The series premiered on 28 October 2026 at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. | The 2026 winner has not been reported. |
| The 2026 route covers roughly 7,500 km from Kuching to Melbourne. | Nana’s full name is given by some outlets but not all. |
| The 2025 winners were Roman and Harleymoon Kemp. | The cast of seasons one to four is not confirmed, and no 2022 edition is verified. |
| Anita Rani, Dylan Llewellyn and Tyler West are reported as part of the previous series. | A 2027 series has not been confirmed, and no 2027 cast has been announced. |
What is the format of Celebrity Race Across the World?
Celebrity Race Across the World is a BBC One and BBC iPlayer series, described as BAFTA-winning. Each celebrity races with a partner, travelling under fixed limits on how they can get around.
Contestants must avoid flights, smartphones and credit cards, relying instead on local transport and a physical map. The 2026 budget is £26 per person per day.
Background on the format is also summarised on Wikipedia. The details in this article come from broadcaster and press reports.
How do the sources compare on the 2026 cast?
The BBC Media Centre and Metro list the same four duos, which gives the 2026 lineup its strongest support. The Independent and Times of India give Nana’s surname as Pepera.
The direct quotations below are taken from BBC Media Centre and Metro coverage.
“We never got to do a gap year.”
Ella Eyre, as reported by the BBC Media Centre and Metro
“Everything we do, we get compared to our parents. But we actually have our own thing that we do.”
Princess Andre, as reported by the BBC Media Centre and Metro
“We’ve kind of got a lot to prove… we’re going to win.”
Junior Andre, as reported by the BBC Media Centre and Metro
Cast credits and listing details for the people named here can also be checked on IMDb.
What does the 2026 cast show so far?
The 2026 cast of Celebrity Race Across the World is reported as four celebrity duos, with the BBC Media Centre and Metro listing the same pairings. The earlier series casts, the number of episodes, the 2026 result and any 2027 lineup remain unconfirmed. Readers interested in other celebrity-led formats can explore Traitors Cast – All UK, US and Celebrity Seasons.
Common questions about the series
How long is the 2026 route?
The BBC Media Centre reports that the 2026 race covers roughly 7,500 km, starting in Kuching, Malaysia (Borneo), crossing South East Asia and ending in Melbourne, Australia.
When does the 2026 series premiere?
The series premiered on on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, according to the BBC Media Centre.
What rules do the contestants follow?
Contestants must avoid flights, smartphones and credit cards. They rely on local transport and a physical map, with a budget of £26 per person per day.
Are Anita Rani and Dylan Llewellyn in the 2026 cast?
No. Anita Rani and Dylan Llewellyn are reported as part of the previous series cast. The four 2026 duos listed by the BBC Media Centre and Metro are Ella Eyre, Jeff Stelling, Princess Andre and Sam Ryder.
How many episodes does the 2026 series have?
No reliable source confirms the number of episodes or the official broadcast end date for the 2026 series, so neither can be stated with certainty.
Has a winner been reported for the 2026 series?
No winner or result for the 2026 series has been reported. Winner information for the 2025 series is reported by Radio Times and Liverpool Echo.
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Toby Marsh is Senior Reporter at Castradar.uk, covering film and TV stories across the UK.