Highlights:
- Anita Rani and her dad Bal Singh Nazran were filming in Mexico when locals thought they were refugees
- Confusion started after they kept asking where the border was during the BBC show
- Celebrity Race Across the World is back on BBC One and iPlayer from November 6
- This season’s cast brings together Roman Kemp, Tyler West, and Derry Girls favourite Dylan Llewellyn, among others
- Series takes stars on a 5,900 km journey from Mexico to Colombia with no phones or flights
While filming Celebrity Race Across the World, BBC presenter Anita Rani and her dad, Bal Singh Nazran, were mistaken for refugees in Mexico, all because they were asking hotel staff how to reach the border. The father-daughter duo were part of the show’s gruelling new season, where celebrity teams travel thousands of miles without phones, flights or luxury budgets.
“We were filming in a hotel in Mexico and the owners thought we were refugees,” Bal said. “It’s because we kept asking where the border was, as we were obviously trying to get to the next location point.”
Anita added with a laugh, “We were asking how to get to the border and there we are, these culturally ambiguous-looking brown people in Central America.”
Anita Rani opens up about being mistaken for a refugee while filming the global travel competition Getty Images
Why Celebrity Race Across the World pushed Anita Rani out of her comfort zone
The show strips fame down to the basics: no drivers, no phones, no agents, just instinct, buses, and border crossings. For Anita, best known for Countryfile and Woman’s Hour, it meant leaving behind her usual calm studio pace.
On this trip, Bal stayed in his first-ever backpackers’ hostel surrounded by teenagers “tattooing each other.” Anita joked that she had to warn him: “Now Dad, you’re going to see people smoking weed.” His reply was simple, “As long as I don’t get high.”
What to expect from the new Celebrity Race Across the World
A seriously long trek is ahead for the celebrities. They are racing roughly 5,900 kilometres. The journey starts on Isla Mujeres in Mexico. It finishes way down in La Guajira, Colombia. Their funds are seriously limited. The rules are strict. No planes allowed. They have to figure it out using just buses, shared taxis, or by getting lifts from locals they meet along the way.
Anita Rani is racing with her dad, Bal. Then there's Roman Kemp, who's teamed up with his sister Harleymoon. DJ Tyler West is in it with his partner, Molly Rainford. And from Derry Girls, Dylan Llewellyn is doing the race with his mum, Jackie.
Celebrity Race Across The World returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday, November 6, at 8pm.
