Original subtitles

John Hannah: Reaching the other side of the world

has never been easier.

But by flying over, are we forgetting

how to travel through?

Singapore, the furthest point from the UK by road and rail.

Normally a 12-hour plane journey.

But could you get there for just the price of the airfare

without taking a single flight?

What am I doing?

Holy moly, that's going to be tough.

John Hannah: Five pairs of ordinary brits

are about to attempt just that...

Most people would go from a to b on a plane,

but then they'd miss all this.

John Hannah: In an extraordinary race.

Come on.

John Hannah: At ground level, they'll

cover over 12,000 miles.

Oh man. Look at that.

It's amazing.

[Singing] Everybody wants to get to Azerbaijan.

John Hannah: Who will finish first,

as they leave behind the trappings of modern day life?

It's 34 hours on one bus.

John Hannah: Without their bank cards.

We're going to run out of money at some point.

John Hannah: And their smartphones.

I don't want to argue about it.

Time's ticking on.

John Hannah: It will test them physically.

This is where you find out about yourself.

- Sleep? - Sleep where?

You can't finish the race if you're dead.

John Hannah: And emotionally.

It's almost like i'm questioning my purpose.

What is it that I want?

It's just a bit much.

I'm at my breaking point.

John Hannah: The reward is great.

It's about recapturing a little bit of me there.

John Hannah: As the first team to Singapore

will claim the prize of 20,000 pounds in a race

across the world.

Shift your buns.

Come on.

50 days... blood, sweat, tears.

John Hannah: Previously, the teams set off on their epic

journey to Singapore.

Oh, for god's sake.

John Hannah: Best mates Josh and Felix worked hard and raced

fast to make it to delphi in Greece, the first checkpoint,

in first place, claiming a 3 and 1/2 hour

lead over their closest rivals, father and son darron and Alex.

Thought we'd give you a chance in the first leg.

John Hannah: A tragedy at home...

My mom's in hospital.

She's taken a slight turn for the worse.

John Hannah: Meant an early exit for husband

and wife jinda and bindu.

We're going to head back, ok?

John Hannah: Taking up the Baton, Yorkshire

couple Tony and Elaine.

I can't believe it.

We're here, and we're doing it.

John Hannah: Lifelong friends Natalie and shameema...

We're in Starbucks brushing our teeth.

John Hannah: Relied on the kindness of strangers...

Could I hug you?

John Hannah: To take third place, leaving

the two remaining teams...

Best friends sue and Clare, and husband

and wife Tony and Elaine...

We're trying to get to delphi.

John Hannah: All at sea. - No?

No?

John Hannah: On the slope of mount parnassus, delphi.

In ancient times, considered to be the center of the world.

At each checkpoint, the teams have

a 36-hour break before heading to the next destination.

So the earlier they get there, the sooner they can leave.

Three teams reached the checkpoint yesterday.

But two have yet to arrive.

Sue and Clare.

Here, look.

Hotel Amalia.

Ok.

Hotel Amalia?

John Hannah: And Tony and Elaine.

Thank you. Thank you.

Good.

Come on, [inaudible]

Amalia hotel.

Not far now, huh?

It's there.

- It's there? - It's there.

Crikey.

Hello.

Welcome to Amalia hotel.

Kalispera.

Three other teams are in before us.

John Hannah: Sue and Clare take fourth spot, almost 24

hours behind the race leaders.

Can we just do this?

Fantastic.

We got here.

A little bit disappointed, but not far behind.

Not far behind.

John Hannah: Just five minutes behind.

Here we go.

Come on, last little bit.

John Hannah: Tony and Elaine arrive in last position.

Come on.

John Hannah: This is the first time they'll

meet the other competitors.

Where are the newbies?

John Hannah: Having replaced jinda and bindu.

Hi there.

Good to meet you.

We took their place.

We're the reserves.

I'm sure we all send our well wishes to them.

Yeah, but also, lovely to meet you, as well.

Yeah, it's super.

It really is a great, great experience.

It's been great meeting everybody else.

And we had real lovely people.

But it changes things a little bit, you know.

You see the whites of people's eyes

and their experiences they've had.

We're 15 minutes into a game of football

and we've got extra time in penalties.

So it'll pick up from now on.

John Hannah: 5:35 am.

We'd like to check out, please.

The next checkpoint is Baku.

Ok.

John Hannah: Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, a city of fire.

With its historic atashgah temple and ultra-modern

flame towers celebrating the nation's

vast oil and gas reserves.

I think we had our suspicions that it was going to be

somewhere on the caspian sea.

Azerbaijan's meant to be beautiful.

John Hannah: The second checkpoint

is 1,447 miles east of delphi.

And there will be a need for speed on this leg.

The team that reaches there in fifth place will be eliminated.

Ok.

Whether we get to Singapore first or fourth,

I really don't mind.

But if we have to go home at Baku, that'll suck.

John Hannah: Racing across the world

is all about traveling smart, displaying

speed and adaptability.

The threat of elimination means every decision counts.

The first, how to get out of Greece.

They could head south to the capital,

Athens, and its port, piraeus, gateway to the aegean

and the med.

Or head north through thessaloniki

using road and rail, crossing the land

bridge between Europe and Asia.

To the bus stop.

Yeah, let's go.

We're going to get into Athens on the bus,

and then we want to get the ferry over to cesme.

I think the added sense of jeopardy

that the elimination brings, there's

definitely an added urgency.

No one wants to be last.

No one wants to go home.

We've all put too much into this.

We were planning on a nice layover in Istanbul,

taking our foot off the gas, taking the scenic route,

maybe visiting some sites.

No, now it's a real kick of the bum to get there.

What a lovely little town.

John Hannah: Without smartphones, Josh and Felix

are unaware that the first bus to Athens isn't until 10:00 am.

Great.

John Hannah: Time for plan b.

There's a good chance that we could

do well in this competition.

Over a journey of such epic proportions,

there's probably a thousand things that could go wrong.

Felix and i's ability to rely on each other

is one of the strengths that we'll have,

our openness to talk to people and our ability to take risks.

Hopefully that will stand us in really good stead.

No one's going there.

No.

John Hannah: After two hours, some divine intervention

from a tour guide and oracle named Nicholas.

If you want, she will allow Nick to zip you to Athens right

after breakfast.

Would you be up for that, Nick?

He loves adventure.

As long as I get a nice breakfast beforehand.

Absolutely, man.

This is exactly how the universe works.

They're having breakfast in a hotel with these lovely people,

who have invited us to join them.

This is Nick, and he's very kindly

agreed to take us to Athens.

Your health.

Cheers.

John Hannah: 9:25 am, the next team

to leave the checkpoint, darron and Alex.

Your next checkpoint is Baku.

Oh, cranking up the pressure with an elimination.

Yeah, definitely.

Well, on the plus side, at least we know where this is.

Exactly.

Try there.

Since the age of 15, I've lived with my mom.

He's still my dad at the end of the day.

I just don't know him as well as I should.

So this trip, we should get to know each other a lot

better than what we do now.

First thing, definitely Athens.

Yeah.

I think that opens up more possibilities for us.

I don't know Alex as a man.

I know him as a child.

It's going to be difficult to get balance

because I need Alex to make mistakes

so he can grow as a person.

That balance of him growing, him becoming a more rounded

individual and still winning, it's going

to be a tough balance at times.

We just need to take as much advantage lead as we can,

closing the gap and hopefully catching up to Josh and Felix.

I wonder what Josh and Felix have done.

[Music - "can't help falling in love"]

Crowd [singing]: I can't help falling in love with you.

Take my hand.

Take my whole...

John Hannah: While Josh and Felix hold hands,

they lose their grip on the race lead,

as darron and Alex catch the first bus to Athens.

Eventually, Josh and Felix hit the road.

Felix: What's your background, then?

Nicholas: I am a professional psychic.

Josh: No way. Nicholas: Actually, yeah.

We were saying on our way here that the gods were

looking down on us and smiling.

When we arrived, it was at sunset,

and the piercing sun was through the clouds.

It couldn't have looked more...

It was mythic.

It was mythic, yes.

This is Apollo is greeting you.

Yeah, exactly.

John Hannah: Athens, birthplace of democracy

and western philosophy, with over 3,000 years of history.

The city's patron deity, Athena, was goddess of courage,

strength, strategy, and wisdom.

And a newfound wisdom is about to be

bestowed on Josh and Felix.

This will help you both if you put it right here.

Let me see.

Right here on the third eye.

This will help you to open up your psychic awareness,

relax the mind, and tune in so you know which way to go, which

decision to make, which path.

Group hug.

John Hannah: The path each team chooses is their own,

but they must pass through five checkpoints on the way

to Singapore.

Each team began the race with the cash

equivalent of two economy airfares

to Singapore in pounds sterling.

This must cover all expenditures.

Hello.

Hi, we want to go to cesme in Turkey.

What time does it leave?

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Well, we got to Athens in record time,

and then the ferry isn't until 9:00 pm.

So we're going to hang out.

Hello.

No, we're all right, actually.

We don't have any phones.

We're going to e7 to get some money.

It's a little bit of a shame that there

isn't a ferry till the evening.

But we have the power of hermes and Apollo on our side.

Josh: 200 Turkish lira.

Felix: No, 200 pounds in Turkish.

Josh: Yeah.

John Hannah: 7:00 pm, 11 and 1/2 hours

behind Josh and Felix, Natalie and shameema leave delphi.

It's 7:10.

What?

A train is coming.

John Hannah: Heading north, they're

aiming to catch the last train to thessaloniki

then push on through to Istanbul.

Hi, you speak English?

Woman: [Speaking German]

Oh, no.

I have known shameema since I was nine years old.

There's absolutely nobody else in this world

that I can imagine doing this trip with.

I think shameema would describe me as somebody who just goes

and does something and then thinks about it,

and she's more considered.

But I think we balance each other out.

And I think that's from decades of friendship.

We have English money.

No.

If you exchange this money, you get more euro.

John Hannah: But they're short of Euros.

And the last train north is due in 15 minutes.

I think we should just get a train to pay

for it to go to [inaudible].

I was willing to give them 30 pounds.

I know.

Is that you throwing a strop?

John Hannah: The girls take a risk

and board the train with a fare paid for only half the journey.

This is cozy.

John Hannah: Piraeus, Athens, the largest

passenger port in Europe.

Darron and Alex have booked an evening ferry to Turkey

and won't be alone.

Oh, whoa!

Seen who's there?

Oh!

Yeah.

Yay.

Hello.

We knew you were going to be on our ferry.

You getting the ferry?

Yes.

I just said to Josh, I was like,

they're going to be on our ferry.

Nice to see you, man.

We're closing it up now, eh?

Yeah.

[Interposing voices]

Looking very smart.

Alex: We closed the gap.

Three-hour gap and it's closed like that [inaudible]..

The crazy thing is we have the same strategy

as Josh and Felix, which is quite scary.

I think it's going to be close between us all the way up

because they have the same strategy,

the same mentality, the same...

Like traveling overnight to save costs.

I'm not going to change it because it's too like theirs.

No, obviously not.

We're still going to be the same.

Because we believe it's a winning way to go about it.

John Hannah: 103 miles from thessaloniki,

an inspector calls.

Hello.

Your ticket, please.

Yes?

We can buy a ticket?

If you've money.

We have pounds, English pounds.

No pounds.

It's a problem for me.

It's a problem for me, as well.

So we need to go to thesso...

[mumbles]

What?

Thessaloniki?

Do you have money?

No euro.

About... no euro?

No euro. Pound.

Oh, that's a problem.

You stop traveling now.

We get off next stop?

Yes.

John Hannah: To date, Natalie and shameema have relied

on the kindness of strangers.

And they are in dire need of it now.

Hi, can you speak English?

What is your name?

Constantina.

I'm Natalie.

Shameema.

The train inspector's coming.

He's trying to Chuck us off the train.

Do you have any Euros that, when we get to thessaloniki,

we will give you Euros?

Can you come to the ticket inspector

and explain to him, maybe?

How much do you have?

I think that will be enough.

Yeah, that'll be ok.

And then when we get off the thingy,

we'll get the money back.

One from you, one from you, the same price.

Yes.

We got tickets to thessaloniki.

This has been an interesting evening for you, yes?

Yeah, actually [inaudible]

Not your normal evening.

Uh, no.

John Hannah: Natalie and shameema's risky train strategy

has paid dividends, catapulting them

right back into contention, as they've

made it to thessaloniki.

A seven-hour wait for the ferry connection from piraeus

has dragged back the leading two teams.

But they've now set sail across the aegean,

heading for cesme in Turkey.

The remaining teams are about to leave delphi.

Kalimera.

John Hannah: The first are best friends of over 40

years, sue and Clare.

The team that reaches there in fifth place will be eliminated.

Oh, god.

Three teams have already gone.

I know.

We're going to have to get a move on.

And they're five minutes behind us.

I know. I know.

Thank you.

It would be so wonderful to get

to Singapore because of my dad.

He was based there when he was in the raf from 1946 to 1948.

We're here.

Wow.

That's a way.

I'm just thinking maybe stick to land and get the miles in.

I'm wondering if there's a train.

I don't want to go home when we get to Azerbaijan.

We can't afford to make any mistakes this time, can we?

Nope.

The sword of doom hanging over our heads

now with the elimination.

We're in fourth place, but we're only five minutes ahead

of the other team.

John Hannah: Last to arrive, and therefore

last to leave, Tony and Elaine, retired

teachers from Yorkshire.

We've got to keep our stride up

because we've just got six or seven minutes.

Well, as long as you get there in time.

Just don't go tripping up.

Why would I do that?

I think most people think of retirement as the last phase

of your life, the bit where you watch telly all day

and wait to die.

But for us, we really do want to travel, see parts

of the world we haven't seen before

and just not be somebody else's mother,

somebody else's grandma.

We just want to be ourselves.

There they are.

We thought you weren't coming, then.

I'm quite anxious and also quite keen to lose the ladies

because it's a bit disconcerting when you're in a race to have

them traveling alongside you.

This bit is like chicken because they're...

I don't want to...

Well, it's not, though.

We can talk without discussing where we're going,

just have a conversation.

In a minute.

We're going different ways, anyway.

We've got loads of...

How do we know they're not doing the same thing?

Don't know.

Well, if we get off together, then it'll be a laugh,

won't it?

If we don't, we'll say goodbye.

That's it.

And we'll see them at the next destination.

Ok?

John Hannah: Two teams have docked in the port of cesme

at the western tip of Turkey, frontier to Asia

and home of the Turkish lira.

See you at the next checkpoint.

Excuse me.

Bus station?

300 meters.

300 meters on the left.

Are you tickets?

Izmir-Ankara.

Two tickets, please?

Ok.

You've got Turkish?

Yeah, it's fine.

They've got it.

We want to get to Ankara.

Alex: Do you accept Euros?

We've got no Turkish money on us.

Where can we change currency?

Where around here can we change currency?

Cesme central.

Where's that, please?

Minibus departing from here.

Oh, we've got to get...

We need to change some money so we can get a bus.

Yeah.

We don't have any Turkish money, and the boys do.

So I'm a bit pissed off, to be honest.

I don't want them to get the lead now,

but I think they are going to.

Got our bags?

In the back, maybe.

The fact is that we have to take an hour out of our time

and then come back.

And they'll be already on their way.

Stupid.

And then we're going to have to wait 40 minutes.

[Inaudible] What's the point?

Sad to see the guys...

Getting stressed.

Getting into a difficult situation.

No, because I was telling you in Greece

we should have changed money.

I was telling you.

Well, why didn't you?

Because obviously, it's a mutual decision.

I can't just go spend money, can I?

Piss off, man.

I'm just sick of this.

Every time there's a slight hiccup, he goes into a mood

like, oh, it's the end of the world.

British pounds to Turkey.

We can't get beaten down at the slightest bump in the road.

It's just... you just can't do that.

John Hannah: On the other side of the aegean sea,

sue and Clare, and Tony and Elaine

have both chosen to head north using road and rail,

entering Turkey via the land bridge.

With elimination on everyone's mind,

Tony and Elaine are desperate to lose their nearest rivals

and set about quizzing locals to gain any kind of advantage.

I'm trying to get to Istanbul.

Any idea of how we could find the times of trains?

Oh, thank you.

Thank you.

6001, you will arrive at 22:36.

22:36?

Yes.

Wow.

That is a long time.

We presumed the onward journey would be by train.

But when the guy looked it up on his phone,

the bus took half the time.

Three and 1/2 hours.

So the bus is quicker than the train?

What time do we get in?

12:45.

Maybe 1 o'clock.

1 o'clock.

5 o'clock.

Do you think we could catch this 1 o'clock bus?

We don't have enough time?

It's very tight, very close.

The obvious route in this scenario was longer.

I'm so pleased we had that conversation

because that might make a difference

of getting to Istanbul tonight.

We're in a race.

Across the world.

We have to go really, really quick.

Yeah, really quick.

John Hannah: With sue and Clare in the dark,

Tony and Elaine plot their escape.

Ready to go.

What?

I just hope it works out.

Been married 40 years.

Basically, I do what Tony tells me.

I only wish that was the bloody case, I tell you what.

Bus goes in 24 minutes.

We're both quite stubborn, we've determined.

When the going gets tough...

Yeah.

Me and Tony get going.

[Inaudible]

John Hannah: They only have 10 minutes until the 1:00

pm express bus departs.

And the terminus is over 3 kilometers away.

So we can go straight to the bus station?

Yeah.

Another taxi [inaudible].

[Inaudible].

Yeah, they're in.

They're following us.

Good god.

I swear to god, the women!

They're behind us in a taxi.

I am desperate to shake them off now.

Desperate.

They were in a very big rush, so I'm wondering whether they

know something more than we do.

I don't know.

Well done. Good, good.

Thank you, thank you.

Fast, fast, fast.

Tony: Fantastic.

Elaine: Yes.

But if we hadn't done the similar...

Well, almost the same thing, then we would have been behind.

We wouldn't have been able to do this.

Let's hope that taxi driver behind us lost us about now.

I can't see because my neck won't turn that far round.

This one here?

Oh, there's people waiting still.

Excellent.

Ticket before?

Do you need to get a ticket?

Cheers, thank you.

[Inaudible] Us, where do we go?

Alexandroupoli?

1 o'clock?

Where is it?

Platform 18?

Ok.

Alexandroupoli?

This one.

Excuse me?

Are you this bus?

Where you going?

Alexandroupoli.

Ok.

This one.

Jesus.

Bless me [inaudible].

We made it.

Oh, god.

Excellent.

Woman possessed in bus station.

John Hannah: Unaware they've just

missed the 1:00 pm express bus, sue and Clare opt for a coach

to Istanbul.

At what time is the next bus?

Booth attendant: 10 o'clock is the next bus.

There's not one before?

Booth attendant: No, there's only one, 10:00 in the morning

or 10:00 in the evening.

John Hannah: But it doesn't depart for another nine hours.

At least we're in a place that we

can buy a little bit of food, sit and relax, maybe

have a cup of tea, coffee.

I can't see the other team, and that's what's on my mind,

I have to say because they're not saying.

Sue, we're here...

I'm just talking.

That's what concerns me is that they're not here.

Yeah, so they get there, right?

Listen.

Listen, calm.

They get there, get an overnight accommodation

and we'll still be there at the same time.

So don't worry. It's fine.

Ok.

Won't we?

Well, no because we're sitting around here for nine hours

till 10 o'clock. - So?

So what?

What a game.

What a rush.

That is a proper race.

But we'll do anything to get through to the next stage,

if possible.

I'm going to start playing dirty.

And you are, too.

What do you mean?

You can't do that.

Why not?

I've never played dirty all my life.

It's the taking part that counts.

It's not the winning.

That's what you said to me all my life.

Why change it now?

Yeah, because I'm older and wiser now, Tony.

It's about the winning.

Trust me.

John Hannah: 370 miles ahead are Natalie and shameema.

Istanbul, the only city in the world spanning two continents.

Where Europe meets Asia, east meets west.

And over 12 million tourists meet the locals each year.

So we need to go to kapali carsi [inaudible]..

We're having to spend money to move as

quick as we can through Turkey.

So we really need to be able to work to make that money back.

John Hannah: The farther the teams

head east, the chance of earning good money diminishes.

Natalie and shameema have already spent

over 30% of their total budget.

So they take decisive action.

We are trying to get a job in the bazaar.

And we have two telephone numbers that we can call,

but we don't have a phone.

Would it be possible if you could

call the number for us, please?

John Hannah: All teams have been provided with a travel guide

for each leg, complete with classified job adverts.

Yeah, he's waiting for you.

Yeah!

Yay!

John Hannah: They've secured work

in a cafe in one of the world's most popular tourist

destinations, the grand bazaar, which attracts

up to 400,000 people a day.

This is it.

I'm shameema.

Hi, I'm Natalie.

[Inaudible] What would you like us to do today?

- Working. - Working.

Yes.

Hello, guys.

Want to come for a team or coffee?

Oh! - No problem.

No problem.

Yes, they have English tea here.

Do you want a drink?

I don't want to do this anymore.

I know we need money.

I'm washing the cups.

Don't slam the cutlery.

God's sake.

John Hannah: Ankara, the capital of Turkey

and its second largest city.

Home to over 5 million people.

Still 1,200 miles from the Baku checkpoint,

Josh and Felix have just arrived and are

looking for a direct bus east to Tbilisi, in Georgia.

Maybe we should get the train.

I just don't want to spend 23 hours in a coach at the moment.

I'd rather spend 24 hours on a train.

Let's just go.

Like, literally.

John Hannah: Unable to face another marathon coach journey,

and confident in their position in the race,

the boys opt to take the eastern express

railway, a slower, but more scenic, route across Turkey.

Also awaiting the same evening train are darron and Alex.

Darron: We're heading to an art gallery.

[Inaudible].

Which is supposed to have amazing views over Ankara.

We'll get to work with some locals,

do something we've never done before.

It's going to be good fun, isn't it?

Yeah, of course.

I'm looking forward to it.

Darron: There's a really, really fine

balance between racing and having a really tight budget.

It's no good avoiding elimination

if you don't got no money to carry on.

Please.

Oh yes, we'll come up.

Please.

John Hannah: Father and son will be

working for a renowned local art dealer, Mr. Terzioglu.

Mr terzioglu: Come, come, come.

Come in.

Chop, chop.

Mr terzioglu: Come, Alex.

I'm coming.

Mr terzioglu: Come in. Come on.

Come in.

Tough boss, shouting and ordering Alex about already.

I like it.

I'm just surprised Alex is listening.

I don't really know my plans in life.

I've been applying for jobs a lot,

and you go on hundreds of job interviews,

but you just don't get anywhere.

Mr terzioglu: Come, Alex.

Bloody hell, why me?

This trip is about proving to myself that I can do something,

like I can probably get out of my comfort zone.

Alex!

Alex, come on.

Come on.

Not england.

This is Turkish.

Alex: Ok.

Two tea, please.

Two tea?

Two tea.

Alex: [Muttering]

Mr terzioglu: [Inaudible].

Yes, please.

Alex: Can I have a drink?

Mr terzioglu: No drink.

I think Alex has got in a bit of a rut.

He always takes the easy option.

[Inaudible].

One other challenge will be for me to step back and go,

no Alex, you need to do this.

And I'm going to try to let Alex do as much as he can

because he will benefit.

Pissing me off, man.

This is a joke.

I asked for a drink, and I can't even get a drink.

Alex is basically having a bit of a culture

shock at the moment.

Alex!

[Inaudible], Alex.

[Muttering] Fuck off.

Darron: Patience, remember.

Patience.

I'm going to walk off soon.

Just can't cope with him.

Darron: Respect.

Give respect?

I just want a drink.

That's all I want.

Finish, finish, finish, finish, finish, please.

Please.

Alex: You're mad.

Yes, yes.

John Hannah: 270 miles northwest,

and Tony and Elaine have arrived in Istanbul, having spent

the last 18 hours on a bus.

After bringing up the rear in the first leg,

the retired teachers know that, should history repeat itself,

they would be eliminated.

Depends how long and how...

Georgia, 24 to 25 hours.

John Hannah: Determined not to let this happen,

they're planning to get straight back on another bus,

traveling a mammoth 1,100 miles across the whole of Turkey

and into neighboring Georgia, a journey of over 24 hours.

Even the express train that is full...

That we know is full...

Takes longer than 24 hours.

So clearly this is the quickest we are going to get there.

We need to know the price.

How much?

Price is 40 euro.

Let's just get the ticket. Get the money.

Get the ticket.

Done.

We'll be in Georgia tomorrow.

That journey is 24 hours.

For me, that...

I'm going to get upset now.

That journey could be a week, but if that's the fastest way

to do it, we're going to do it.

John Hannah: As Tony and Elaine await their connection,

Natalie and shameema are cashing out after their long shift

at the cafe.

This money is for you.

Oh, thank you!

Thank you.

That's very nice of you.

Thank you very much.

Great.

50 Turkish lira, 6 pounds 42 is what we've earned today.

I think we've really felt the difference

in the value of money in Turkey in comparison to Europe.

It was a whole six hours.

We've earned 6 pounds each.

That's like a pound an hour.

I think going across Turkey probably will be quite cheap.

I hope so.

John Hannah: Meanwhile, in Ankara, Josh and Felix,

and darron and Alex are still neck

and neck as they board the eastern express bound for kars.

The eastern express takes a long and winding

route across Turkey.

And though it has an estimated journey time of 24 hours,

it rarely runs on schedule.

Do these pull down?

Got a bed.

John Hannah: Now in the lead despite being

last to leave delphi, Tony and Elaine,

who are on the direct bus to Tbilisi.

Yeah, 25 hour, 26 hour coach journey.

It's a state of mind.

It'll be fine.

It'll be good.

We've got the cards.

John Hannah: Natalie and shameema are still in Istanbul,

and sue and Clare have also just arrived.

This place is amazing.

Wow.

Sue: Absolutely amazing.

Caviar.

John Hannah: But their nine-hour wait back in the thessaloniki

bus station has taken its toll.

I think it's more than 36 hours now since I've

really had any sleep.

And I'm feeling it.

I'm not making sense.

I'm functioning at a very low level.

We've got to be off by 9 o'clock tomorrow

morning to get the bus.

It's going to take us to Tbilisi in Georgia.

Which is a 24-hour bus ride.

Which I'm not really looking forward to,

but we've got to do it.

We've got to power on through.

John Hannah: Having stopped racing in order to earn money,

shameema is still keen to make the most of the remaining

time in Istanbul.

I would really still like to go

and have a bit of chill time.

So let's go to the blue mosque, then.

I really want to go to the blue mosque.

And then?

Then we can do whatever you want to do.

If you want to really go to the blue mosque,

let's make that a priority. - Right.

Ok.

And then we can sort everything out after.

Because now it's getting late to go to the blue mosque.

Don't put that on me.

I'm not putting it on you, Natalie.

We're trying to make... - Ok.

So let's go to the blue mosque.

John Hannah: The sultan Ahmed mosque, one of Istanbul's

most famous landmarks.

Built in the 1600s, its walls are adorned

with hand-painted tiles, which, at night, bathe

the mosque in a soft blue light, giving it its more widely

known name, the blue mosque.

It's a shame we didn't get here before it closed.

Life's definitely changed at the moment.

I've been married for 19 years.

And we've decided as a family that it's come to a point where

me and imran are separating.

It's still quite taboo in the community

that I'm from, the south Asian communities.

And although imran and I have been separated for a while now,

it's not something that I've been able to openly talk about.

And so it's almost like I've almost been living a lie.

And it feels really peaceful around here.

It would have been awesome if we were able to go in.

Everyone's got their own ideas about what faith means to them.

For me, it's just kind of calming, gives me direction.

Having this time to myself and just

being away from responsibility will

allow me to think about what it is that I actually want.

My children, they'd love it.

I'm going to do a trip with them.

Come here.

It'd be amazing.

Maybe that's why I didn't get to go in.

I get to go in with my children.

Darron: I love traveling by train.

On an airplane, [inaudible].

Five, 10 seconds where I know this area, and it'd be gone.

I think because everyone's in such a rush all the time,

they sort of like forget to stop.

And then, when you do and you look out,

you think, wow, this is amazing.

John Hannah: Initially running in 1936,

the eastern express has been expanded over the years

to stop at 11 provincial cities between Ankara and kars.

It covers a total of 1,208 miles,

almost double the distance of the equivalent road journey.

Josh: Not so much express, either, really.

Very slow.

It's very slow.

I'd call it the eastern trundle if I

was going to call it something.

The eastern local train.

Yeah.

When we get off at kars and try and make our transfer

as quickly as possible to Tbilisi,

the feeling of imperative will return

because the decisions we make will affect

how quickly we get there.

Whereas for now, it's a good time

to just sit back, watch it slide by,

and try and recharge slightly because we

can't make it go any faster.

I think, within the context of the race,

the most pertinent thing is the fact that darron

and Alex are next door.

I'm not saying I don't ever cry.

I don't think I've ever seen you cry.

It's not something I do very often.

I cry every time I watch "et".

I've seen it about a hundred times,

and every single time I choke up.

"Et" is the thing in which you cry for,

and it's not even human.

I'm improving.

It's your turn to improve.

You always send digs and stuff.

I don't intentionally dig.

I think sometimes I can say things without fully thinking

about the consequences.

And piss me off.

Yes.

But also, you get really, really wound up and peeved

exceptionally quickly.

Generally...

I'll agree with you there.

Over the most innately dull things.

That's something you need to heavily deal with.

Yeah.

So we've both still got a lot more work to do.

John Hannah: To get into Azerbaijan,

the teams must all travel through Georgia, as Armenia

remains a closed border.

Sue and Clare are on the direct bus

to Tbilisi, making rapid progress.

Picking up the same route as the new race

leaders, Tony and Elaine, who have made

it to the Georgian capital.

Natalie and shameema are making good progress

as they pass through trabzon.

And just arriving into kars on the eastern express

are darron and Alex, and Josh and Felix.

After their marathon train ride, darron and Alex ought to look

for a bed for the night.

But Josh and Felix have other plans.

Let's go.

Taxi.

How much to Tbilisi in Georgia?

- Today or tomorrow? - Now.

Today. Now.

Alex: Are they seriously thinking

of getting a taxi to Tbilisi?

We can't go to the border without having a lift

arranged from the other side.

So could you...

Can you phone Georgia?

Phone a Georgian cab?

No.

No?

Georgian taxi wait at borders.

- They wait at the border? - Yeah.

Sorry, looking for hotel.

Straight down?

Thank you.

Oops.

John Hannah: Plans thwarted, Josh and Felix

discover they must also stay in kars overnight.

I'm spitting fucking balls, man.

Hey!

John Hannah: Due to poor road conditions and the time

of night, it's too dangerous to get through the border,

and it's not possible for any teams to cross.

[Yelling]

Josh: Bet it will be a dry town.

We have... oh, that is so nice.

Alex, you'll be happy.

We've got a TV.

[Moaning in comfort]

Ooh, that's a bit weird.

We've got a normal toilet.

John Hannah: It's morning in the east Turkish town of kars.

Darron and Alex have a few hours until the connecting bus

into Georgia.

Keeping with the cutthroat nature of this leg,

they're off to sample a traditional Turkish barber's.

Darron: I'm getting my ears waxed.

I don't know what it entails, but I hope it's not painful.

[Yells]

God darn it, that hurt!

[Stifled moaning]

Wow.

John Hannah: Yesterday's not-so express train

journey has left Josh and Felix anxious and eager

to get out of kars.

We know at least one team is on the same schedule

as us, darron and Alex.

Let's see if there's a way we can get a jump on them.

The coach is the quickest way.

And I think if any other teams have caught on to that fact,

then they'll be overtaking us.

John Hannah: One team who have indeed overtaken

is Natalie and shameema.

Their strategy of back-to-back buses

is paying off, as they're fast approaching Tbilisi.

Natalie: We focus on speed.

Yeah.

We've got a good chance, but it's...

It's still everybody's race.

It's just one missed train connection,

one missed bus connection, and everything could change.

John Hannah: Tbilisi, derived from the Georgian for "warm."

It is the country's capital city with a population

of 1.5 million.

Elaine and Tony arrived late last night

and have decided to cool off from the heat of the race.

Travel plans mean we can spend the afternoon here.

I feel really lucky because I've always wanted to come here.

And now we have.

And we're looking around, and it's amazing.

The view of the top is just quite incredible.

Fancy a shower?

Would you love to stand underneath that?

Yeah.

I think the excitement of going somewhere totally new

is just so, so refreshing.

Oh, wow.

It's nice.

John Hannah: Tony's Yorkshire charm

has proved a hit with the locals,

particularly the hotel owner, Tanya.

Tomorrow, we get eliminated.

One of you?

Yeah, on the race, we get...

We don't think we'll get through.

Then on the way home, we've come back to Georgia,

and we have our holiday.

Yeah.

John Hannah: As the day draws to a close,

sue an Clare have also made it to Tbilisi.

We knew it was going to be hard,

but when you're actually in the middle of it,

I think it's harder than we thought.

The relentless moving on and moving on and moving on,

and the toll it takes on you, and not being able to sleep

properly and eat properly.

I think once we're past this leg and we're safely in

and we're not eliminated, things will change.

I think the pressure has been enormous.

You can't keep going without stopping.

And we've had to stop here for our sanity.

And I think maybe some of the other teams don't.

Maybe they just keep flying through.

John Hannah: As sue and Clare recoup in the Georgian capital,

Elaine and Tony are heading out, this time

taking a taxi to the border.

Bye-bye.

Azerbaijan.

Elaine and Tony: Azerbaijan.

I reckon it'll be one, two, three buses.

[Inaudible] Six hours.

I think we've worked really hard on this leg

because we thought carefully about the route.

We thought carefully about maximizing all long journeys.

Hello.

We come?

Baku?

Start in last place only to kick up the pants of...

You've got to get on with it and...

Elaine: Get going.

Tony: You don't want to be going home first.

John Hannah: Tony and Elaine's persistence

has paid off, as they are the first team

to cross into Azerbaijan.

Elaine: We spotted a bus immediately to Baku.

I like operating like that.

You can't really presume that you've

got through to the next stage because sue and Clare could

have just thought, well, let's go all out

and hire a private taxi.

They could be there.

You just do not know.

John Hannah: Back in Tbilisi, sue and Clare

head for breakfast.

Hello.

John Hannah: In what appears to be the city's most

popular hot spot for tourists.

We'd like some tea, please.

- English? - Yes!

English.

- Azerbaijan? - Yes.

Yes. You know?

I've seen couple.

Tony, Helen.

Tony and Helen?

Elaine.

They go to Azerbaijan.

They get there. - When?

They went today?

[Inaudible] Seven.

5 o'clock today.

Ok.

[Inaudible]

Take a picture?

Wonderful.

Oh!

Excellent.

Tony.

Azerbaijan.

Yeah.

Ok.

They're the team that we were neck and neck with,

and they're ahead of us.

We've got to get cracking.

Ok, we need to go.

All right, let's get sorted.

Bye!

Sue: We don't know about the other three teams.

We're going to get there hopefully into third place,

maybe even second.

John Hannah: Sue and Clare make moves to get out of Georgia,

just as the two teams that started this leg at the front

of the pack are arriving.

Baku, 6:30?

Were?

There, that bus.

Is it leaving at 6:30?

Yeah?

Excellent.

John Hannah: But to get ahead, rivals Josh and Felix

are opting for the quicker, more expensive

route all the way to Baku.

How much to go to Baku?

40.

Yes? Should we do that?

Yeah, let's do that.

John Hannah: 50 miles ahead, Natalie and shameema's tactic

of nonstop travel from Istanbul means

they are the second team to cross

the border into Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan!

[Singing] Azerbaijan!

Everybody wants to get to Azerbaijan.

John Hannah: But a farther 320 miles ahead, Tony and Elaine.

The last team to leave the delphi checkpoint

are the first team to arrive in Baku.

The capital and largest city in Azerbaijan.

Sitting 28 meters below sea level,

it's the lowest-lying capital in the world.

The lowest-lying team at the start of this leg

were Tony and Elaine.

Having made it to Baku, they receive details

of the checkpoint location on the only piece of technology

permitted in the race...

Their GPS tracker.

Please proceed to heydar.

Heydar aliyev center.

Right, ok.

Can't wait to get to that hotel.

I'll be straight in that pool if there is one.

[Inaudible] There will be one.

I'll tell you what.

A taxi would have been expensive.

We've got this train that's going a million miles an hour,

and there's seven stops.

Do you know heydar aliyev center?

Come on.

Oh!

That's it.

Oh, we're really here.

What do you think it is? - I don't know.

No idea.

Tony: That is something else.

Elaine: Come on.

Come on, then.

Let's read this message.

It should be here now.

Yeah, let's have a look.

Let's have a look.

Look directly in front of you and you

will see your next checkpoint, the flame towers hotel.

Which is in front?

That way?

Or that... could it be this?

Yeah, this is it.

This is it. Come on.

Come on. Come on.

Entrance, flame tower hotel.

Reception?

Shit.

There's definitely more.

Welcome [inaudible]

Thank you.

Can I ask you to sign here.

And you're first.

Oh, my lord.

I'm just so, so relieved that we're still in this race.

And I just want now to maintain

that pace and that energy all the way through now.

They will be absolutely floored when they come in.

I think they'll be quite shocked that we came in first.

Quite shocked. - Yeah.

Where are they? Come on.

Where are they?

John Hannah: The remaining teams are closing in

on the second checkpoint, all too aware the last ones

to arrive will be eliminated.

Never give up.

Excuse me.

Three towers?

Three flames?

Ok.

[Inaudible]

My heart's staying at 400 to the dozen.

If Alex and darron have beaten us here,

leaving at the same time, then credit

to them because I don't think we could

have done that any quicker.

I've seen some amazing things.

I've done some amazing things.

But I'm not ready to finish yet.

I want to carry on.

I don't want to finish in Baku.

I'm not ready to go home tomorrow.

The flame towers. Fantastic, man.

That's it! That's it!

Let's go.

Flame towers.

That way.

Go that way.

Hello.

Wow!

Sign us in, baby!

Wow.

How did they get here first?

That's amazing.

How the hell have they done that?

I think we're just so shocked that Tony

and Elaine have come in first because they left last.

Yeah.

I don't know how they've done it,

but it's actually amazing that they've done that.

Anyway, forget that.

We've beat both people that were ahead of us.

And we improved our position.

Oh my god.

It shows that we're improving on our strategy and logic

in the journey as well as continuing to have fun.

It feels amazing.

Just we're still in it.

We're here for another week at least.

- Nice to meet you, sir. - Nice to meet you.

Hi. - How are you?

We just hope we're not the last ones to check in.

[Sighing in relief]

Thank god.

- Ok, great. - Sign us in.

Sign us in.

I don't think it's quite sunk in yet,

the kind of like anticipation of the journey, all

of the kind of recalculations and everything

that happens along the route.

And then to get here and not be going home

feels absolutely fantastic.

But definitely... yeah, a bit of recalculating today.

John Hannah: The race continues for the final two teams.

But whoever checks in last will be going home.

Darron: I don't feel like we are fighting for last place.

I feel like we might be second, maybe third, maybe even first.

But I don't think, oh my god, we're going to be last.

Sue: As far as we're concerned, the race is still on.

We both have reasons for getting to the end of this race.

I want to get to Singapore.

I want to see where my dad was based when he

was in the raf in 1946 to 1948.

It's really important to me.

It means a lot to me.

So that's my motivation for just not giving up.

We're not giving up yet.

[Music playing]

I think we're nearly there.

Downhill is better than up.

Welcome to Baku.

Thank you.

You would like the check in?

Yes, please.

Oh.

Oh my god.

That's what we thought.

Yeah, I know.

That's what we thought.

Oh, crikey.

We are fourth.

We were so close to being last.

Wow.

Well, we did everything we could, sue.

We're last.

We said from the start of this leg

that we needed to get to this checkpoint in a good time.

Good advantage.

And if I'm honest, I feel like we let ourselves down.

Skin of our teeth.

We're a bit worried now for the next checkpoint.

But at least, on the positive side

is we're not going home tomorrow.

That is what I'm happy about.

The journey continues.

Sue: This has been brilliant.

Clare: It has.

Sue: And we never would have had that time.

Clare: No.

Sue: Never would have heard that time.

We're always snatching the odd day here, the odd day there.

And never having a chance to actually be together.

No.

And get back to where we were all those years ago.

So for me, I think that's probably more

important than the whole thing.

Yeah, that we've been together.

Yeah.

John Hannah: Tony and Elaine have

tipped the race entirely on its head, and it's all to play for.

But with over 8,000 miles still to travel, how much will

dwindling budgets play a part, as "race across the world"

continues.

Next time.

Josh: Stepping into the unknown.

John Hannah: The teams head across the caspian sea.

The storm is coming.

John Hannah: To the wilds of Central Asia, where the teams

are pushed to their limits.

I'm waiting for the tough part of the journey.

This may well be it.

John Hannah: As they reach the halfway point.

[Anxious groaning]

Come on.

John Hannah: In the race across the world.

[Music playing]