Original subtitles

This programme contains some strong language

Rising in the Himalayas,

the river Ganges weaves its way through northern India

to the country's spiritual capital...

..Varanasi...

..known for its profound connection to death and the afterlife.

It's got the nickname the City of the Dead.

This is a totally new experience for me.

Each building has its own steps.

It's just impressive how many there are of them, as well.

Yeah, every building's a ghat.

Whilst thousands of Hindus bathe in the water to purify their souls,

others bring deceased loved ones to be cremated along the river banks,

believing it to lead to liberation from the cycle of rebirth,

a salvation known as moksha.

It's the first time we're seeing Varanasi in light.

Yeah. We came in last night - and it's incredible.

Are you feeling it's a race now?

I'm feeling a little more confident because we're not at the bottom,

and we're going the right way.

And the fact we're not playing catch-up any more.

We've spent most of the race just playing catch-up.

You've CAUGHT up.

Caroline and Tom have closed the lead

on the winners of the last two legs, Brian and Melvyn -

from 23 hours to just over four.

We're now... I feel a bit more under pressure again.

Yes. Yeah.

There is no doubt that Caroline and Tom

are as competitive as we are.

There's a little glint in Caroline's eye to say,

"Ooh, we've got a chance of winning this."

Good luck on the next leg. BRIAN:You've done really well.

CAROLINE:Good luck to us all. To having a really good time.

And we'll see you in second place at the next one.

THEY ALL LAUGH Cheers, guys.

CAROLINE:We will.

HORNS BLARE

SIONED:Absolutely heaving.

More than 24 hours after the first teams checked in...

Let's go! Faster, faster!

Yeah! Faster, faster!

Andale, andale, andale!

..the remaining two are yet to arrive.

Come on! ELIZABETH AND LETITIA CHUCKLE

Elizabeth and Letitia...

LETITIA YELPS Shall we just walk?

ELIZABETH LAUGHS

Suryauday Haveli Hotel? Straight ahead.

Straight ahead? Thank you. OK, thank you.

..and Fin and Sioned.

DOB BARKS

That dog doesn't like us.

ELIZABETH:Oh, yeah, there it is. LETITIA:Oh, yeah, yeah. Thank you!

Thank you! Thanks.

FIN:In here.

Namaste. Please sign in here.

Here we go again.

Ah! OK. Look at that.

We're not last! No!

I thought we were ages away. Brian and Melvyn are still first.

Tom and Caroline, a day ahead of us.

Oh, wow.

We definitely weren't expecting third place.

I think, for me, it's just the shock of being in India.

It's completely different to what we're used to.

It's just all a bit much. And I do think I'm going to really struggle

to cope with it altogether.

FIN AND SIONED SIGH

We are very behind. Very behind.

We're very behind.

This leg was frustrating.

I feel like we really have to, you know,

evaluate our strategy.

We're so far from the first position -

like, over 24 hours.

It definitely makes you feel anxious.

ELIZABETH GROANS

It was really gutting.

We're fourth place. LETITIA CHUCKLES

The only way is up. Yeah.

11:18am.

Morning. Namaste. Thank you very much. Thank you.

First to find out their next destination

in the race to Kanniyakumari...

McLeod... McLeod Ganj? ..Ganj?

..Brian and Melvyn.

OK. Hmm, McLeod? I've never heard of it. McLeod Ganj.

If you'd have said to us at the start of the race

that we would be starting the second half of the race in first,

I probably wouldn't have believed you.

In fact, we've won the last two legs, haven't we?

Come on, you oldies.

Hi. We're trying to find a place called McLeod Ganj.

In Himachal Pradesh.

It's a mountain village, is it? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's here. Thank you very much!

Appreciate that. Thank you. Thanks very much indeed.

Very nice to meet you.

And you. Namaste.

1,500 kilometres north-west -

the fifth checkpoint...

..McLeod Ganj.

The hill station is home to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,

and a Tibetan community that sought refuge in India in 1959.

Today, the town draws thousands of devotees

who come in search of blessings and Buddhist wisdom.

MELVYN:Right, what do you think, mate?

Get the old specs out.

So, where are we?

To reach the checkpoint,

teams must navigate through

one of the most populated regions on Earth...

..before claiming nearly 7,000 feet into the foothills of the Himalayas.

Their choice - take advantage of India's well-connected cities,

including capital Delhi and Agra,

two points on the famous tourist route,

the Golden Triangle...

..or, to avoid the crowds,

teams could begin their ascent sooner,

passing through the more tranquil hill stations of the north.

I'm thinking we ought to go to Delhi.

Yeah? Yeah.

Excellent transport links. Yeah.

And it keeps us moving... We need to keep moving.

..in the right direction. Yeah.

We could go to Rishikesh. OK.

It's considered the birthplace of yoga.

We'd get accommodation.

How far away is that off the beaten track?

It has to be a consideration.

I've got my race head on. It won't be too far.

It'll be really popular.

I ain't bendy enough.

So you don't want to do it?

No, you did the zip line for me, I will do the yoga for you.

The brothers' plan -

head straight to India's capital,

before a reset in the calmer surroundings of Rishikesh.

Let's do it.

Oh, my arse is numb!

That's a big boy. It's a girl. But apart from that...

Is that a girl? It's got horns! It's a girl. It's a girl.

Next to leave Varanasi - Caroline and Tom.

GASPS:Look at this place!

I'm just overwhelmed.

Even though I've now been in India for a few days,

I'm still thinking this is just extraordinary.

You know, I would never come here - never, ever.

And yet it's one of the greatest things I've probably ever done.

Hello! Can you help us? We're looking for...McLeod Ganj?

McLeod Ganj.

Do you?! Yes. Can you show me on a map, please?

Where are you from?

England. Lovely jubbly! TOM CHUCKLES

Yes? OK. Lovely.

We've just got to sit down somewhere and make a plan.

Where can we sit?

McLeod Ganj.

It's very beautiful. Good! With mountains? That's what we want!

Yeah, with mountains!

Is that your grandad?

Thank you.

CAROLINE GASPS This is cool!

We feel like honoured guests.

OK, let's get a plan going.

Personally, for me,

I'd rather go a more scenic route through the foothills.

But I think you then sacrifice bigger transport hubs.

If we go Delhi, which is a busy city,

that has better connections and could actually be faster. Yeah.

So if we can just keep gaining, then by the end of the race,

perhaps we'll be in first.

The checkpoint itself will have mountains.

Yeah, I agree. This city route is going to be more expensive.

Especially if we spend money on a taxi, which is what we want to do.

So we need to earn some money. Yeah. Right, let's go.

Eager to build upon their growing momentum in the race,

they plan a direct route utilising transport hubs.

Their first stop - the city of Kanpur.

Would there be a bus tonight?

Yeah, yeah, there is so many bus going to Kanpur direct. OK.

Thank you so much for letting us make the plan here.

Thank you! Bye-bye!

We have done so well to catch up. I know, we've made up... Yeah.

We can't now let that slip.

Already on the move...

I'm trying to get in it. Ow!

..Brian and Melvyn board an overnight sleeper bus to Delhi.

There you go. I'm in!

I have never, ever, ever been in a bus like this.

It's got a vague...

..very vague resemblance to a first-class pod on a plane.

What's missing, however, is the cabin crew, the food,

the TV...

..the bar,

the champagne, the orange juice, the knife and fork.

So, there is a vague similarity because you can lie down in it,

and that's about as far as it goes.

With the second largest road network in the world,

interweaving for over 6.3 million kilometres,

buses are the backbone of India's low-cost travel...

HORNS BLARE

..an alternative to the renowned but often overcrowded rail services.

HORN BLARES RHYTHMICALLY

It's a sleeping bloody car and he's...

The old fella loves his bloody horn!

HORN BLARES

Stop making so much noise!

HORN CONTINUES

HORNS BLARE

TOM:Already it's busy.

Hello. Namaste. Namaste. Namaste.

Roll up your sleeves time, and get on with it.

After travelling 300km overnight,

Caroline and Tom have reached Kanpur...

..an industrial city set on the banks of the Ganges,

known for its tanneries and a once-thriving textile trade.

Oh, look at these. They're so beautiful. Is it doable?

Yeah, it's all right. Not bad? No!

They're in the midst of a fragrant task

to bring in some extra cash.

Oh, it smells! It's hot and smelly already.

Devyani runs a family business...

Well, hard work.

..upcycling discarded temple flowers

to manufacture eco-friendly incense sticks.

Everything is done by hand. It's very manual.

I notice it's ladies you have here? Yeah.

This is an all-women working organisation. Oh! Oh, wow! Yeah.

Because, in India,

do the women normally stay at home while the men work?

Is that how it is? Not common any more.

It's getting a lot better. Yes, yeah, yeah.

But this is one way to feel empowered...

Yes, yeah, yeah.

..and feel they're independent financially. Yeah.

And this also brings happiness to them

because they are able to contribute in the family.

And they've got each other to chat to.

Yeah, exactly. Somebody to share. It's all women,

so they're much more comfortable working together.

Yeah, absolutely.

Do you think we're aiming to fill this thing up?

Gosh, yes.

Look how well they're doing! CAROLINE CHUCKLES

I don't actually work.

I've definitely lost confidence.

I think once you're in a long-term family relationship

where I'm basically looking after other people

and not doing stuff for myself,

my confidence has definitely lowered.

These ladies are doing something useful for themselves

and earning a bit of money,

and it makes you feel more confident, and a bit more capable.

And that's exactly what's happening to me, Thomas.

What do you mean by that?

Because I haven't earned money properly for so long.

And it takes away the belief in yourself.

I didn't value myself at all.

What do you mean, you didn't value yourself?

Whilst I was useful at home...

Yeah, you're very useful at home. I'm very loved.

But I felt I didn't have any value apart from that.

So my life only had value through yours and Daddy's.

I do feel that, as Thomas is more independent,

that I become a little less needed, less secure,

and I don't actually have anything that I do for myself.

Did you find you just kind of lost purpose, or you just...?

Yeah, most definitely.

I've never really said these words before to anybody.

You probably don't see it

because I'm just Mum, and doing the same old thing.

I feel... I feel a little lost - or WAS feeling a little lost.

Now I actually feel, the longer I'm going on this race,

Thomas, the stronger I feel.

I'm finding I'm able to cope

in situations that I would normally have avoided.

Yeah. And now I'm almost thinking, "Bring it on."

That's good.

That's genuinely the first time that Mum has told me

that she kind of felt her life was on a downward slope at home,

because I - I didn't see that.

I just assumed that Mum always loved what she was doing,

because she always got on with it, she was always busy.

And I think it's only really now that I realise

that maybe she felt there was more to life,

but she didn't know how to really explore it.

I just want Mum to realise how valuable she is,

and I want her to just give herself

the respect that she actually deserves.

And to think this was all going to waste.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

Their wages go straight on a taxi...

We'd like to go to Mathura. Mathura? Taxi to Mathura.

Seven thousand forty...whatever the amount is. £70. Go for it.

..to take them another 340km north.

Jump in. Right, let's go. Quick, quick, quick!

SIONED:Aw!

Cow on the road.

Oh, I need clean air.

Still in Varanasi...

Oh! Oh, wow. Little tuk-tuk.

Oh, wow, look at the smoke!

We want to go train station.

..leaving the checkpoint in third place...

Hold on.

It's like an unsafe roller-coaster with no lap restraint.

..teenage couple Fin and Sioned.

HORN BLARES

I really do not want to go to Delhi.

Agra and Delhi - they're the most populated bits.

I want to see the mountains.

So I feel like maybe up through Lucknow,

towards the Himalayas. Yeah.

Set on avoiding Delhi to reach India's hill station sooner,

they will first need to navigate the capital of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow.

This isn't the train station.

Hey! Oh, I'm OK.

We're in a rush to get to the train station

and he's just on his lunch break.

Is it food he's having?

What are they having? Is it tobacco? Oh, it is!

Is it? It's tobacco leaves, and they chew it.

Oh, my gosh. He's stopped to get tobacco!

FIN CHUCKLES

And we're off again.

Close behind them...

Being 24 hours behind the leaders,

we don't want to add any more hours, you know? Yeah.

..Elizabeth and Letitia are the last team to check out.

I feel like, this leg, because we're trying to catch up,

we have to just focus on the race and speed up a little bit more.

I really don't like being so behind.

I would say you're more competitive than me.

I can be very competitive.

When I can see a finish line, I'm like, "Let's go."

I think you are sometimes quite nonchalant about a lot of things,

so... Yeah. ELIZABETH CHUCKLES

And you like that about yourself, as well.

I think going through Delhi,

that does seem like a faster, more accessible route.

Yeah, go past Agra, see the Taj Mahal,

go through Delhi. Yeah.

There'll be easier connections.

We will get to the checkpoint a lot quicker.

Let's go. Let's go, let's go.

The sisters' plan -

carve a direct route via two of the region's biggest cities

to checkpoint.

It was quite tough to decide what's the best route.

Being in fourth place, there's a lot more you have to consider.

FIN:Oh, my gosh, this is so busy.

Um...I want to get out of here already.

Two tickets to Lucknow. Tonight?

Nothing? Tonight. At all tonight?

Oh.

We have to go look for a bus. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Just because there's no trains for us,

doesn't mean there's no buses.

No, no, no. Money, money.

No, no, no. Money, money.

Money. No, no, no. I don't have anything. Sorry.

Oh, wow. This is really overwhelming.

Bus to Lucknow tonight?

7pm.

Seven o'clock? Yes.

Right, I'm going to book two tickets, then, yeah?

Seven o'clock. Yeah.

We booked a bus ticket to Lucknow.

It leaves very soon.

I'm just very thankful that we are able to leave tonight.

Oh, we've done it.

Do you want a biscuit? Biscuit?

There we go.

It upset me, seeing the kids.

They were so dirty, so skinny.

I've not come across a lot of poverty before.

Nothing to this degree.

Aw.

Say again?

It's OK. You can't do anything about it.

It's not your fault that it's like that.

You're going to make ME cry now. Don't.

The hardest part is, we've never seen children struggle that badly.

To see people begging and to see kids on the streets,

and, yeah, it's just a lot to take in.

We've done it. We've done it. We are here.

The birthplace of yoga,

for thousands of years,

Rishikesh has been a magnet for saints, sages and pilgrims...

..and in 1968,

the Beatles also came searching for transcendence,

drawn to the ashrams on the river banks,

centres of spiritual guidance.

On their own path to enlightenment...

YOGI CHANTS

..Brian and Melvyn.

You will arch the back here.

Roll your spine up.

I've always classed myself as reasonably fit,

but my ankles won't let me, my knees won't let me,

my back won't let me.

My head does, but my body... My body doesn't.

Inhale, stretch.

I'm fitter than you.

MELVYN CHUCKLES

I mean, I have a lady that looks after me.

Careful how you say that.

So, I have a personal trainer

that has got me into the peak condition as I am today.

MELVYN LAUGHS WHEEZILY

And slowly now settle down.

Savasana - relaxation.

Om...

Yeah, good. I enjoyed that. I don't get it.

No offence to people that love yoga.

It's certainly not my cup of Yorkshire.

I'm glad he came. I'm glad he partook.

I didn't hear him laugh, I didn't hear him giggle.

The whole place is a little bit like a school.

It's like a very 1960s complex.

There's a dining hall, there's a library.

The rooms are small and basic.

It did remind me of school, actually.

It brought back memories - not good ones.

You can go down in the garden. Good. Thank you!

Trying not to stand on the radishes.

Go in between them. I am! But I've got quite big feet.

With service to others a key spiritual practice at the ashram,

the brothers volunteer with the garden upkeep.

I can't remember the last time

I walked into that type of dining hall.

That did trigger memories of school. Yeah.

To evoke those memories and then talk about them is good, I think.

You think so? Yeah.

I'm thinking whether I wanted to run away and go home.

I don't think I did,

because probably home wasn't that good either.

I don't think any child should be frightened of their parents.

Um, we were literally beaten.

I hate gardening. I'm not a big weed picker-upper.

My wife's the gardener.

What we normally do at home is, I buy some weed killer.

When I met my wife,

she couldn't believe the type of upbringing that I had.

And we've made certain that our children, Simon and David,

have been brought up in a...

..strong family bond.

And there's no way that I was going to send them to boarding school.

That was not going to happen.

I do tell my boys that I love them. They know that I love them.

I've definitely broken the chain on developing a family life.

My mum probably had a very hard upbringing herself.

She brought that into our family, so we had a hard upbringing.

There's no way that I was going to let our family

have that same upbringing,

and certainly my wife wasn't.

She's the strong one of the family.

Ah...

Yeah.

VOICE CRACKING: Yeah, we're five weeks in and...

..I haven't spoken to her, and certainly I do miss them.

BRIAN SNIFFLES

MELVYN:We can't help the past now.

The past is gone.

But I'm really proud of Bri.

He's turned into a great family man, a supportive husband,

a loving father, grandfather.

I do envy his family,

because I think he's got a beautiful family.

Apart from Julie, they're the only family I've got.

I think one of the reasons I didn't want a family

is because I was afraid.

Because I didn't want it to turn...

But Brian's done that for us.

He's got a great family.

You all right? Yeah.

Anyway, uh...

..we'd better get back into race mode, yeah? We do.

Onwards, yeah? Onwards and upwards.

We've got to get to Shimla tonight.

Yeah, that would be the plan, wouldn't it?

Would be ideal if we could.

Let's go for it. Tuk-tuk!

Now heading towards Shimla,

Brian and Melvyn are the only team to have started

an ascent into the Himalayas,

whilst the other three teams

are still scattered across Uttar Pradesh.

After an 11-hour overnight bus from Varanasi...

Whoa!

ELIZABETH LAUGHS

I'm going to put my mask on. I can't even see.

We need masks, we need glasses.

..Elizabeth and Letitia have reached Agra.

I can feel the dust particles in my eyes.

Oh, here's a tuk-tuk. Tuk-tuk? Tuk-tuk!

Tuk-tuk! Tuk-tuk!

Tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk! TOM CHUCKLES

And just 60km north from there, in Mathura...

Can you take us to the elephant sanctuary?

Ah! Yes? Can you take us? Uh-huh. Thank you!

..Caroline and Tom take a dream detour from the demands of the road.

Elephants, elephants! No way! Where? Yes - through there.

Oh, elephants!

No way!

I'm here. I'm seeing elephants!

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

Oh, my golly! They're beautiful animals.

It's like a dream come true for me.

They've arrived at a refuge that helps to rehabilitate

more than 30 abused and exploited elephants,

and relies on volunteers and staff like Shivam.

These two elephants were rescued from a circus.

BOTH:From a circus?!

Yeah. They were in very bad condition.

They were treated very badly.

In India, there are an estimated 2,700 elephants in captivity,

taken from their families in the wild

and used for entertainment or labour.

Oh, my gosh, Thomas!

Have you seen this one's feet and nails?

So, this is actually hot water with Epsom salt.

Do you think they have the mental capacity

to know that you are helping them, and trying? They have.

They have. They do, definitely. Elephants are...

That's why they are considered the most intelligent animal.

It's just lovely. So, whatever is best from our side,

we are providing everything. No, I can see that.

To give them the best life,

with the best possible... The best life possible.

I absolutely adore animals.

An animal can give you so much back if you look after them properly.

They're family creatures.

I just think it's marvellous that they're now here,

getting that love and attention.

They're so beautiful.

Mm. Aren't they marvellous?

As part of their visit,

Caroline and Tom are mucking in to help the volunteers.

Is the poo going to be warm?

Oh, God, you can see all the fibre.

It's not that well digested.

God, these are massive!

Can you tell I've done this job before?

Never afraid of hard work and poo-picking.

This definitely does remind me of home.

VOICE-OVER:I love being outdoors,

and I think that comes from being a farmer's daughter.

I had two very hard-working parents.

I was on a mixed farm in Suffolk.

I thought Iwas pushing. Yeah, but you're slow.

Too slow.

VOICE-OVER:I think it's stood me in good stead,

because you're very grounded,

because you're nearly always smelly and dirty.

You're always driving tractors, humping bales,

always expected to work and contribute.

And that's stayed with me for life.

Mum is surprising me.

I thought she'd struggle in India,

but she's really just throwing herself into it.

She's not holding back.

Working with the elephants has been an incredible experience.

We've had such a good time.

Mum seems very free, and it's quite inspiring.

I'm very lucky to have a mum who is like Mum.

Thomas, race!

THEY LAUGH

Why have they got a digger?

Why don't we just use that?

CAROLINE CHUCKLES Push it!

LAUGHING:What are you galloping for?

I don't know if you're drunk or... I feel alive, Thomas.

This is amazing!

Whoa! Whoa! This is actually so close.

This is the best view that I've ever had working.

ELIZABETH CHUCKLES

Close to the gleaming Taj Mahal,

Elizabeth and Letitia are able

to work at their hostel to top up their budget.

I'm trying to not distract myself with the view

and try and concentrate on working.

But, yeah, it's incredible.

I don't mind cleaning. I feel like I use it as...

..you know, a thing to reset.

Yeah, it definitely clears my mind.

Oh! Thank you. Oh! Yay!

I remember our chores that we used to have to do on a Saturday morning.

It's always Saturday... Yeah. ..is cleaning day.

Reset. We finally get a weekend,

and it's like you have to wake up early to clean.

THEY BOTH LAUGH

You and me, we used to be really silly growing up,

and just do silly things.

Yeah, I mean, I was just so gullible.

I just believed everything. Yeah.

There's four of us - four siblings.

We're the middle ones together.

I feel like the middle child is forgotten.

We're both the middle children.

See? You even forget.

You even forget that I am a middle child as well.

No, you don't count as a middle child.

You're literally a second child.

They have their own standing.

Third is a middle child, and they're forgotten.

Do you feel like we've changed? Yeah, maybe.

Because I feel like, because we've spent time apart,

we missed out on continuing the silliness,

continuing being carefree and whatnot. Mm.

So, I feel like that's just a bridge we needed to, you know...

..cross also.

Because, yeah, at home,

like, I can be silly. You know, my brother, our brother,

parents and whatnot, because they've...

I was always with them.

Yeah.

I think honesty is lacking in our relationship.

We're just not saying how we really, really feel.

And we don't communicate well.

It would be nice to drop our guards and be ourselves around each other.

It's easier said than done,

but, yeah, we are family and I feel like it should be something we...

..should be comfortable doing.

Do you know...? We want to get a bus to Shimla.

Over there? That way? Thank you. Thank you.

440km north of them, in Dehradun,

and determined to stay ahead of their competition...

We've got to get to Shimla tonight. Yeah.

If we spend another night out, we're going to lose our lead. Yeah.

Hello. We need a bus to Shimla.

So there's no direct bus tonight to Shimla?

Is there one tomorrow morning to Shimla?

8:00. Shit.

So, that's a kick in the knackers a bit, innit?

Bugger. We're not going to get to Shimla tonight.

We're stuck here,

so that means we're going to have to get a hotel,

catch the bus eight o'clock tomorrow.

We're going to lose our lead -

definitely lose our lead.

A 20-hour lead is nothing in this game.

You miss one bus and the 20 hours is gone. Yeah.

For Caroline and Tom to catch up, minutes count.

Whilst Brian and Melvyn are bedding down in Dehradun...

SIONED:Way too busy.

I've never in my life been to... HORN BLARES

Wow. ..a place this tight, with this many people, I don't think.

..Fin and Sioned are trying to get there.

HORNS BLARE

It's stressing me out. I'm not... It's OK.

We'll be fine. It's really important for us to get out tonight.

One reason being catching up in the race,

and another reason is just for my sanity.

We should ask someone.

We want to get to Dehradun.

Is there any buses from here to there tonight?

Yeah, around 9:30. 9:30? OK.

Thank you.

We have to get that bus.

We've got to get out tonight. Yeah, I agree.

To reach the foothills,

they are aiming to catch the last bus of the day heading north.

Do you know where it is - the buses?

FIN IMITATES BUS HORN

Do you know where? Location?

Yeah, but we need... Check location. OK, OK, but... OK.

Right, listen, we... We need to go now.

But if you don't know where, we go somewhere else.

OK? Sioned, get out.

I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

The buses? Bus? Bus? We need to go now.

Yeah, yeah. 180.

180? Yeah, yeah, sure.

Take a deep breath. Relax.

HORNS BLARE

What's wrong?

I just want to get out. Just fed up? Drained? OK.

Well, hopefully we'll be on a... We'll be on a bus.

We'll have some peace and quiet tonight and be on our way.

And you can forget about busy places like this.

Since stepping foot in India,

there's just a sensory overload, and it just causes me to break down.

I'm out of control, and I don't like the feeling of not being in control.

I kind of just go quiet.

I try to block out the noise,

block out any people that's trying to speak to me.

I just want to be by myself to try and, like, get that control back.

Mentally, emotionally, physically,

the race genuinely is the toughest thing I've ever done.

HORNS BLARE

Uh, bus...tickets.

Bus tickets - where to...?

Where buy bus tickets? INDISTINCT SPEECH

HORNS BLARE

It's OK.

So where have you taken us?

But where have you...? Almost the airport. Almost the airport.

No, I don't want to go airport.

No airport.

Airport. No, no, no.

Not... Bus. Where are we?

Where have you brought us? Where?

OK.

SIONED SOBS Come on. It's OK.

I don't have a clue where we are.

All I know, we're somewhere in Lucknow.

So, it was about a 45-minute drive to -

I have no idea where we are.

Sioned was set on leaving here tonight.

That was the only thing she wanted,

was to leave here tonight and get on an overnight bus.

But we weren't able to do that.

And I think the thought of staying here another night

has really got to her.

That tuk-tuk driver basically cost us about 24 hours in the race.

Oh, I'm so...

I'm just... I'm so frustrated about it.

LETITIA:Jeez, Louise!

Oh, my gosh, it's actually massive.

The Taj Mahal...

..an architectural masterpiece built in 1631 over the course of 22 years

to immortalise Emperor Shah Jahan's wife.

I wonder if the wife was grateful.

What if she was like, "Oh, it's not big enough"?

A blend of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles,

it took 20,000 people and 1,000 elephants to complete,

and is now visited by eight million tourists every year.

Seeing it in real life, it's incredible.

It looks like a picture, you know? Yeah.

It doesn't look real, almost.

You know? Mm. It looks like a cake. A cake?

Yeah...I guess so.

Our relationship, it's very surface-level.

Shall we go closer? Yeah.

It's difficult to understand how to navigate,

but I think it's never been the same after we lost the family house.

There's definitely a lot of aspects of our relationship

that we still have to explore.

I would like us to be comfortable in our own skin, be open,

and I would like her to be comfortable with me.

Would you like a Taj Mahal built for you?

Me? Yeah. No, it's a bit grand.

I think I know what you wouldn't want -

I just don't know what you do want.

My Taj Mahal would be like a, you know...

Do you know what? Just book me a holiday.

That'd be fine.

I would like a resort. A resort?!

If we're going big, grand gestures, I would like an island. What?!

THEY LAUGH

Your laugh!

ELIZABETH IMITATES LETITIA'S LAUGH

I don't laugh like that!

All get out here!

CAROLINE:All out now? All out.

OK, Thomas, we're all out here.

All out here? This must be it.

This is an international bus station?

Oh, my God!

Caroline and Tom have arrived in Delhi,

a gigantic megacity that 33 million people call home,

and where India raised its flag back in 1947,

marking the end of British rule.

We want to go to Chandigarh... Chandigarh.

..as quickly as possible.

Oh, we might be able to get onward travel. That's perfect.

Yeah, that's perfect. OK, thank you.

Can we please book two tickets? Does the bus have AC?

Yeah, AC. Yes!

Onward travel sorted,

mother and son edge closer to the checkpoint.

We've just managed to sort everything quite quickly,

and it's all flowing quite nicely.

And the bus has AC, so... We're happy.

I am feeling really competitive.

We're desperate to get to checkpoint the quickest way possible.

As long as you're always moving, we're normally gaining,

so we're doing quite well.

Bloody hell, that's quick movement.

TOM CHUCKLES

On the way. Let's go.

As Caroline and Tom race on,

Fin and Sioned are still waiting for a way out of Lucknow.

This is so stupid, this system of, like, crossing the road.

How do I get through?

This is the place where, like,

I've genuinely really wanted to be home.

I think it's missing more just... HORN BLARES

..being able to escape these noises.

HORN BLARES

What was the need for that?

If I did face an issue at home, I would normally contact my dad.

It's very uncomfortable for me to not have that...

..well, yeah, safety net.

Because I can't just call them up and be like, "What do I do?"

Fin's been really good in this situation.

Since we crossed that border in India,

he's been a lot more supportive.

He takes a lot of stress off my shoulders, so, yeah, it's nice.

Obviously, at the start, it wasn't...

Our communication wasn't the best -

but I think now I definitely am learning a lot about myself.

I knew Sioned was struggling,

so I feel like that's the way now - I just help here with things now.

But I think this is definitely motivating me to kind of do it.

Like, I know I can do it.

The bus is finally here.

We're leaving, Sioned. We're leaving.

I can finally see the mountains,

clean air and just a little bit calmer.

A day later than planned,

their 14-hour bus will bring them to the mountains by morning.

Wahey! We're leaving. Oh, my gosh, it reeks! Fin!

Sioned!

It smells enough on this bus already.

It smells enough on this bus already.

Don't start copying me. Don't start copying me.

It's going to really annoy me. It's going to really annoy me.

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

Whoa!

Oh, my God! This is so high!

CAROLINE GASPS

We're so on the edge.

Five days into the leg, two teams are out in front,

gaining elevation as they ascend

the winding roads of India's mountainous state,

Himachal Pradesh.

Oh, big drop down there. I was going to say,

it's getting quite rough, and big drops. Mm.

We're going up into the mountains!

The mountains - and you can see the view! I know, I know.

We haven't seen anything like this in India yet. Yeah.

Oh, God. He's turned the engine off.

Oh, no.

Oh, I'm feeling far too nervous, now.

MELVYN:Bloody hell!

It's going to be over the side.

We're going at a fair rate of knots.

It is hairpin bends every...

..30, 40 metres. Yeah, but the drop...

Higher up, the drops were thousands of feet.

The driver's just going for it.

He's probably trying to do it in record time.

If anybody gets in this fella's way, they've gone.

The desire to get to the checkpoint now is immense.

We are on race mode to try and get to the checkpoint tonight,

do whatever we can to just be moving, moving, moving -

closer, closer, closer.

The third team to travel via Delhi, Elizabeth and Letitia,

are the only pair to attempt to navigate its train network.

Chandigarh. Two tickets.

I just want to really reduce our time this leg.

We're taking a risk, so hopefully this will pay off.

The reward for overcoming a convoluted booking system -

a fast and direct route to Chandigarh,

just 250km short of the checkpoint.

Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.

I feel like this mode of transport is just so unsure.

It's one of those desperate occasions

that we want to get a seat on the train,

because we need to be getting to the checkpoint.

General tickets are for unreserved carriages,

which, due to overcrowding, means boarding is not guaranteed.

Oh, it's approaching!

Oh, look.

People are spilling out the windows.

Limbs all over the place.

There's not enough space on the carriage for us.

ELIZABETH GROANS

We need to get on the train,

ask if they have space for an upgrade.

Once on the train, and depending on availability,

travellers can upgrade to higher class seated carriages.

I think we'll have to get on, though, in there,

and try and do it from over there. We can't walk in there.

Because look at this -

they're trying to squeeze, squeeze, squeeze on.

Oh, this guy! It's this guy, this guy. Where?

Excuse me! Sir, sir! Hi, we have a general ticket.

Is there an upgrade? You are going to next coach.

Just go?

Should we get on here?

Where are your tickets, please? Uh, yes,

we want to change our ticket for two...

Two people - 1,000 rupees. OK. 1,000 rupees? Extra.

OK. OK, that's fine. OK, yeah.

Please sit. OK.

I do think that was a risky move.

Yeah, that was very chaotic, actually.

But we've tried - we've tried our best.

What could we have done, really?

No, yeah, it definitely feels like we're back in the race.

There's still a lot of time to go, so we need to just keep on...

Keep on going. Yeah.

We need to get some checkpoint tonight, man.

We need to climb up that ladder. Mm-hm.

Wow, this is really...up, up, up.

I think we might be here.

Oh, brilliant! Vamos!

McLeod Ganj...

..a conflation of two names -

that of the 19th century British lieutenant McLeod,

and the Hindi word ganj, meaning neighbourhood.

Today, the fifth checkpoint of the race.

First to arrive in its vicinity...

Thank you very much. Thank you. Goodbye.

..Caroline and Tom.

GPS TRACKER BEEPS

"On foot, travel through the town and find the Buddha mural opposite

"the entrance to the Dalai Lama temple."

So, the Buddha mural...

The Buddha mural opposite the Dalai Lama temple.

Ask a monk.

Hello, hi. We're looking for the Dalai Lama temple.

Yeah, yeah. Down this way? Thank you. Thank you.

That's such a smart idea.

Well done. Well done!

As mother and son race towards the temple...

SIONED:I'm relieved to be away from all the crowds and all the noises.

FIN:This is more you.

So beautiful.

Monkey!

There's more monkeys.

He's a big boy, isn't he?

Look at the size of him.

FIN IMITATES MONKEY Hello! Hello!

Unaware of how far they're trailing behind,

Fin and Sioned have travelled through Dehradun to Mussoorie...

..a hill station at 6,500 feet above sea level.

The term dates back to the 19th century,

when the British established towns at altitude

to escape the brutal summer heat of the plains below.

Oh, wow! Oh, wow! This is gorgeous.

We have our own little house!

It's the first time the couple will stay with locals,

hosted by Sunita, who runs an eco home stay.

Hi. Come - dinner's served. Thank you!

Wow. Thank you so much.

Today we are having Punjabi food.

Oh, wow. Punjabi food, OK. Cauliflower and potatoes.

Lovely! Turn your plates and help yourselves.

Looks amazing. Perfect. Thank you.

Baingan bharta - this is basically eggplant. Oh, wow, OK.

You can help yourself. What's this, sorry?

This is the dhal - lentil. Dhal - oh, OK.

Ah! The chicken is here.

Absolutely loving the food. Thank you.

Yes. Very nice.

It's really nice to actually be in a home.

We've not really experienced a home, really,

so the last home we were at was our own.

So it's nice to have that kind of homely feel.

When the Tibetans moved to India,

Mussoorie is the first place that they came to.

And today it's a home to 270 Tibetan families.

So it became a resettlement colony for Tibetans.

Oh, that's beautiful. Yeah.

You've got a very friendly community. You do.

Absolutely. Very friendly and very cosmopolitan.

Yes, it is. A very beautiful place, as well. Yeah.

It has been very nice to be able to connect with locals.

Really welcoming and friendly people.

Sioned, can I have some more rice, please? Do you want the rice?

Up here is just absolutely beautiful.

It's everything we could have wanted.

I could stay here forever.

We want to ask you some questions. Mm-hm.

So, basically, where we need to get to is McLeod Ganj.

Oh, McLeod Ganj! You know where it is?

Yes, yes. Oh, thank you!

So, how far is that from here?

It's quite a distance. Oh. It is? Yeah. OK.

If you go by road, you will easily take 13, 14 hours.

13, 14 hours? OK. Oh.

We thought it was going to be less than that!

Yeah. OK. Oh.

Uh... Oh, wow. Wow. OK.

We weren't expecting it to be that far away. Wow, that's far!

GPS TRACKER BEEPS

I'll guide you. You read. "Right at the Dalai Lama mosaic."

Mosaic!

"Follow the path up to the checkpoint hotel - Surya."

Oh, my God, Mum, look how steep this is.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

This is... Oh, God. ..very steep. It's quite far up.

BREATHLESSLY:I'm struggling now.

Look.

Wow, what a view. Look, we're up in the clouds.

TOM PANTS

This way! Keep going.

Oh, it's there, it's there! Come on!

Nearly there! Come on.

TOM PANTS

OK, quick, Thomas, you open it. Please sign in here. Thank you.

"Congratulations.

"You've successfully reached the fifth checkpoint."

"Please sign in overleaf."

Oh, my God!

We're first!

No, we're not! Oh! Oh, my God!

That's the... We've gone fifth, fourth, third, second...

First.

Oh, my God, we've smashed it!

We can't believe we've managed to come in first.

Bloody hell! How have we done that?

Well done. Well done.

I'm beginning to feel more empowered.

I have more of a purpose.

I feel I've grown a pair,

and I can do things

that anybody else can reasonably do as well.

Oh, dear, that wasn't very good. We'll go again.

TOM CHUCKLES

ELIZABETH:How long time? 30 minutes.

30 minutes? OK.

OK, let's go, 20 minutes.

ELIZABETH CHUCKLES

BRIAN:Look at that hill we're going to have to climb.

You know darn well we're going to have to do it, don't you? Yeah.

Brian and Melvyn...

ELIZABETH:Look at where we're going. It's so steep.

..and Elizabeth and Letitia.

Go, go, go, go.

..striving to be the next pair to reach the checkpoint.

MELVYN:Let's rock!

"I love..." McLeod Ganj. Ganj.

GPS TRACKER BEEPS

"On foot, travel through town and find the Buddha..."

MELVYN:"Buddha mural opposite the entrance to the Dalai Lama temple."

ELIZABETH:Dalai Lama temple? LETITIA:This way?

BRIAN:We're looking for a Buddha mural

opposite the gates to the temple.

ELIZABETH: "Entranceway to temple - this way."

Buddha.

BRIAN:Buddha mural. MELVYN:Would that be it?

Yeah, there you go. That's it, isn't it?

GPS TRACKER BEEPS

"Travel down the pathway.

"Turn right at the Dalai Lama mosaic

"and follow the path up to the checkpoint hotel - Surya."

ELIZABETH:"Down the pathway.

"Turn right at the Dalai Lama mosaic."

BRIAN:If we see a mosaic...

MELVYN: You've just passed the mosaic!

You've just been standing in front of it.

That wasn't a mosaic. We've seen a Buddha, haven't we?

Was that a Buddha? Are they different?

You're such a plonker.

ELIZABETH:Down! LETITIA:Turn right.

Where's the mosaic?

Let's just walk.

Shall we just try and see down there?

BRIAN:There you go - look.

MELVYN: Yeah, that's the mosaic, isn't it?

"And turn right." I know. It's up here, look.

ELIZABETH:Can you see a mosaic here, to turn right?

LETITIA:Where's the mosaic?

MELVYN: Watch your footing again here.

LETITIA:Oh, I think we might have passed the mosaic.

ELIZABETH:Oh, maybe we passed it. Yeah.

DOGS BARK

Oh, there's the mosaic!

LETITIA LAUGHS God's sake.

I didn't even see.

BRIAN:It's going to be about a mile up here.

MELVYN:I can do this, Bri.

I can do this. Big breathing.

Keep going, Melv.

ELIZABETH:These stairs, man.

ELIZABETH GROANS

Hah...

It's not so bad up here, Melv. It's not as steep.

Surya...

Do you know where the Siri Hotel is? Surya.

Thank you, mate. It's the way you pronounce it.

Gosh, I'm basically on my knees. I want to cry!

CAR HORN BLARES

All right, my mate. We see you. Oh, there it is!

Oh, I can see it. Left, Melv.

Have you found it?

Here you go. La reception.

Hello.

Hello. Hi, how are you? How are you?

Please sign in here.

Ah...

"Congratulations."

"You've successfully reached your fifth checkpoint."

"Please sign in overleaf."

Ready? Yeah.

MELVYN CHUCKLES BRIAN:Look at that.

I'm really chuffed for 'em! I'm pleased for them.

Second - that's all right.

And five hours behind-ish. I'm happy with that.

I'm really pleased for Caroline and Tom.

They've gone five, four, three, two, one.

We knew from very early on that Tom and Caroline would be competitive.

I reckon Caroline could be quite ruthless, you know.

I have no doubt that... Yeah.

..they'll be quite happy being in first.

They'll be delighted they're first... Oh, yeah.

..cos that's what they deserve. It's great.

Whether they're going to keep it for the next leg and the next leg,

I don't know.

Well, they're not going to keep it for leg eight, are they?

No. No.

BOTH:Ah! Oh-h-h...

We were aiming to catch up... Yeah. ..this time.

We made it to the checkpoint!

And not fourth!

No, yeah. It's a good feeling, I feel good.

Like, it all worked out.

Wow. I wonder where Fin and Sioned are.

Mm... I don't know.

Oh!

You're bouncing it!

THEY SHRIEK AND GIGGLE

Fin and Sioned are looking to leave Dehradun

on their final push to checkpoint.

We now know where the bus is coming.

It's going on platform eight,

and we're going to be getting tickets from the man on the bench.

Yeah, I feel relieved that this is the last bit of this leg now,

the last bit of transport.

Dharamsala.

Oh, wait... Oh, my gosh. Are you serious? Let's see.

Wait a second. Oh, my gosh, that's Brian and Melvyn!

When was that? Yes. When? When was that?

Yesterday? Yesterday. Oh, Brian and Melvyn are there!

No! Was it yesterday or two days ago? Yes.

Oh, wow. Two days ago. So, two days. Two days.

Two days... Are you serious?

How are they doing it? Because we have no luck!

Brian and Melvyn... Everything goes wrong!

He has to lug a suitcase! How is he doing it?

Because everything goes wrong for us.

Maybe I should have brought a bloomin' suitcase. It's not fair.

He's literally lugging a suitcase around with him. How?

Well, I guess we have to be successful with next leg.

Next leg, now, it's going to be a big push.

A very, very big push.

We can't afford to fall behind any more,

so we need to do everything we can to catch up.

Oh...

Journey starts all over again. It does.

Let's go! Whoo, whoo, whoo!

That's a desert. Truly wild.

CAMEL GRUNTS

It's going to be a challenge to catch up.

I think we can do it, and I think we will do it.

A lot of things are unsaid, on my part anyway.

Come on, girl!

Doing the race when you're ill, you want to give up and go home.

I've been cake-deprived.

I don't want to just race, race, race.

I will try not to say I told you so if it all goes wrong!

THEY LAUGH

SHE GASPS