Original subtitles

Spanning more than 21,000 kilometres across the vast nation of China...

..legend says the Great Wall was built along a path

carved by a mighty dragon.

Over mountains and through deserts,

this fortification of brick, stone, earth and mortar

has endured for more than 2,000 years.

And today, just north of Beijing,

overlooking the village of Huanghuacheng,

is where our race begins.

So many people up already, like, actually working.

Look at them.

I love those.

Set for an imminent departure, teenage couple Fin and Sioned.

Wow.

That is the Great Wall of China, no? Yeah.

Oh-ho-ho-ho!

Stunning.

We've been together four-and-a-half years.

Experiencing the world is just top of our list, isn't it? Yeah.

Being from a small town in Wales,

we think it's a good challenge for us.

We're still so young. We've not experienced a lot.

We still live with our parents, so it would be nice to see

how much we can rely on each other... Yeah.

..how much we can stand each other.

You're going to have to help me down.

HE GRUNTS

No, don't!

SHE LAUGHS

We always bicker.

I might be a bit poody.

INTERVIEWER: Er, poody? Poody.

Oh, do you not say poody?

You don't know...poody?

You don't know what poody is?

Everyone in Wales knows poody.

It's like a tantrum.

Are we going the right way?

Yeah, look, this is the right way.

Oof! That is stunning.

Wow!

I'm a very homey person. Leaving home is a massive deal for me.

Oh, I'm going to cry.

Up here, right there?

This is so stupid.

I think it's up here.

Hi. BOTH: Ni hao.

Ni hao.

Please hand over your mobile phones, cash and bank cards.

Sure.

Without smartphones, the teams must survive

with only essential race kit -

money belts, safety trackers and a map.

Xiexie. Xiexie.

And here. Oh, thank you.

And, in China, red means good luck. Oh!

So good luck on your race. Thank you very much. Thank you.

The last time we've been away was when? 1970s, maybe, together?

I don't know. It must...

It must have been the '70s.

Also ready to race...

What does this remind you of? What, this river?

Yeah. Er...

The River Derwent. Yeah, maybe.

..retired financial adviser Brian

and his brother, driving instructor Melvyn.

I'm the younger, the better-looking one.

I was going to say the same thing.

I'm the older and the better-looking one. How does that work?

If you look at the hills, that is exactly how you see China.

Yeah, maybe. The little hills, the mountains. Yeah.

I'm lucky enough to have gone to lots of places in the world,

stayed in nice places, and travelled well.

You'd have gone on business class, wouldn't you?

If we'd have been on our own, you'd have gone business class.

Probably, this far.

MELVYN LAUGHS

Brian's lifestyle is lavish, and he definitely wastes money.

And I'm not talking about a couple of quid.

I think he lost an awful lot of money on the last car.

I can't believe you didn't take my offer of a bloody personal trainer.

And I did offer to pay for you as well, didn't I?

Can you make it? We're here now. We're here, we're here.

The longest time we've ever spent together as adults

is two, three days.

Hello. Hi. Ni hao.

Eight, nine weeks with you, Melv - whoa.

We'll see.

Thanks very much. Thank you.

See you. See you, guys. Bye. Bye.

I think... We're off. ..we're on our way.

Well, I'll tell you what, let's go and get a cup of tea or summat.

Who would have thought, after 31 years,

this is where we would end up?

On the Great Wall of China? On the Great Wall of China.

What, out of breath and old?

HE LAUGHS

Next to ascend the Great Wall,

Yin and Gaz.

When I first met Gaz,

this is going to sound really cheesy,

but I remember he turned around and it felt like

a bit of a, like, a slow-motion movie.

And I just thought, "Wow."

We did fall in love pretty quick after meeting each other.

Oh, my God. We're high, aren't we? Just a little bit.

When we had the takeaway business, we worked together 24-7.

We were a really, really good team together.

Remember that picture that we had in the takeaway? Yeah!

We had the Great Wall of China. Yeah.

Well, we're here now, aren't we? Now we're here, exactly.

Cos we've known each other for just under 40 years,

that is going to play into our strengths.

Ah-ha! Ah!

You can't just discount the 40 years of ups and downs.

And here is the map. Thank you.

We've always grafted. Yeah. And I think, like, moving on in to Race,

that's why I'm not so fearful or scared,

because I know that that will come out in both of us.

Bye-bye. What's bye-bye in Mandarin?

Zaijian. Zaijian. Zaijian. Zaijian.

Bye-bye.

Nice that we're coming by boat.

I didn't even know you could get to the Great Wall of China by boat.

Yeah, I didn't know it, either.

Floating towards the starting line...

Oh, it looks like we're arriving.

..Elizabeth and younger sister Letitia.

I think we're going to have an advantage,

cos we're well-travelled in different parts of the world.

We just come together and it's like a...a mighty force of...

We're like this. ..well-travelled people!

THEY LAUGH

Maybe they'll be seeing us from space.

We're waving while struggling with our backpacks,

like "Argh!"

THEY LAUGH

We've never actually really travelled together. No.

Hello. Ni hao. Ni hao.

What skills do you have? I've got peo...good people skills.

OK, yeah, yeah, you do. Yeah.

Yeah.

SHE SCOFFS

THEY LAUGH

This one. You can take that. Thank you.

You can put up with me. Yeah.

Which is actually a skill in itself anyway.

Right, so I'll be in charge of this, then.

I'll also be in charge of that as well.

What, the map?! Oh, no, no, that's yours.

Yeah, that's my role. Yeah.

Apparently the wall goes under this water.

Last to arrive...

So was it flooded afterwards? It must have been.

I'm Caroline,

and I'm absolutely delighted and proud to be doing the race

with Thomas, my only son.

Thank you for doing this with me. It's OK. Thank you.

The fact that we get to do it together is pretty good,

so we'll be all right. We'll make sure we're OK.

I don't actually work, although I do feel I work very hard at home.

I'm always cleaning up, I'm always shopping, preparing meals,

cooking, looking after the animals - just being a housewife.

It's really overwhelming actually, Thomas.

It's a shame, really, because then you find you're old

and haven't really done as much as maybe you would have liked.

You OK? Sorry, no, wait for me.

Go on, you've got it. Come on, you've got it. Sorry!

And I feel there's still life out there,

and I...I'd like to grab that opportunity, really.

Look at it.

Oh, my God!

This is one of the wonders of the world.

I can't believe you've done a few already.

I've seen the Colosseum, Machu Picchu.

I think that's it, actually. Gosh!

This is my first.

I've done nearly ten months of travelling in total now,

and whereas Mum has done zero, basically.

Hello. Hello!

I feel like I might know a tiny bit more than Mum,

which is quite nice, actually, for the first time,

cos everyone always says mums are always right,

but this time maybe it's sons are always right.

You never know.

Good luck. Lovely. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Ah, are you ready? I am, I am. I don't think we have a choice now.

Teams equipped with all the essentials...

Oh! That's better.

..it's time to find out where the race will lead them.

Ooh!

Final destination is Kanniyakumari.

Where is that?

Sounds Japanese.

I don't think it is in China. No.

This is impossible, man.

That's it! Yes! The bottom of India. No way!

Oh, my gosh! Look!

The finish line...

..Kanniyakumari.

RHINO GRUNTS

A journey of over 14,000 kilometres to the southernmost tip of India.

Awaiting the first team to cross the line, a prize of £20,000.

Let's go.

To get there, the teams must pass through seven checkpoints.

Only when they reach one will they learn the destination of the next.

Oh, wow, look!

They'll need to cross the vast ranging landscapes

of three of Asia's ancient civilisations -

China...

My little village has nothing like this.

..Nepal...

Very lively place, isn't it?

..and India.

SHE GASPS

It looks like a picture.

Come on! Oh, my God!

You definitely would not see this in Wales.

And they have to do it all for the lowest budget yet...

Oh!

Let's look at the money.

..the equivalent cost of flying the route - just over £1,000 per person.

That's not a lot.

SHE LAUGHS

Around £22 each per day.

That's not going to buy the accommodation, is it?

It wouldn't buy your normal accommodation,

but it'll buy us what we want here.

In the shadow of the Great Wall,

ready to forge adventurous paths across China,

teams gather at the start line.

It's getting a bit real now, isn't it?

It is, I know. I think the nerves are kicking in.

It's the first opportunity to meet their rivals.

I feel a bit sick. I'm like, "Oh."

There they are.

THEY LAUGH

They look scared.

Hiya. You all right? Hello.

Ah! Oh! Hello.

Hello. Hi.

Everyone's younger. I know!

Hi, nice to meet you. Hug. Aw...

Oh, goodness me!

HE LAUGHS

Hello. ALL: Hello! Hiya!

I'm Brian. Hiya.

How do you two know each other?

We're brothers. Believe it or not, yeah, we are.

THEY LAUGH

That's DAM impressive, isn't it?

That is DAM impressive.

Hello. Hi there. All right? I'm Tom, nice to meet you. Hi!

Has everybody found the final destination?

Japan, isn't it?

THEY LAUGH

I'm well aware that it's going to be really difficult.

I have a point to prove.

People underestimate Mum, and I think that's one of our superpowers.

This is going to be completely unique. Yeah.

Something we've never, ever done before.

I'm always looking to push myself.

We are definitely going to work hard.

The smells, the noise, the chaos, the energy.

It's a race.

THEY LAUGH

We need to be on the ball.

We both have different... Strengths and weaknesses.

..different strengths and weaknesses.

I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else.

He's probably more resilient than anyone else I even know.

It's about the challenge, it's about the excitement.

And the way you do it. Holding our head up high at the end of it.

If you're going to do it, play to win.

STARTER PISTOL FIRES

THEY LAUGH

They'll be dead by the time they get there.

HE LAUGHS

Oh, my God, there's so many stairs.

Yeah, look at that - sprinting.

Hold a handrail.

We are not going to fall.

Come on, Mum. Come on, Mum.

Be careful on this bit.

Right, where we going?

"Huan-gling."

2,000 kilometres to the south, the first checkpoint.

Clinging to the slopes of the Huayu Mountains for over 500 years,

Huangling village.

Famed for conserving its Hui-style dwellings,

and its colourful custom of drying chillies on rooftops.

First thing we need to do is find our way out of here.

It seems to be surrounded by mountains.

Where was it? Beijing. Yeah.

There it is. The railway line's going all the way.

We both agree it's Beijing to start, don't we, mate?

All routes from there are open.

To reach the checkpoint,

teams will have to navigate the first 100 kilometres

through sprawling suburbs to the heart of Beijing.

From there, high-speed trains connect the whole of China.

Escaping the capital tonight could make or break this first leg.

Do you know English?

Beijing bus? To Beijing?

No, she doesn't understand.

It's OK. Anyway, thank you. Thank you.

Hello, hello. Hi, hi.

Do you speak English?

Does anybody speak English? Do you speak English?

They don't understand. Let's move on. No?

Wow, there really is a language barrier, isn't there? I know.

One team to make a quick getaway from the Great Wall...

Woo! Well, we made it.

..travel-savvy sisters Elizabeth and Letitia.

I think we should ask for the main Beijing station.

The fact that we've been exposed to learning other languages... Mm.

..we're definitely going to be a bit more comfortable

in these kind of settings. Yeah.

Zhan means station.

Zhan means station? Yeah.

I lived in China for six months.

I did start learning Mandarin.

Yeah, I should probably pluck up the courage to ask somebody.

Yeah, you've got this.

OK.

Here, OK. Here? We need to get off here. OK.

She gave us directions to go down that way to get another connection.

To get the subway.

As the sisters put their faith in a local tip-off,

30 kilometres behind...

Thomas, have you worked out where we are?

We're looking for Hairo Wanzhou.

..Tom is figuring it out for himself and mother Caroline.

I'm just kind of taking the lead for a little bit.

You have confidence in your own ability, don't you?

You're really good like that.

If we manage to get on a night bus tonight from Beijing to somewhere,

or a night train, that feeling will be so good.

So I think that's the plan for now.

And we'll just have to see how it goes.

Thomas, this is it! This is the next stop.

Huai Rou Shidong. You have a look.

Huai...Rou...Shi...Chang.

Wrong. Is that it? No, wrong.

Re...read what I've written.

Huai Rou Wuzhong. There you go.

Is...is that Hairo Wuzhong? Isn't that good enough?

No, it's not. Sorry. LAUGHING: OK.

No, not quite, nearly. OK.

We need to find, like, the way out of here.

I want to feel like I'm getting out of this little village

in the middle of nowhere.

Still struggling to get going,

first-time travellers Fin and Sioned.

Do we sit down? I think we sit down.

Right, put that... Put the map down for a sec.

Once I've got a plan, I'm happy. Mm.

She's a control freak.

She's already planned the wedding. I've no say in it at all.

Yes, you do. Don't be silly.

Your first checkpoint is Huangling.

Right, well... Where is...?

Straight away, I think Shanghai's better.

To reach the first checkpoint,

teams must traverse eastern China.

Home to some of the country's most trailblazing cities,

it's also the birthplace of profound philosophy,

and some transformative inventions -

silk, porcelain,

and the compass.

From Beijing, teams could travel along the Yellow Sea coast,

well connected by China's extensive high-speed rail network.

The route's show stopper - the glittering metropolis, Shanghai.

The more adventurous could veer inland,

steeped in tradition and history,

less direct but with the advantage of fewer crowds.

I do feel like sticking with the city gives you peace of mind.

Oh! There are bullet trains from Qingdao to Shanghai.

Right, check where Qingdao is. Come on.

Cos, once we're in Shanghai, I feel like it'll be straightforward.

Sioned's plan - play it safe

and city-hop down the coast via Shanghai.

That's not cheap.

Right. I'd like not to just splurge on the first leg.

I feel like this is the leg we should splurge on.

And now we've sat down and we have planned, like,

we've got a bit of an...

..inkling of what we're going to do, I guess.

Let's go and find a bus stop.

THUNDER RUMBLES

Oh, my God.

45 kilometres ahead...

We're practically walking back to the Great Wall of China.

..but still 60 kilometres from the centre of Beijing,

Yin and Gaz have reached the suburb of Huairou

with nightfall approaching.

We've got off the bus and, if I'm brutally honest,

I think we've gone completely wrong.

So, I don't know where... where we are.

Er, we're certainly not in the centre of Beijing.

Just kind of assumed that the bus would take us to the terminal,

but, er, obviously not.

Everyone just jumped off.

We're looking for bus station or train station.

There's... Oh.

WOMAN LAUGHS

OK.

No, I don't...

Although I'm Chinese, I was born in the UK.

I've been to China once before, a really long time ago, in the '80s.

And, to be fair, my Mandarin is like zero, so it's just impossible.

Neither of us are getting anywhere, basically.

The problem is, is like, we ask people and no-one...

And they speak Chinese to you. They speak Chinese to me

because I...I look Chinese. Yeah.

We don't get anywhere.

I've kind of lost a bit of heart, to be honest.

I know you have. OK. But we need to....we need to...

What do you want to do, then? There's going to be an answer.

Let's head across there, ask around.

Oh, I do feel like I'm a hindrance.

No, you're not a hindrance at all. No, 100%.

Could you help us?

Is this the city centre, or is this the suburbs?

This is... Yeah, yeah. ..the centre of Beijing.

Right, and where are we?

Three hours to go by bus.

Oh, wow. Three hours?! Still three hours by bus.

Oh, wow.

What's kind of like a good place to get a cheap, clean hotel?

Like, here, everything is cheaper. It's cheaper here? Right.

Like, the centre... Yeah, it's more expensive. Yeah.

OK, so... Stay here tonight, and then get to Beijing tomorrow.

I think that's the best plan.

Come on, red man, green man.

Hey, green man. Go, go, go, go, go.

Bloody hell! 21...

Beijing, a name that means "northern capital."

Once home to imperial dynasties,

today it's the centre of power for the Communist Party.

Twice the size of London, it's the most visited destination in China.

Is it to the left and then right or straight up here? This here.

Straight up here?

Trying to plot a way out...

Melv, decision time, I think.

..Brian and Melvyn.

It's dark, late. We're tired.

I think we'll find a cafe, sit down, have a plan.

Do what we need to do and then find a hotel tonight.

It's been a long day, really, hasn't it? Yeah.

You can always get me on a bit of cake.

Mmm! Personally, I think we should do the most direct route.

I don't fancy ending up at Shanghai,

which is going to be a very bustling and large city.

And I would be more comfortable in the countryside.

But I think you'd actually get to the checkpoint quicker

by going to the Shanghai route.

But we'll miss out on the ancient stuff.

So let's forget the Shanghai route.

Knock that one on the...on the head. Right.

I am a bit controlling.

That's one of my bad qualities.

So Luoyang is the birthplace of Chinese civilisation.

OK. Full stop.

There's Buddhist grottoes, 1,700 years old.

That's unique. Yeah, yeah.

My wife said to me, she said,

"You know, don't come over all pushy.

"Don't come over all pompous, Brian."

That'd be brilliant for me.

Do you think it's a risk, then? It's, it's...

Yeah, it is a risk, but we need to see how far it is.

There's the point.

Brian's route will lead the brothers deep inland

to Luoyang in Henan province, a dicey detour from the checkpoint.

Is the risk worth it? Yeah, I think...I think...

I think it is. All right.

Yeah, that's decision made, cos we can't fart about all...

Yeah, decision made, go. ..all day.

I think we need to just speed up the pace.

Also gambling on venturing into less-travelled territory...

I think we should definitely go inland,

where there's more opportunity to do a bed and board,

where we can save money.

..Elizabeth and Leticia, looking to escape the city tonight.

Oh, a different...

But needing to grapple with six major railway stations

and nearly 900 kilometres of metro system.

We're cutting it mighty, mighty fine.

It's this way.

We didn't make it on time. Ah!

Which means we have to stay the night here.

We were so close.

Oh, so we're sold out.

So we're buggered.

Also failing to exit Beijing...

Oh, God. I'm gutted.

Well, we'll call it a night tonight, find accommodation.

Which is brilliant. Is the one thing that we said

we didn't want to do. We didn't want to do.

So I think the plan for tonight is to...

Eat up, rest up, shut up and perk up.

Exactly.

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, do you think they do cheap buffets?

THEY LAUGH

That's what I need right now.

As day one draws to a close...

..one team has managed to leave the capital and squeeze into the lead.

Sorry, it's a bit tight. Yeah, right, um...

Oh, hello, Sioned.

Fin and Sioned are looking to leave Beijing and the competition

650 kilometres behind, via an overnight train to Qingdao.

I think we've done well on our first day.

Although we have definitely spent more than we probably...

More than we wanted to. ..wanted to. But we are on the move.

We're on a ten-and-a-half-hour train now.

I do feel like we've got further than we expected to.

Oh, it's a tight squeeze.

Goodnight. Love you.

I love you.

Boop, boop, boop.

Boop, boop, boop.

SHE LAUGHS

I'd love to have a little cuddle tonight.

Tough. We're in a prison cell tonight, Sioned.

OK.

Right, Thomas, have you got everything? Yeah, I think so. OK.

I feel so much better. I've washed out my underwear.

HE LAUGHS

I think yesterday was a bit of a...a shock to the system

and a bit disheartening.

But now we're ready to crack on,

especially as we can see the train station from our room.

One step ahead...

Finally have a ticket. Yeah, we're making progress.

..Elizabeth and Letitia are heading south,

seeking rural home stays to protect their budget.

Do you know what this reminds me of? The train from Nairobi to Mombasa.

Yeah, look, you can actually even see some mountains over there,

which is quite nice. Oh, nice. Bye, Beijing.

Also venturing inland, Brian and Melvyn,

making a journey of over 800 kilometres

to enjoy the ancient sites.

Yeah, we're making good speed.

The only thing is, we're spending a lot of money.

That's the problem.

So, when we get to Luoyang,

if we can get a paid job and accommodation...

Yeah, we might be able to get back on an even keel.

We know where we're going.

All we've got to do is book a train, take in what Jinan has to offer.

Ah, sold out, sold out. Sold out, sold out. Look at this.

How are they so busy?

Yeah, we have to get out of Beijing. We have to get out of Beijing.

It'd be really nice to still stick to the plan and go to Jinan.

It is the capital of another province,

so it's got great transport links.

We've come up with a different method and...hopefully that'll work.

That might be booked up as well.

And then I don't know what we do.

Probably just start walking to the checkpoint.

It says on here there's some left.

Leaves from a different station. We don't even know where it is.

OK, well, try going somewhere else, Thomas.

We need to look at other stations and how to get there.

Come on, you're better than me. You...you know what you're doing.

Er, right, line two, the subway.

If we can get on the way to Jinan, then we can get excited. OK.

But, until then, I think we're very much in race mode.

That looks like us, there. 916. Yeah.

Still just 45 kilometres from the starting line,

Yin and Gaz are finally on their way into Beijing.

After yesterday and kind of having a bit of a meltdown,

I do feel a lot better today. Yeah.

And now that we're moving, it feels quite good.

We want to get to Shanghai

cos it is pretty close to the end checkpoint.

Small win, we're good. We're on the move.

I'm just really glad that we didn't get stuck in Beijing last night.

No.

There we go. Well done, Sioned.

At the front of the pack,

Fin and Sioned have reached China's Yellow Sea coast.

Oh, look at that. Yeah.

Absolutely massive bridge.

And the sea.

One of the world's longest sea bridges,

spanning 42 kilometres, connects Jiaozhou Bay to Qingdao.

It was Europe's first colony on China's mainland.

But, despite centuries of foreign influence,

the city's culture and cuisine remains resolutely Chinese.

Can you smell fish yet? Cos I can.

No. I could do with some food. Maybe hot food.

Before heading to Shanghai,

Fin and Sioned plan lunch at Huangdao Market.

Can't wait for the crispy beef, the sweet and sour sauce.

Crispy duck. Oh...

Oh, look at the head.

Oh, wow.

Is that a lung? Do you want to try a lung, Sioned? No.

I reckon we should try a lung. You try it.

I have... Do you want to try it? No.

Periods of food scarcity throughout Chinese history

have led to the nation having a wide-ranging palate,

with everything enjoyed, from insects to offal.

Chinese food at home is a lie. It's a massive lie.

It's a...it's a really big misconception, I think.

Loads of little willies.

It's a bit gross.

SHE LAUGHS

I reckon we have to try something we'd never normally eat

because we have to eat it then cos we spent money on it.

This just feels wrong.

Urgh!

Oh! Oh!

Do you know what it reminds me of?

Like, Voldemort when he's like, "Avada kedavra."

Oh, you haven't watched it, so you wouldn't know.

Oh, my gosh, it's so squishy. It's so squishy.

I want to ask a local, "How do you eat it?" Cos I don't know how.

Ni hao. Er, do you...

How? Just, just...?

Oh, very good. Anyway, how do we, like,

mm-hm, or...?

HE MIMICS CHOMPING

HE SPEAKS MANDARIN

Oh! Sioned.

What? Did you just bite it?

Oh! Oh! I can't eat that. Oh!

MAN LAUGHS

In the capital...

Can we please get any ticket to Jinan today, please?

Er, today, no.

There's no tickets.

There's got to be tickets.

Is there any...? What about overnight?

An overnight? A train? Train to Jinan?

Today, no. Tomorrow.

We haven't made it out of Beijing in 24 hours now.

We...we have to come up with a plan.

Um... Well, we can't, Thomas. This is the plan.

Yeah, I know. OK, OK.

It's all right.

HE SNIFFS

Give me a hug. Feeling so useless.

I'll try.

Come on, we're up to a challenge. We said that.

I'll give it a go, shall I, and you can watch me fail?

SHE LAUGHS

It's difficult as a parent to see your child struggle,

especially as I would say this is more his strength

because he has travelled on his own before.

And I think he was hoping he'd find it easier and he could show me.

Yeah, 6:20. 202.

Thank you. Can I have two tickets, please?

Thomas, it's sorted. We'll find a hostel. OK?

I think we just sleep on the street.

I don't know if it's safe.

I feel like I've kind of taken the role that I'm going to

take the lead and take care of you and I'm worried I can't...

Oh, Thomas! ..I can't do that as much.

Already I just feel like I'm... We're doing it together.

I'm just worried I'm going to let you down. That's all.

No! Oh, darling! No.

Yesterday I was putting on a brave face for Mum and that was OK.

I think I tried to do the same again today and it just...

it just all got a bit too much.

It built up and then it just kind of forced its way out,

which even took me by surprise, to be honest.

I haven't seen you cry for years.

It was just so overwhelming.

DOG BARKS

With the way we've been brought up, I think, er, Mum and Dad have...

It's always been quite traditional...roles and values

in our family. I've never really seen Dad get emotional,

and I think you're worried that showing your emotions

can sometimes be perceived as you being weak.

So I think maybe that's why sometimes

I don't show my emotions as much as I...

..I'd like to.

Dad would absolutely love these. SHE CHUCKLES

HE LAUGHS

With Caroline and Tom stuck in Beijing for a second night...

..300 kilometres south,

Elizabeth and Letitia are pushing on to Bengbu...

Sleeper beds look so nice.

The pillows look so comfy.

Damn it!

It's OK, we're saving on accommodation.

..with a nine-and-a-half-hour overnight journey in third class.

Oh, and it's even hard.

You know when you sit down on something

and you were expecting a cushion?

This is... It's going to be interesting.

Yeah, we're not getting sleep tonight.

I don't think so.

Deep inland, in the city of Luoyang...

I wish I knew what she was saying.

..with plans to visit the ancient grottoes tomorrow,

tonight Brian and Melvyn are earning their bed and board...

OK. No, got it, I've got it, I've got it.

It's in hand. You lead the way.

..at Miss Huang's restaurant.

You hold it, Melv, OK?

There we go.

OK.

She's a bit of a hard worker, isn't she?

What a taskmaster.

She's clipped me once. Did she?

For me, I'm used to the Michelin-star restaurant

and the five-star hotel.

Actually quite a posh restaurant.

There's some businesspeople in there with suits and ties.

A place where I'd certainly eat.

I may have been lucky, but I've made that luck by hard work.

Do not fall over, Bri. Do not be a prat.

So I'm quite happy to get my hands dirty

if that will help us get those little bits of luxury.

Bye, thank you, girls. Thank you. Thank you very much, bye-bye.

Phwoar!

I tell you what, I'll be glad to get into my bed.

So where are we going, then? The restaurant's over there.

I don't know. Oh, it's a hotel, look, here.

We're not going there, though, are we?

Oh, we're going up a little side alleyway.

It's a bit dark down here, isn't it?

It is, mate.

Watch that, Melv. Yeah, seen it. Oh, right.

Seen it, seen it.

Thank you very much.

Yeah. Ah, lovely.

Lov-er-ly.

Thank you.

Very good.

People at home think that I probably can't adapt.

My kids don't think that I can adapt.

Where's the loo? Just over there, look. OK.

OK.

We might not be in a hotel every night,

but I would like a bed at night to lie in, and a pillow.

Oh, what's that? That's a... that's just a piece of board.

The "bed and board" bit...

THEY LAUGH

..is literally a board.

Bloody... Is there any glass in that window?

There was glass on the floor that I picked up,

but there's none on the... none in the window.

Does it smell? Yeah.

No, it doesn't. It does. It smells of wee.

There's a key in the door.

THEY LAUGH

Who's going to break in?

Who in their right mind is going to...

..nick out of...

You've got to get out of here.

Stop! Stop it.

I'm crying.

What's happened tonight

is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping would happen.

I can't remember the last time we laughed like that together.

LAUGHTER CONTINUES

BLEEP! That stinks. It's been a horrible bloody day.

I tell you what, I'm happy with the accommodation.

The accommodation is fine.

THAT is now my problem.

MELVYN LAUGHS

Hello.

This area feels very calm, quite serene.

I like this, yeah.

At the midway point of their journey to Shanghai,

Yin and Gaz have made it to the holy city of the east...

..Qufu.

That's well cool. Look at that. Well over 2,000 years old, at least.

Home to a sprawling complex of ancient temples

and the birthplace of China's most renowned philosopher...

That's the man himself.

..Confucius.

When you get your fortune cookie and there's a proverb in there,

that's probably come from Confucius.

Born 2,500 years ago, his teachings on morality and family

garnered such fame that his home was turned into a temple,

and decorated in a style usually reserved for emperors.

What do you think they are? Dragons? They are dragons, yeah.

There's a lot of symbolism in Chinese culture.

I know fish is going to be wealth.

Dragon, obviously, strength, courage.

I've had a really nice time. It's incredible.

Being able to see the symbolism here that kind of ties back in

with some of, like, the things that I grew up with

is really nice, to see it in its context.

My mum and dad were very traditional Chinese.

They were quite insular.

But I do understand why,

because they were the first wave of immigration.

The writing is so, like, intricate. Yeah.

And they've kind of carved all that scripture in.

I wasn't allowed to go out into town,

go to parties and things like that,

so I found it really challenging to be hemmed in.

So, when they first met Gaz,

bear in mind, it was in the midst of the '80s,

where it was, like, the rave culture.

I had long hair, I had a goatee beard, you know?

I did look like a bit dodgy character.

There's a big drum!

Oh, that's cool. That's a big drum!

The first thing that my mum said to me was,

"Why have you brought a drug dealer into our house?"

There is quite a rebellious streak in you as well.

SHE LAUGHS

And I think that was almost

two fingers to your parents by saying,

"Look, I'm going to go this way."

We're going to make a... A wish to win the race?

OK, let's go.

We've got Confucius on our side now.

Come on, we need to get a move on.

FIN: This place is huge.

My little village has nothing compared to the size of this.

City-hopping south, teenage couple Fin and Sioned

are the first team to reach China's biggest metropolis.

Once a fishing village on the Yangtze River,

today Shanghai reigns as China's dazzling showpiece,

packed with over 24 million people, a flurry of futuristic skylines,

and streets that echo with stories of the past.

Look at his tash!

I think I'm pulling.

SIONED LAUGHS

Yes! Go on, Sioned.

Oh, she's spinning too quickly.

I'm getting dizzy, Sioned. Yay! Well done.

Xiexie. Thank you. Xiexie. Xiexie. Thank you.

Ah... Let's go. Right.

Oh! I thought she wasn't going to stop then.

Sioned, how long have we been walking for?

Probably been like an hour and a half, hour.

My back hurts, right.

I feel really dizzy right now, Sioned.

BEEPING Oh, my levels are going low now.

Yeah, I think... Oh, you'll need something.

I need to get some sugar down me.

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

I was 11 years old.

The exercise will bring down my levels.

So I'm sitting down now.

Have fast-acting sugar.

We need to wait for your levels to go up anyways. Yeah.

I used to be very, I guess, insecure.

I thought it was embarrassing.

I remember the day you found my sensor.

You went here and you...you touched.

It was like, you went, "What's that?" I was like, "Oh, no."

Like, how did you actually feel when I found it?

Were you like, "Oh, shit, she's found it," or were you...?

Gutted. Embarrassed and gutted. Really? Why?

I think I would have probably hid that for a lot longer.

Aw, that's quite sad.

I feel like I worry about Fin's sugar levels

more than he worries about it, to be honest.

I feel like I take on the motherly role a bit with that,

when...especially when his mum's not around.

It's going to be a challenge, doing the race.

It's making sure we've... we plan ahead, I think.

I literally inject you now.

Yeah. Yeah, to be fair,

you've...you've injected me in my bottom.

LAUGHING: Yeah. Many times.

Do you think we can get a bit quicker, Melv, so we can...?

Yeah, but I'll spill my tea.

The key is to see the... Statues, that's what we've come for.

Brian's cultural journey west

has brought the brothers 1,000 kilometres inland,

to Luoyang, one of the four great ancient capitals of China,

where Buddhism was first introduced to the nation

nearly 2,000 years ago,

and home to one of the finest examples of Buddhist art,

the Longmen Grottoes.

It's pretty awesome.

I didn't expect it to be this big again. I didn't.

This is massive. Flamin' heck!

Hollowed out of the limestone cliffs of the Yi River,

countless caves hold over 100,000 statues...

..amongst them, the 17-metre-tall Vairocana Buddha.

He's a big'un, in't he? Yeah.

That's hand-carved. Yeah.

His tops of his fingers are missing, but... Yeah, but...

..but if you look how well-preserved that is for 1,500 years.

Yeah, you can forgive the fingers, can't you?

Worth coming, isn't it? Yeah, definitely worth.

We have taken a step back in the race to come and do this,

but this is the real China.

Come on.

It is nice for me to remember that Melv is similar to me.

What do you think? It's huge. It's amazing, really.

As we're getting older, it's nice spending a bit of time

with each other, which we haven't done in...

50 years. 50 years. Yeah.

Mainly because we've gone our separate ways.

Let's take a photo. Yeah.

Hi. Would you take a photo of us two? OK, OK.

Hey! Thank you, mate. It's an old camera, it's just that one there.

OK. Brilliant. Thanks very much.

When we were kids, we did share interest in things -

youth hostelling, fishing, all that kind of stuff -

and it's nice to start that over again,

and pick up where we left off.

We've not got on each other's nerves yet.

It's nice at the minute, it's pleasant.

Yeah. Thank you, mate. Brilliant. Thank you.

You're welcome.

If you think back, that's the first time

that we've actually been together on the same photograph

in 20, 30 years, I suppose.

Is it really? Yeah, and that's... Is it?

Well, we need more of it, then, don't we? Yeah.

We need some more memories together,

so we need to throw our camera at people

and get...and get our picture taken a bit more, yeah? Yeah.

Yeah, let's get on the train, mate. Cool. Let's get sorted.

Let's go.

Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh.

560km southeast...

Oh, my God! This is so fun! I love it!

I mean, it is fun.

I just don't want to go... Oh!

It's, like, going up very steeply.

..and heading into hilly farmlands,

Elizabeth and Letitia are in the rural outskirts of Bengbu...

Look how big! Yeah.

I didn't even know they grew on trees.

..earning their bed and board, working on the Wang family farm.

OK. Oh, OK.

Kind of like pull, and then twist. Get to work.

For generations, they've made their living

growing and selling white pomegranates,

Chinese symbols of prosperity.

Wah! Oh, dear.

Oh, dear! Oh, dear.

Ouch! If I wasn't being stabbed, like, every two seconds

by the thorns, it's actually quite relaxing.

I don't know how you're getting stabbed so much.

There's a seven-year age gap between the both of us. Yeah. Yeah.

Oh! Oh, oh. No! Don't throw them. They're going to bruise.

I think our dynamic is quite younger sister, older sister vibes. Vibes.

Yeah.

I want to get out of that, though, you know?

You're not really trying to get out of it.

I think you're even deepening the younger sister vibes.

THEY LAUGH

So just twist, twist, twist, twist, twist.

Twist. Be careful.

Like, it has to be done perfectly.

Elizabeth nit-picks everything.

I think we need to speed up as well, cos we're going quite slow.

You don't like being told what to do at all.

No.

Oh!

OK.

He didn't say good, he said OK.

We can sleep here?

It's like a princess room! Yeah. OK!

It's us back sharing again, isn't it?

Cos we used to share. Yeah.

Growing up, it was great having an older sister,

but then Elizabeth went to Italy for nine years,

so we did have that distance.

She left when I was maybe, like, 15, and she came back

and I was, like, an adult, so we had that, like, gap.

OK. OK.

Oh, wow. Look at this bread!

Mmm.

Mmm!

I think my sister still sees me as how I was, like, back then...

It's not spicy!

..as a child.

Ah, um...

Wow, this is a spirit.

THEY LAUGH

Our relationship is very surface level, so on this race,

I would like her to see me as an adult, as a mature woman.

Mm.

That was so strong.

ELIZABETH LAUGHS

What?!

Where's the small bag?

Have you not got it? No. You're such a...

Oh, Mum!

After their static start,

Caroline and Tom have finally reached the travel hub of Jinan.

Eager to make up time, they've secured an overnight train

that will take them 770km southwards to the city of Suzhou,

and are riding in the cheapest seats they could find.

This train is really going to help us cover a lot of distance

and save money, so, look, in the grand scheme of things,

it's not that bad.

We've got a seat, it's fine, there's a shared table.

I didn't expect a bed or anything, or a...or a really comfy seat

for the price we paid.

I've tucked my trousers into my socks, I've got plastic shoes on.

This is what happens when you travel on a budget, so...

I don't care how tough it gets, that I'll get through it

and I'll bounce back. You're doing well.

I think the loos might present a problem,

but go early before it gets worse, perhaps.

THEY CHUCKLE

This is the kind of travelling I wanted.

I'm sure I wouldn't be your first choice.

You seem to be now.

You're...you're going up in the ranks, so it's OK.

Am I? Fantastic. Yeah, it's good fun.

You're...you're impressing me.

Yeah, it's really good fun. Yeah, it's lovely.

I'm quite happy.

Mum is doing pretty good.

I'm sure there's an element of putting a brave face on.

We're both very determined.

I think we really want to prove we can come back from this,

and we'll do everything we can to stay in this race.

I think I love adventurising now.

Early morning, Bengbu.

Here you are. Oh, this is so cute! Er...

Xiexie.

Yeah. Thank you.

This family has shown such great hospitality.

So we really felt really welcome here.

With money saved on accommodation...

Wow!

..the sisters' strategy -

to spend big on a direct train 550km

to Wuyuan, the closest station to the checkpoint town of Huangling.

Hopefully we'll make it to the checkpoint really quickly,

and then we can enjoy the pomegranates.

230km closer to Huangling...

I'm feeling ready to go.

ON PA SYSTEM: Dear passengers, we are now at Hangzhou Station.

Prioritised speed, and we spent so much on transport.

I feel like if we're not there first now,

I don't know what we've done wrong. No, I know.

..Fin and Sioned have one final connection to make

to reach the checkpoint.

Er, Wuyuan.

6:24.

Tonight? Yes.

So it's five, six hours.

We're not waiting that long. Is there earlier?

No earlier, only this one.

And it's 306 yuan?

Another 30 quid. This is so shit.

OK, we'll maybe come back.

So that was a bit of a kick in the teeth.

When I've made a plan, I just don't like steering from it.

Well, it says buses this way.

No bus. No bus?

No, bus today at all? No bus.

What do you want to do?

Cos I-I've had enough of making decisions.

I don't know.

Oh, for... I can't believe this!

You're waiting for me to do every single decision.

This is a joke. We should not still be in a station.

Well, we can't have a bus.

Right. I think we should have to go pay for the train

and just have to wait a stupid amount of time.

I don't think that we have any other options.

The youngest team at a standstill...

BOTH: We're off! Whoo-whoo!

..behind them in Shanghai, Yin and Gaz have already secured a train

towards the checkpoint,

departing later in the day...

It's like an onslaught of the senses, really.

Look at that through there.

It's cool, innit? It's, like, unreal, isn't it?

..giving the pair a chance to wander the streets of the city.

Yeah, look at this. What's that over there?

I mean, I can't read all of it, but there's, like, um...

I'm assuming parents who have put adverts for their children,

who are seeking marriage or partners.

In a city where tradition meets ambition,

many young professionals are too busy to date.

So, every weekend,

People's Park transforms into a bustling marriage market.

Let's see what's on the market.

Because we're going to find you a nice bride! We'll see.

You look very, er, very presentable. Do I? Yeah. Good.

Genuinely, he'd be a catch for anyone.

He's got his own teeth and, you know, he hasn't got very much hair,

but he's still, I think, quite a good-looking man.

I mean, you know, Gaz was a great husband

And, like, when, when, when the marriage was good, I mean,

he was a brilliant husband.

We were together, we were married for...

I think we were together for 31 years.

We did split up two or three years ago, went our separate ways.

I'd consider Gaz to be a best friend now.

I think at the point of the marriage break-up, I probably hated him.

Little elements of our relationship deteriorated.

We became two separate people living in a house together,

and then before you know it, there's no going back.

It's like a rock going down the hill.

You can see what's happening, but you don't change it.

See if we can find someone with a friendly face who might...

we can offer you up to.

I still get people, friends, saying to me,

"Oh, are you and Gaz going to get back together?"

And I'm like, "Absolutely not."

We're over that, aren't we? We are. We're over that.

Did you look for yourselves to find a match?

Oh, actually, er, she's not single, but I'm single. Oh!

Do you think that Gaz would be a really good prospect?

Too old? He's not my taste. Not your taste?

THEY LAUGH

What about you?

Oh, no, not for me. Yeah.

Plenty more fish in the sea. I might find a wife in India.

Ooh! Well, you'll have lost some weight then, won't you?

So you'll be even more... What does that mean?!

Now we need to concentrate on the checkpoint cos, I mean,

we're in touching distance, mate.

As the teams make their final push towards Huangling...

Could you take a photo of us two, please?

..Brian and Melvyn...

Smile, you miserable git!

..are unable to resist another cultural pit stop...

There you go. Another one together. It's the second one.

..and are making slow progress

towards the checkpoint.

Ahead of them...

Oh, my golly!

..an overnight train has propelled Caroline and Tom south,

and back into the race at the lakeside city of Suzhou.

Hello. We're trying to get a train to...

We-we can't say it.

We-we don't know how.

"Ooh-yeah"! "Ooh, yah"? "Ooh-yeah"! Ooh...

Hefeinan.

Nothing's simple for us, is it?

But to reach the checkpoint, a 380-kilometre detour -

a serious setback for their race.

Even though we covered a good distance yesterday,

it's shot us in the back

because we kind of now have to go back to get to where we need to.

It is very deflating, to be honest.

Closing in on Wuyuan Station...

If we see people, we're running.

We need to get our jogging on.

I just wonder how fast the others have gone.

..two teams.

We should have been there hours ago. I know.

We just want to get there now. Yeah.

It's going to be close, I think. It's going to be very close.

Race mode is on.

Reaching the closest station to the checkpoint,

teams receive instructions on their tracker.

BEEPING

Oh, my God!

"Travel to Ti Tian Suo Dao in Huangling

"and await further instructions."

OK. Oh, my gosh. It begins.

I would just get a taxi. Shall we just get a taxi?

Look.

Hi. Ni hao. Ni hao.

Woo, woo, woo! We're en route, route, route!

THEY LAUGH

What did he say? It's on a mountain.

We have to get a cable car.

To reach Huangling, teams must ascend into the mountains

via cable car, alighting to cross the Leixin suspension bridge,

their only option to reach the village and the checkpoint.

Oh, wow.

OK. Oh. Oh, gosh.

Wow. It's there. Cable car is there? It's there.

Go, go, go. Cable car entrance.

BEEPING

Shall we just go?

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

Oh, my gosh.

Oh! OK. Shall we have a look?

"Take cable car B..."

B?!

And we did not do that. Mm.

I think we've made a mistake. This is really, really, really bad.

Go! We want to get there as soon as possible.

We've wasted too much time today.

BEEPING

Cable car B? B? Right.

First stop.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

So back down again.

We've wasted time.

Wow! Look at this.

That's stunning.

It's actually really far down. Holy shit.

Look at all the lights.

I feel like I'm in Peter Pan. Tinker Bell will fly out now.

BEEPING

"Continue through the ancient village

"and find the first checkpoint, Huangling Shaiqiu Hotel."

All right, let's keep going.

BEEPING

OK, so... After the bridge, find the first checkpoint hotel.

Right, we're here. There's no hotels on here.

Where's the hotel?

The village is all up and down, up and down.

Could be up there. I'm getting so confused!

This place just keeps on going.

I feel like we're just getting nowhere.

Oh, wow. I can imagine it's probably quite a nice view in the daylight.

You can just about see the tops of the trees and stuff.

Oh, God, I can hear glass cracking. HE LAUGHS

I think we should ask someone here

cos there's so many, like, different directions we can go.

OK. OK.

Shaiqui Hotel?

Shai-que-ee... Kiwi...

Come on, oldie!

What the? It's a dragon! We're in a race!

Traffic, we have to wait a minute.

Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick.

Oh, is that it there?

Welcome to Huangling Shaiqui Hotel.

Please sign in.

Oh, I... You open it. I'm too scared, actually, I genuinely am.

"You have successfully reached your first checkpoint.

"Please sign overleaf."

Oh! Wow. Fair play to them. Well done.

I'm actually so glad that we just weren't last.

I'm so happy that we're first. Yeah, we're first. It is good.

I've surprised myself with how well we've actually managed

to navigate stuff, because China is massive compared to Wales.

Proud of you. Well done. Yay!

Is this it? Do it, go on, do it.

Oh, OK, that's cool. OK.

Third. I'll take that.

To be third was... Pretty amazing, actually. Yeah, yeah.

Is... It was amazing, cos it was a rough start.

I really enjoy being together with you as a team.

I couldn't choose anyone better to do it with. Yeah, me either.

Whoo! Up the pace.

My trousers will fall down!

We're there. We're there.

Bloody hell, there's so many people.

Look at that.

Excuse me. Excuse me, please. Thank you. Thank you.

What a beautiful place.

BRIAN CHUCKLES

That's it, Melv.

We're fourth.

Well done, mate.

In hindsight, I think we chose the wrong route.

We're going to have to plan a bit better.

We're not last, mate. Oh, that's good.

Caroline and Tom are still out there.

Fin!

Sioned! Oh, brilliant.

It's going to be really difficult. I'm not quite sure how I'll cope.

Come on. Look at this place.

This is just extraordinary.

In general, I think we're quite different.

And I'm hearing more differences the more you talk.

Look at that. My heart.

And away!

We're a couple of old blokes. Yeah.

This is an opportunity to do things differently.

From when we were married, in a crisis, we're pretty good. Yeah.

Whoa!

Cos we've only just come out of school, we're going to hit bumps.

I need to wise up. I'm a big girl.

Quick, quick, quick. Oh, shit, shit, shit!

I have no words.

It is definitely Endurance Race Across The World.