McFly star Harry Judd, ITV weather presenter Alex Beresford, All Saints singer Mel Blatt and racing driver Billy Monger will make up the cast of the first celebrity series of Race Across The World.
The BBC series will see each famous face joined by a family member as they race at ground level from Marrakech in Morocco to Tromso in Norway.
Beresford will embark on the race with his father Noel, Blatt will be joined by her mother Helene, Judd will be joined by his mother Emma, and Monger will race with his sister Bonny.
The pairs will embark on a race spanning 24 countries and more than 6,200 miles (10,000km), through the seaside ports and beaches of the Mediterranean, to historic cities, the Alps, the Baltic States, and snowy Scandinavia, without air travel or a phone and with only a limited budget – just the cash equivalent of completing the route to their final destination by air.
They will have to earn extra money by working along the way and rely on the kindness of strangers for lifts and extra help.
Explaining why he wanted to take on the challenge, Beresford said: “I thought it was a fantastic opportunity to do something that we’ve never done before.
“Neither of us have ever backpacked, so it’s a new experience. And, also, just to see some amazing places! Across continents and across countries, and you’re getting to see everything at ground level, so it’s completely different to just flying over – getting to immerse yourself in different cultures and communities.”
McFly star Judd added: “I never travelled when I was younger. I travelled with the band, but I never properly did backpacking and I always wanted to.
“I think the same applies for my mum – she always wanted to but started a family when she was 22.”
Blatt said she wanted to do it “for the experience, to be out of my comfort zone, to do something that I wouldn’t necessarily choose to do on my own.”
She added: “I’m definitely up for challenges and pushing myself… And this is what Mum does all the time!”
Discussing embarking on the race with his sister, Monger said: “We’ve spoken about travelling before, but it would probably be a little bit different to what I imagine this is going to be like – in terms of doing everything on such a budget and staying in hostels and being tight on money for food.
“With this opportunity, I spoke to Bon about it, and she said it could be quite cool. So, we sat down and watched the previous series and got more and more into it and then decided why not!”
