Latest news with #StudioLambert
Wales Online
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Race Across the World stars Sioned and Fin share relationship update after almost calling it quits
Race Across the World stars Sioned and Fin share relationship update after almost calling it quits The winners of this year's Race Across the World were announced last week, with mother-and-son duo Caroline and Tom Bridge taking home the £20,000 prize Last week, viewers of Race Across the World were gripped as the finale revealed this year's winning team. Although they didn't start strong, Caroline and Tom Bridge turned their fates around, ultimately seizing the £20,000 jackpot. Hot on their heels, only 19 minutes later, were siblings Elizabeth and Letitia, with the pair Sioned and Fin coming next, and brothers Brian and Melvyn coming in fourth. Audiences have been witness to all the pairs being pushed to their limits throughout the races, with Sioned and Fin, the youngest duo, finding aspects of the journey particularly difficult. In the upcoming reunion show, the Welsh couple will share updates on their relationship and recount their experiences from the race, reports Plymouth Live. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter Race Across the World's Fin and Sioned share relationship update as they detail 'challenge' (Image: BBC ) Sioned explained to viewers of the BBC: "I think there were many times in India where I thought, 'I can't do this, I need to go home, not want to but I need to because this is too much'." But she expressed her relief, saying, "But, I'm really glad I just stuck it out because experiencing it has been really valuable." Article continues below During a discussion with fellow racers, the now 20-year-old shared how the challenge had fostered personal growth. She said: "It's built us as people. It's tough doing something like this in a relationship, but I do think it made us stronger." Fin responded: "It was a good way to see if we can do it forever, or this isn't for us, let's split up. But that wasn't the case, we are still together, and we're going well. I think that was a big challenge and the best challenge we could've had together." While Sioned and Fin may not have triumphed in the series, viewers were happy to see the mother-son duo take the win. TITLE:Race Across the World S5,EP NUMBER:8,TX DATE:11-06-2025,TX WEEK:23,EMBARGOED UNTIL:11-06-2025 22:01:01,PEOPLE:Tom and Caroline,DESCRIPTION:Embargoed until post TX8 22.01:01 Wednesday 11th June 2025.,COPYRIGHT:Studio Lambert,CREDIT LINE:BBC/Studio Lambert Caroline expressed her joy about the victory: "It feels absolutely amazing, I'm so sad it's come to the end, that is the worst bit about it. We've enjoyed being with everybody, but my God, this race has meant so much. Article continues below "We've learnt so much, we've enjoyed it, and to actually win it as well as to have the experience is the best thing that could have happened to us." Tom said of the experience: "Doing the experience in itself is winning, but to actually get to that book first, open it, and see that it was empty was something that I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Wales Online
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Race Across the World's Sioned reveals what she thinks of contestants after return to Wales
Race Across the World's Sioned reveals what she thinks of contestants after return to Wales Race Across the World came to an end after the competing teams of two trekked to the final checkpoint in the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari, in a bid to scoop a cash prize of £20,000 Race Across the World couple Fin and Sioned during the reunion episode (Image: BBC/Studio Lambert ) Race Across the World star Sioned Cray has shared some honest insight into how she feels about her fellow contestants upon her return to Wales. The popular BBC show came to a tense conclusion last week, with mother-and-son team Caroline and Tom Bridge coming in first place and scooping the £20,000 prize. Sioned, 20, joined the show alongside her partner, Fin, with the couple being the youngest participants to take part in the hit travel competition. The BBC star confessed 'coming home to Wales was a bit of a shock to the system', while Fin said he 'missed everything about the race', especially the 'suspense of not knowing where you're going to go next'. The young couple finished in third place. As the show has come to its gripping conclusion, instead of a nail-biting racing episode, this week's final instalment offered viewers a reunion among the players, with each duo reflecting on their experiences. For all the competing teams, many parts of the race proved to be difficult and emotionally taxing - and this was no different for Sioned and Fin. During the reunion episode, Sioned revealed there were times she didn't think she'd be able to carry on. She said: 'I think there were many times in India where I thought, 'I can't do this, I need to go home, not want to but I need to because this is too much'. Article continues below 'But, I'm really glad I just stuck it out because experiencing it has been really valuable.' In another update, posted on Instagram, Sioned offered further insight into her thoughts on her Race Across the World experience, as well as behind the scenes insight after reuniting with her fellow contestants Sioned described them all as being 'bonded for life'. Content cannot be displayed without consent She shared a carousel of images and penned: 'We had the sweetest reunion! We are genuinely bonded for life and like a little extra family. Who knew Race Across The World would result in SO MANY positives!? 'Not only positives for myself and my own journey, but positives for mine and Fin's relationship, positives in regards to sharing memories with strangers who have ultimately became our best friends and also positives when [it] comes to all of you watching!?' She then went on to thank viewers for all the 'kind messages' they 'received along the way', as well as the many 'kind words' that have been said to the couple 'in public'. Sioned branded the response as 'insane' while praising the 'whole process' of taking part in Race Across the World as 'so rewarding and so valuable'. The 20-year-old highlighted how important it was for her to have potentially helped many people who, like her, 'struggle with confidence' which may have stopped them from 'reaching goals or achieving things you desperately want to'. Fin was open about his Type 1 diabetes throughout their journey, and the couple were glad to have raised awareness of the condition. In the comments section, people shared their thoughts. One person declared: 'I love this program but what a great group you clearly are. 'A life changing experience for everyone one of you. You are all winners. The producers of this show really chose well.' Article continues below Another added: 'Going to miss watching you guys loved this series'.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Race Across the World secrets revealed from axed US route to future location hints
Race Across the World (RATW) producers have been spilling the secrets from behind the scenes of the hit show. Wednesday marked the end of the RATW series with it's reunion episode. The five teams — winners Caroline and Tom, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, brothers Melvyn and Brian, teen couple Sioned and Fin as well as ex married couple Yin and Gaz — reunited for the first time six months after the race. The journey took them from The Great Wall of China, through Nepal to the southern tip of India Kanyakumari. From sharing hints about future locations to revealing the route that was cancelled, Production Executive Kezia Walker and Producer Lucy Curtis from Studio Lambert revealed everything that happens during filming RATW on and off camera. The RATW masterclass was presented by Televisual and Sony at The Producers in a video shared on YouTube. Race Across the World nearly had an entirely different name, producers revealed. The idea was pitched as "Flightless" because the idea centres around the contestants not being able to catch planes between the destinations. It was only later in the development stage that it would get the great name "Race Across the World". A Race Across the World (RATW) route that travelled through parts of the US had to be axed because of visa issues, Studio Lambert producers have said. Series two was meant to start in bustling New York City but the contestants didn't get their visa applications back in time. The Studio Lambert team had to make last minute changes to the race route, just weeks before beginning filming. Curtis said: "We prefer it when things go wrong when we are filming because it can become the story. The frustrating thing is if it goes wrong three days before we're about to start our filming. "On series two... our route was meant to be New York to the Argentina, the southern most tip Ushuaia, and about three or four weeks before we were due to start filming, we found out we weren't going to get our US visas in time. "So we had to pivot and set up a whole new launch in Mexico City. With three weeks to go. It ended up being a brilliant launch and loved doing it there." Leg 1 - Mexico City, Mexico to Copán Ruinas, Honduras Leg 2 - Copán Ruinas, Honduras to Panama City, Panama Leg 3 - Panama City, Panama to Tatacoa Desert, Colombia (flight to Jaén Airport) Leg 4 - Jaén, Peru to Puno, Peru Leg 5 - Puno, Peru to Cafayate, Argentina Leg 6 - Cafayate, Argentina to Ilha Grande, Brazil Leg 7 - Ilha Grande, Brazil to Mendoza, Argentina Leg 8 - Mendoza, Argentina to Ushuaia, Argentina The TV producers want things to go wrong during the race. In the 2025 series, viewers were outraged when Yin and Gaz and Caroline and Tom were stranded by the typhoon in China. The producers said disasters are part of the storytelling of race. Walker said: "The things that you think are going to be a problem actually like says that's where the story often comes from." In fact, in series one a huge problem from the recce also became a disaster on the race that played out on-screen. Curtis shared: "In series one our assistant producer who's doing it had to cross the Caspian Sea between Azabaijan and Kazakhstan. And there's no passenger ferries. There's freight ferries that go kind of once every 28 days or something. And on the ferry it broke down and he was stuck there for three days. And we asked him to do video diaries and his video diaries came through and they were just gold. "And we just knew this was going to be this he was sort of going slightly stir crazy in this cabin with Kazakhstani truck drivers. And then the same thing happened on the shoot. The ferry broke down again when we were filming." Sharing the secrets, one of the producers also hinted at possible routes for the future series. They said that there hadn't been any significant changes to the format because new locations and routes made the series feel fresh. Then there's also the new set of contestants who have their stories to share. However, the producers hinted they could be looking at returning to some of the destinations they have previously visited for future series. Curtis said: "We haven't actually made really any significant changes to the format of the show itself, just because filming in brand new locations every year makes it feel fresh. We always say that every time we film it, it films feels like a first series all over again because we're filming in a brand new part of the world. "Brand new challenges, brand new excitements and also the contributors there's unlimited stories to tell. We're casting at the moment and we've had this wish list of people that we're looking for. And all these people have come through that are nothing like the people on our wish list but are completely new in different ways. "And it just makes you think it you know it's sort of unlimited really the stories we could keep on telling and we've got other ideas which I'm probably not allowed to say about about how we can go back to places we've already been but do them in a kind of different way." RATW series one: London to Singapore RATW series two: Mexico City to Ushuaia, Argentina RATW series three: Vancouver to St John's, Newfoundland in Canada Celebrity series one: Marrakech, Morocco to Tromso, Norway RATW series four: Sapporo, Japan to Lombok, Indonesia Celebrity series two: Belem, Brazil to Frutillar, Chile RATW series five: Great Wall of China to India Race Across the World: The Reunion is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The secrets to getting on Race Across the World as 100,000 people apply
The BBC's Race Across the World is one of the most popular shows on TV, and it seems to be one of the most transformational experiences that reality TV can offer, so it's not surprising that the producers get inundated with application to The show received 100,000 applications last year. From the slush pile, TV bosses have the tricky job of choosing the line-up for the travel show. It begs the question, just how is Race Across the World cast? And how easy is it to get on the show? Production executive Kezia Walker and producer Lucy Curtis from Studio Lambert, the company behind the show, have shared some insight into their process in a new masterclass — presented by Televisual and Sony at The Producers — shared on YouTube. Of course they have a wish-list (although the producers explained that the best stories are often the ones they didn't know they were looking for). "It's a travel show and I think people love — no doubt — they love seeing the locations and the you know beautiful GVs (general views) and the places we travel through but at the heart of it, it's about the people taking part," Curtis said. "It's a challenging casting job because the contributors have to sustain. It's eight episodes. The civilian version is eight episodes. I mean one of the things that I don't think anyone realised when they watch it, is quite how gruelling the process is to go through. It's a physical challenge and also a mental challenge as well." There is a special in-house casting and welfare team who work with the contributors from the very beginning of the show until way after they have left. These are some stand out qualities they are looking for when casting the Race Across the World series. Those hoping to take part in RATW must be "physically and mentally robust", the TV bosses explained. The application asks for a medical letter from their GP confirming their fitness. Also there is a tough audition where the participants must escape the Studio Lambert offices to a mystery location without their phones or credit cards. Talking in the masterclass, Curtis said: "So we have to make sure that the people who take part are really sort of physically and mentally robust. So that's a big part of the casting process. Everyone has to take part in what we call the escape challenge which is where they start from the Studio Lambert offices. "We give them a location in London, somewhere they won't have heard of and they have to get there without their phones or their credit cards. And then you sort of see the dynamic between the pairs unfold much more naturally when they've got a task to do." The casting crew are also looking for an interesting dynamic and relationship that will play out over the eight-week journey. Immediately former married couple Yin and Gaz, who are now best friends after the breakdown of their 30-something year marriage, will have caught the attention of casting bosses. Walker said: "You want that relationship you know? Something that often people can relate to whether it's siblings or parents or friends. It's something when you're watching as a viewer you relate to and making sure you've got a broad range of people from all sorts of backgrounds." She added: "We take them through the journey of the race, that you're learning something unusual ,or surprising about them that maybe on other TV shows, you don't have time to do that." Other than the relationship element, perhaps the most important part of the casting process is that the individual has a story to tell. The race element of filming is unpredictable. However, they can plan for the documentary style moments where the contributors share their life stories and experiences with viewers. "We've got these rich interesting stories to tell, and we can think about... we don't want to tell all their stories in episode one," Curtis said. "We don't want to lean into their backstories right at the top. We want to tell them slowly over eight episodes. So we can plan a little bit for for when those stories are going to come come out." The producer used the example of two stars from Race Across the World series four. "Alfie in series four who lost his mother when he was very young," she said. "We knew he was going to be going to Hoi An and in Hoi An they send these lanterns down, go on boat trips and send these lanterns down the river. So we knew that that might be — if he was comfortable doing it there — a really lovely place to tell the story about his mum." She added: "And then with Betty and James... Her story was that she suffered from this condition called MRKH which is she was born without a womb. And she was on just only comfortable talking about that with her brother in leg seven. "So episode seven, which is right at the end of the series. So it feels sort of quite different that we would be landing this huge story about her which is this huge thing to know about her right at the end of the series. But that was when she was able to talk about it with her brother — that was the honest and right time to tell it." The Race Across the World application asks if contestants have applied for other TV shows. The TV bosses don't want someone who is attracted to the bright lights of fame. Curtis explained: "And I think that's the thing with Race Across the World and and lots of other Studio Lambert shows is it's the type of people you might not usually see on television." Race Across the World: The Reunion airs at 9pm on BBC One on Wednesday.
South Wales Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Claudia Winkleman ‘incredibly grateful' for MBE in King's Birthday Honours
The Traitors presenter was honoured on Friday alongside her Strictly Come Dancing co-host, Tess Daly, for services to broadcasting. Winkleman, 53, said: 'I am incredibly grateful to receive this honour. 'It's a real privilege to work with extraordinarily talented people and I have only got this because of them. So this is for the BBC, the traitors and the faithful, for pianos and for the cha cha. 'I will buy a hat and am taking my mum. I am ridiculously lucky and will celebrate with Tess by doing a paso doble.' Born and raised in London, she studied history of art at Cambridge University and after graduating began her career as a TV and radio presenter, fronting a range of BBC TV shows including Comic Relief and The Great British Sewing Bee. She also presented on BBC Radio 2 until 2024, hosting different programmes on the station including the comedy quiz series Hot Gossip, the Claudia Winkleman Arts Show and Claudia On Sunday. In 2004, she joined BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, presenting its weekday companion show It Takes Two until she passed it to broadcaster Zoe Ball, with her taking on the Sunday night results show alongside Daly. The presenter joined Daly for the main show every Saturday from 2014, after Sir Bruce Forsyth stepped down. The Bafta-winning presenter is also behind the hit BBC game show The Traitors and won best entertainment performance at the 2023 awards. She will be fronting its charity spin-off series, The Celebrity Traitors, in which 19 famous faces will enter the castle in the Highlands, including comedian Alan Carr, actor and broadcaster Sir Stephen Fry and retired diver Tom Daley. Stephen Lambert, who is also recognised in the King's Birthday Honours and is the founder and chief executive of Studio Lambert, said: 'I'm thrilled that Claudia Winkleman is being honoured too; her brilliant hosting has played such a key role in the success of The Traitors.' Studio Lambert is the production company behind The Traitors, Gogglebox, Race Across the World, and Squid Game: The Challenge. Winkleman hosts the Channel 4 general knowledge gameshow One Question, where she recently described wanting to cry after a father and daughter won £100,000, making history on the programme for winning the top prize without looking at all of the possible answers. She also presents Channel 4's The Piano, in which she is joined by singer-songwriter Mika and Grammy-winner Jon Batiste, as they hunt for Britain's most talented undiscovered pianists. She will host a concert for this year's BBC Proms, including a matinee and evening Traitors-themed performance, which is expected to have a range of famous classical works, alongside new arrangements of some of the music from the popular psychological reality programme. Winkleman is a trustee of the The British Museum and a patron of Child Bereavement UK.
