They’ve raced 14,000km across Asia now the hit show’s loyal audience of 7million will finally find out which of the four teams has clinched victory

Race Across the World is about to end its fifth series on BBC1 and it’s the tighest contest ever

It’s the final of the BBC1 series Race Across the World, and the win could go to any of the four remaining teams who have trekked 8,700 miles from the Great Wall of China across Nepal, to the bottom of India. As they start the seventh and final leg, current leaders Tom and Caroline Bridge are seen as the biggest threat by the other competitors when it comes to taking the title – and the £20K prize money.

Brothers Brian and Melvyn Mole – both in their 60s – have always been wary of Caroline, who fears that she’s missed out on life by being a housewife. “She had a glint in her eye from about leg two and I thought ‘crumbs this girl is out to win this’,” Brian reckoned.

But he and Melvyn are determined to do everything they can to clinch the title themselves – along with the £20k prize – having surprised themselves by winning three legs during the competition. “If you enter something like this, you enter to win, and you do your best, and it keeps you self-believing that you’re capable of doing anything,” Brian said. The pair have proved popular with viewers and bookies alike – until they finished 17 hours behind the leaders in last week’s leg after opting to take the slower route to Panaji, which avoided Mumbai.

Caroline and Tom had a shaky start but have gone from strength to strength over their weeks of travelling across Asia(Image: BBC/Studio Lambert)

Now they know they have a serious amount of catching up to do if they are to triumph. Despite this, Melvyn said: “I’m proud of what we’ve done. I’m disappointed that we dropped on the last leg. I don’t necessarily think the race is about winning, though, it’s about the experiences.”

BBC viewers have loved watching the estranged brothers, who were treated differently by their strict, old-fashioned parents, rebuild their bond and enjoy spending time together. Driving instructor Melvyn, 65, reflected: “We have got closer together, there is no doubt about that. Brian didn’t surprise me, but I think how well we got on did.”

Financial advisor Brian, 62, said that they now plan to keep in regular contact. “We want to do things together a bit more, and if there’s an adventure to be had again, we’ll do it! I think friends and others that know me would have probably thought I would not survive the race but no surprise to me, I always knew we could do it. We are both winners in what we’ve achieved so far on the race.” Both men said they’d jump at the chance to replay the experience, with Brian explaining: “As uncomfortable, as irritating, as frustrating as the journeys sometimes were, I’d do it again.”

Elizabeth and Letitia have grown stronger as sisters as they proved competitive in the race from the very start(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Studio Lambert)

Sisters Elizabeth and Letitia said they also viewed the mother and son team of Tom and Caroline as their biggest rivals. “They’ve been steady climbers and have been very determined,” Letitia said. “But Fin and Sioned really want to win a leg! Anything could happen.” And Elizabeth hasn’t written off Brian and Melvyn, pointing out they had “become so competitive”. The pair would love the victory for themselves. “We’ve really pushed ourselves to work as hard as we can, keep on fighting and be resilient.”

Like the Mole brothers, they feel that the show has put their sibling relationship on a whole new footing. “I think coming out of the show we’re a lot more comfortable with each other, we’re talking more and expressing ourselves and communicating better,” introverted, younger, wiser Letitia, 26, said. Extroverted older sister Elizabeth, 33, said she’d been thrilled with how they’d both coped. “I don’t think I thought Letitia was as resilient as she was, and also her confidence, she’s always stood behind me or pushed me to take the lead, but there were so many times where she just went for it.”

Current leaders Caroline, 60, and 21-year-old Tom admit they are going all out to take the title. “We’re desperate to win, and we also don’t want it to end, we’re loving it so much – we’re having more fun than we thought we would,” Caroline declared. “The pressure is on both of us, we’re in the lead so we’re trying to feel confident but not cocky because we know anything can go wrong at any time.”

Sixty-something brothers Brian and Melvyn have had tons of fun on the trip and say they’d love to do it all over again(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Studio Lambert)

They feel the biggest challengers are the Welsh teenagers and the sisters. Tom said: “I think Fin and Sioned are people to look out for as they managed to make a massive comeback, and when it comes to the run route, they can run quicker and faster than we can, so that’s a worry. Caroline added: “Elizabeth and Letitia have always worried us, they’ve been so consistent, I don’t think they’ve ever been bottom.”

Caroline said that she’d learned many life lessons along the way, including “to try and be more spontaneous and have a more carefree attitude and try and stop worrying. Being in India showed me you have to grab life with two hands because it is so precious. I’ve had a glimpse at life through a younger person’s eyes, who hasn’t got the weight of the world on his shoulders, and its taught me to enjoy the simple things.”

They said their whole relationship had changed as a result of the show. “We are very happy in each other’s company, more so as adults rather than mother and son. Age doesn’t come into it any more.” Tom said he couldn’t believe how much better they’d got at travelling over the course of the series. “I think looking back to how we were doing in leg one, compared to how we’re doing now in leg seven, it’s a massive achievement.”

Fin and Sioned took a while to find their feet but they found confidence after catching up on the leaders by many hours (Image: BBC/Studio Lambert)

Teenage racer Fin Gough admitted that he never wants to go home. The 19-year-old, competing alongside 18-year-old girlfriend Sioned Cray, said he can’t bear the thought of it all ending. “I would pay everything I have to do it again,” he sighed in an interview given before setting off for the last time. “I don’t want to come back.”

Sioned says she and Fin have learned loads from their travels. “I think it was being together with no-one else to direct us in any way,” Sioned said. “It was having the responsibility of making all the decisions ourselves – that was a huge challenge for us at the start, but we did get used to it.”

They now think the title could go to any of the four teams. “At the start it was always Elizabeth and Letitia – no matter how well we thought we were doing, they always seemed to be in front of us – then it was Tom and Caroline and right now it’s everyone’s game.” They’d love to triumph themselves. Fin, who has type 1 diabetes, said: “I’m so proud of us for doing it, fresh out of school and so young. We’ve faced so many challenges along the way, to come out on top would prove to ourselves that we can do it.”

Sioned agreed: “I think doing the race is a huge accomplishment, but being able to say that we’re the winners and having that title would be amazing.”

– Race Across the World concludes Wednesday, 9pm, BBC1