The big reason why Race Across the World isn't on tonight as BBC show is hit with schedule change
Viewers might be caught off guardRace Across the World isn’t on tonight and some fans will be gutted when they realise they’ve already missed it – but why the big shake-up?
The BBC show has been playing out on Thursdays for the last six weeks like clockwork.
At 8pm on the dot, fans have been tuning in to find out how the teams are getting on with their gruelling 12,000km race.
But as the contestants enter their penultimate leg, viewers turning on the TV tonight will find it isn’t on. In fact, they might not even realise that they’ve missed this week’s episode entirely.
So what is going on?
Why is Race Across the World not on tonight?
Unfortunately, if you hadn’t already realised, this week’s Race Across the World was actually brought forward by a day. This means it aired last night (Wednesday May 13) at 8pm, instead of tonight.
And the reason for the change? One word: Eurovision.
The Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final 2026 is in RATW’s usual 8pm slot tonight. It is the second semi-final of this year’s competition and will air live from Vienna in Austria, hence the need for the schedule change.
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Fifteen more acts will be taking to the stage tonight in hope of winning a place in Saturday’s main Eurovision Song Contest. There are 10 places up for grabs.
UK entrant, Look Mum No Computer – aka YouTuber and singer Sam Battle – will be performing for the first time, making the move of RATW all the more important.
Look Mum No Computer is already through to the Eurovision Final, as the UK is considered one of The Big Four countries. But fans will still want to see Sam make his debut tonight.
What happened in Race Across the World last night?
Last night, the Race Across the World teams headed into their final country of the competition; Mongolia.
The teams needed to travel from Ulgll to Kharkhorin, which is a 1,550km journey across unpaved roads and remote tracks. The weather was bitter and they needed to rely on car shares with strangers and hitchhiking for much of the leg.
Kush and Jo were first to set off, having made it to last week’s checkpoint first. They were an impressive 14 hours ahead of everyone else.
Second to go was Mark and Margo, followed by Harrison and Katie. Andrew and Molly were the last ones to leave.
All of the teams found the terrain gruelling and the lack of public transport wasn’t ideal. Several of them found themselves briefly stranded when their car share vehicles broke down in the middle of nowhere.
There were emotional moments too. Harrison and Katie finally spoke in depth about when their mum was sick. Harrison apologised to Katie and thanked her for everything they did.
Molly also made the shock revelation that her dad and teammate, Andrew, had a heart attack just three years ago. Andrew admitted that the medical emergency had left him with bad anxiety, which he hopes RATW will help him to overcome.
Andrew believes the competition will “put a full stop” at the end of that period in his life.
Kush and Jo kept up their lead and made it to the 7th checkpoint first. Molly and Andrew arrived next, followed by Mark and Margo. Harrison and Katie were disappointed to arrive at the penultimate checkpoint in fourth place.
This puts Kush and Jo in the best position as the race hurtles towards the end.
When is Race Across the World: The Final 2026?
The good news is that things are back to normal next week. Race Across the World will be back on BBC One at 8pm on Thursday May 21, 2026.
And this is definitely not one to miss. It is the Final!
The team that makes it to the eighth checkpoint first will walk away with a cool £10,000 in cash and a bucket full of memories.
That’s not quite the end, either. There will also be a special Race Across the World: The Reunion episode on BBC One on the same night.
Filmed six months after the teams completed their race, they will be sharing the highs and lows of their experiences. The Reunion will also feature lots of unseen footage from the race.
Race Across the World: The Reunion will air straight after The Final, at 9pm on BBC One on Thursday May 21.
It’s difficult to work out who is going to win!
