Alfie Watts, who won the fourth series of BBC's Race Across The World alongside his best friend Owen Wood in 2024, has revealed how the show transformed his life and led to a new career in travel content creation. The pair triumphed after travelling over 14,000km from Japan to Indonesia in 50 days, winning by just eight minutes.
Since the show, Watts has built a following on social media sharing his travel experiences. In a recent post, he explained that applying for the programme 'triggered a series of events that helped me surpass my wildest dreams'. He announced he would now co-host a spin-off programme airing after the main series.
Watts, who left school and worked double shifts at Sainsbury's and as a teacher to save for travel, applied for Race Across The World 'as a joke' despite never having seen it. He described his journey as a 'rollercoaster' and credited his supportive followers for helping him achieve his goals.
Addressing misconceptions about the show, Watts rejected the idea that contestants need a 'sob story' to be selected. He emphasised that producers look for a 'purpose' or 'why' behind each application, not tragedy. 'People don't choose the tales they tell,' he said, urging viewers not to diminish contestants' lives to simple narratives.
The sixth series of Race Across The World begins on Thursday, with five teams racing over 12,000km from Sicily to Mongolia, carrying only £26 per person per day and no smartphones or bank cards.
