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Â鶹Éç One’s much-loved, BAFTA winning series Race Across the World returns to Â鶹Éç One and Â鶹Éç iPlayer for its sixth series. Five teams embark on a 12,000km journey across southern Europe and Central Asia, navigating seven checkpoints on their way to Hatgal in remote northern Mongolia. With no phones or internet access, and armed only with the equivalent of the airfare to fly the route, they must rely on ingenuity, resilience and the kindness of strangers to reach the finish line first.

As the fourth leg begins, just four teams remain, and the leader board is tighter than ever. The route continues east towards the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements. Where winding old streets, steaming bath houses and faded Art Nouveau facades sit alongside bold modern architecture that has emerged since the end of Soviet rule as the city redefined itself for a new era.

Leaving Halfeti behind, the teams face a pivotal decision – head north towards the Black Sea coast or strike east through Türkiye’s arid heartland. Moving beyond the relative familiarity of the west, they enter a region home to just 12% of the population, where Kurdish, Armenian and Assyrian influences still shape daily life. The routes converge at the Georgian border, as vast Turkish plains give way to tight gorges and snow-capped mountains.

The elimination may be over, but the competition is fiercer than ever. With the race leaders’ advantage slashed to less than ten hours, the chasing teams sense an opportunity to strike. For one pair, surviving elimination came at a heavy financial cost. With their budget decimated, they focus on hard graft to balance their finances. Two pairs leave the checkpoint neck-and-neck, but while both are focused on the race, competition is fierce, and one duo is keeping their plans firmly under wraps.

Only one team chooses to head north, seeking out their first homestay of the race and embarking on an uncomfortable 14-hour overnight bus ride that could give them a crucial advantage. Meanwhile, the remaining three teams push east, facing tricky bus connections that force another pair to reroute in order to stay in contention.

Crossing into their fourth country, the journey takes its toll on one competitor, forcing their progress to a temporary halt and leaving their teammate to explore alone. The leg culminates in a dramatic foot race across the Mtkvari River and through the cobbled streets of Tbilisi’s Old Town to the fourth checkpoint, where it will be revealed if anyone has done enough to take the lead.