Who are Mark and Margo? Meet Race Across the World 2026 contestants

It's been a little under a year since Race Across the World was last on TV screens, but now it is finally making a return for a thrilling sixth season.

Audiences will be introduced to five teams and this time, they will be racing more than 12,000km across Europe and Asia, the largest continental area on earth.

Their journey will begin in Palermo and will they travel through eight distinctive countries to reach their final checkpoint in northern Mongolia.

Among the duos taking on the journey of a lifetime are in-laws Mark and Margo. But will they go the distance?

As we wait to find out, here's everything we know about the Race Across the World pair.

Who are Mark and Margo?

Relationship: In-laws

Retired architect Mark, 66, is racing alongside hypnotherapist Margo, 59 – and their unique bond may just help them on the show.

Mark and Margo first met decades ago when Mark met and married Margo's sister Julie, who sadly passed away in 2022.

They headed into the race perhaps less nervous than some of the other teams, with Margo telling Radio Times: "We probably weren’t as nervous as we should’ve been! I think we had a little bit of chutzpah. We’re used to travelling, we’re grown-ups and I think we were a little bit gung ho."

Mark added: "For me, it was all about having fun and I knew Margo is a fun person to be with so I was definitely looking forward to it."

Why did Mark and Margo sign up for Race Across the World?

Mark and Margo signed up for Race Across the World to continue their friendship, something that had been Julie's dying wish.

"Julie, my late wife, was a big fan of it but she would never have done it and one of her last wishes was that Margo and myself continue the friendship that we’d been building while caring for Julie," Mark told Radio Times. "This just seemed an extension of that, in a way, of building that friendship that we started."

He continued: "I met Margo a long, long time ago and she was this very wild, carefree person and so I never really got on with her. But Julia was the binding cement."

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Race Across the World returns on Thursday 2 April at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer. Seasons 1-5 are available to watch on iPlayer.

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