“Do you dare to join me on a mind-melting adventure through Europe?”
This was the question Rob Brydon posed to captivated audiences across the UK in a BBC One trailer on Wednesday 11 June, mere seconds after fans of smash-hit BBC show Race Across the World saw Caroline and Tom crowned the winners of series five.
“Where are you travelling to today?” follows a mysterious voiceover footage of an undisclosed location and the Colosseum in Rome. “I have no idea,” responds a contestant as we get our first glimpse of the intrepid adventurers.
Accusations of lying, declarations of determination to win and cryptic slogans from Rob feature in the rest of the short trailer for Destination X, which has created a buzz among viewers mourning the end of the BBC’s other primetime travel game show.
In what sounds like the worlds of Coach Trip, The Traitors and Race Across the World colliding, teasers promise a fantastical, larger-than-life adventure competition that sees contestants head on the road trip of a lifetime. The catch? They’ve got no idea where they are, and must navigate crucial clues and mischievous misdirects on the blacked-out Destination X bus.
Once the clues have been weighed up, players must guess where on earth they are – with those furthest out leaving the competition.
Best of all, it’s a proven format, inspired by an award-winning Belgian show that has become a ratings winner since launching in 2023.
Rob Brydon said, “How could I turn down the opportunity to become the mastermind of Destination X, the thrilling new travel adventure series coming to the BBC next year. It’s a show that turns the whole of Europe into a board game – manipulating the players and the audience at home along the way. I can’t wait to be the puppet master orchestrating every twist and turn as our contestants are taken on a journey where everything is not as it seems. It’s going to be a wild ride!”
Catherine Catton, Head of Factual Entertainment and Events at the BBC, followed in a statement by saying, “Rob is the perfect host to guide our cast and audience over the course of this extraordinary road trip where nothing is quite what it seems, and we are delighted to be working with him on this amazing series.”
While there’s no announced air date at the time of writing (Tuesday 17 June) a press release from the BBC published in October 2024 states that the ‘innovative show’ arrives on BBC One and iPlayer in 2025.