Programme Information

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Around The World In 80 Days

Tuesday 17 November on BBC ONE

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Shane Richie and Josie Lawrence have to race against the clock as they take over the baton in the final leg of BBC One's Around The World In 80 Days challenge, raising money for this year's BBC Children In Need Appeal.

Here, they tell Programme Information about their travels.

Shane Richie
Occupation: Actor
Route: Memphis – Wilmington (in North Carolina) – London UK
Days taken: 15

What inspired you to take up the Around The World In 80 Days challenge?
"The famous Jules Verne story has been inspirational so when I was approached to be involved I just had to do it."

How much pressure did you feel knowing that another team were relying on you to be on time?
"It really didn't occur to me at the start of the journey but, as time went by and circumstances happened (you have to watch!), it became a real worry as we didn't want to let any of the team down."

What was the most unusual mode of transport you used?
"A huge container ship! It was like a floating island and quite menacing, cutting through the waves like a hot knife through butter."

What new things did you learn about Josie on your travels?
"That she could fart The National Anthem in almost perfect pitch. It took my breath away ... literally!"

Does Josie have any annoying habit you want to share with us?
"As above and a few other tunes! No wonder the cat recently left home!"

What were your best and worst moments of the trip?
"Being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and seeing nothing but the sea for days on end."

How are your map-reading skills?
"Non-existent – I was hoping for a Sat-Nav, but we got by."

How light did you manage to travel?
"Very light. The most important thing to me is clean knickers and socks, which all went into a rucksack."

Tell us about the favourite place you visited.
"Memphis, Tennessee, and finally seeing Plymouth when coming into British waters."

What item was most valuable to you on your leg of the journey and why?
"My iPod as my wife had loaded pictures of my children, her and the dogs, plus some of my favourite tunes."

What home comforts did you most miss on your journey and why?
"My bed. It's so funny because everyone will tell you they have the best bed in the world. I guess you just get use to it, and it to you."

Did you learn anything from the adventure?
"Never to travel across America with a neurotic actress!"

How useful were Michael Palin's top tips?
"We couldn't read his handwriting so it didn't help. In fact he would make a terrific doctor in the form of making out the prescriptions."

Did you have any "Monty Python-esque" incidents you wish to share?
"We re-enacted the scene at the front of the ship from Titanic, 'Python-esque!'"

What items did you pick up for auction on your travels?
"Elvis memorabilia, sunglasses and an all-American baseball bat."

Were there any challenges with your relay handover?
"Many; the main one being Hurricane Bill, which caused a huge problem with the sailing times as the container tanker has to choose certain sea routes, and Hurricane Bill was hitting a main part of the route."

How was it meeting the EastEnders fan group in North Carolina?
"Amazing; to find Americans watching the show in the middle of the USA is incredible. I walked in to shouts of 'Alfie!' and the sky lit up with flashes from the cameras. They were such lovely people, Josie and I ended up staying longer than scheduled which caused a slight timing problem, but it was worth it."

Josie Lawrence
Occupation: Actress and comedienne
Route: Memphis – Wilmington (in North Carolina) – London UK
Days taken: 15

What inspired you to take up the Around The World In 80 Days challenge?
"Shane asked me and I love an adventure. I'm a trekker, I've trekked around the world so I think he knew I would be up for it. Also it is for such a good cause – Children In Need is so important."

How much pressure did you feel knowing that another team were relying on you to be on time?
"We felt huge pressure. As we were the final leg, the whole challenge was on our shoulders. We had quite a setback when we got to the Atlantic coast – you'll have to watch the programme to see what happened – but, after that, the pressure was really on."

What was the most unusual mode of transport you used?
"It was Ellen MacArthur's yacht."

What new things did you learn about Shane on your travels?
"Shane has become the little brother I've never had. He is such a good man and can talk to anybody. Everybody we met, from an old couple in the swamplands to a woman we met at a yard sale; they all just loved him. People take to him because he has this exuberance for life. We got on so well and I laughed and laughed with him. He is a wonderful man."

Does Shane have any annoying habits you want to share with us?
"Yes; as I said he is exuberant, kind of like a very big playful puppy, like the ones that have the great big paws that they haven't grown into yet. Just like a puppy, you love him to bits and enjoy being with him, but occasionally he'll chew your best shoes. The main habit he has is that he'd be so enthusiastic about what I was about to say he'd finish my sentence for me!"

What were your best and worst moments of the trip?
"Probably the worst was on the container ship. We were sailing in what they call a 'confusion sea', where the currents are all knocked about, so it was very rocky. They were very good on the ship, trying to keep it as steady as they could, but we didn't sleep the entire time.

"There were too many to mention. I think the best moment was on the container ship when we organised a drama with the fantastic crew, they all took part. During their free time they would act, help hold the lights and learn lines. In one scene there is a wedding and they even made wedding rings out of old burst pipes. It was fantastic."

How are your map-reading skills?
"Crap! Basically, the deal was, Shane would do the driving in the Winnebago, because I can't drive very well, and I would do the domestic duties: cook, which I did badly, tidy, which I did casually, and I would map read – at one point I was sending him in the opposite direction! I was hopeless, so no, not good."

How light did you manage to travel?
"Well, I took a tiny rucksack and a medium-sized suitcase. As I said, I'm used to trekking so I know what to take with me when I travel."

Tell us about the favourite place you visited.
"The Atlantic Ocean, just being in the middle of it and knowing there was no land for thousands of miles was wonderful. The ship had 850 containers on it and we were based at the back of it, but one day the crew took us to the front of the ship. You couldn't hear the engine, it was calm and we were in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly out of the blue these dolphins just jumped out of the water, they were dancing in front of us!"

What item was most valuable to you on your leg of the journey and why?
"Plastic flowers. I like to make a home wherever I am, so I bought plastic flowers and throws and little vases. I decorated the Winnebago. It made it feel very kitsch but it made me feel like I was at home."

What home comforts did you most miss on your journey and why?
"I normally speak to my mum twice a day, so I missed not being able to phone home as much as I would have liked but, apart from that, I didn't really miss anything."

Did you learn anything from the adventure?
"I learned that it's never too late to have an adventure and you should keep having adventures for as long as you can."

How useful were Michael Palin's top tips?
"I am such a fan of Michael Palin; I have been all my life since Monty Python and then his documentaries. I just think he is the loveliest man. When we opened the bag Shane couldn't read the journal because he didn't have his glasses on, so I read it. Michael writes so beautifully, but he does write a bit like a doctor. There was one bit that said, 'Just remember to shoot the breeze'. I said, 'I think he wants us to shoot the geese – what does he want us to shoot the geese for?'"

Did you have any "Monty Python-esque" incidents you wish to share?
"There are so many, a lot of them involve joke teeth. And also you'll have to wait and see what happens when I think the lizard man is outside in the swamp, that's really quite a moment."

What items did you pick up for auction on your travels?
"We picked up some clothing that we wore when we were dressed as Elvis Presley, some bats and signed balls from the Atlanta Braves and I'm auctioning off my plastic flowers."

Were there any challenges with your relay handover?
"When John [Barrowman] and Myleene [Klass] were due to hand over the baton, Shane and I were sitting in the diner where Elvis used to eat his cheese and bacon burgers and we were dressed as Elvis. The main challenge, which I think we coped with very well, was having to eat three cheeseburgers because John and Myleene were late."

How was it meeting the EastEnders fan group in North Carolina?
"They were wonderful and so friendly. They haven't seen my character yet, but they'd just been introduced to Alfie so they adored Shane – it was fantastic. They sang the EastEnders theme tune for us."