RACE ACROSS THE WORLD STACEY SOLOMON’S RENOVATION RESCUE

BBC One, 9pm Channel 4, 9pm

Sea legs will be essential for the fourth series of this excellent competitive travelogue, as five pairs of Brits must travel from Sapporo, on Japan’s northernmost island, Hokkaido, to Lombok in Indonesia: a distance of 15,000km, with a £20,000 prize at stake. Bullet trains are also off-limits, much to the bewilderment of wellmeaning locals. As the bickering begins over whether to prioritise the race or the experience, much of the fun comes from guessing which will last longer – budgets or relationships?

Among the contenders are callow but driven 20-year-olds Alfie and Owen, retirees Stephen and Viv, a well-travelled young Yorkshire woman and her laddish brother, plus two mother-anddaughter pairings. The culture shocks come thick and fast: how much bowing should you do at a temple? How costly is a bowl of rice? Why are they making that baby cry? “Obviously a cultural thing, right?” reckons Owen, sagely. But there remains a refreshing lack of cynicism about the project: when the real reason behind the latter is explained, Owen reveals a little of himself in return. Expect minds to be opened, secrets shared and both personal and geographical hurdles overcome over the next nine weeks. Gabriel Tate of one suspect that they are guilty) provides a handy distraction.

No sooner has she finished sorting people’s lives (and cluttered homes) out on BBC One, than Stacey Solomon pops up on Channel 4, riding to the rescue of homeowners abandoned or fleeced by cowboy builders. She encourages an Enfield couple to finish their extension, as well as finding time to work on a project in her own garage.

Siblings Betty and James navigate their way through Japan