’90s Aussie Show Making Surprise Comeback

The ABC has announced plans to breathe new life into ’90s cult hit Race Around The World.

The series, which debuted in 1997, ran for just two seasons before being axed due to high production costs.

It saw eight competitors given a crash course in filmmaking before being sent around the world with video cameras to search for stories.

Each week, the resulting films were screened and judged by David Caesar, Sarah Macdonald, Tony Squires, and Sigrid Thornton. 

Now the ABC is reinvigorating the format and is calling on would-be ‘racers’ to throw their hats into the ring.

‘If you have curiosity, creativity, and the courage to produce a film every 10 days for 100 days across 10 different countries, this is your sign,’ the ABC said in its callout for applicants.   

‘A chance to captivate audiences with your imagination, voice and vision on a national scale awaits,’ reads the callout, encouraging people to apply online.

ABC’s Head of Entertainment, Rachel Millar, said she hoped the reboot would help foster up-and-coming storytelling talent,

In a statement, she said she was ‘thrilled to bring back this iconic series to Australian audiences – to reignite that sense of creative adventure and champion a new generation of storytellers is really exciting.’

The series is expected to premiere in 2026 and applicants have to be 18 years or older, an Australian citizen, and available to shoot between April and August next year.

Olivia Rouset was the inaugural winner of Race Around The World back in 1997.

For her efforts, Olivia won a spot on ABC’s Foreign Correspondent and $8,000 in short courses at the Australian Film Television and Radio School.

The series certainly helped to launch her media career, with Olivia going on to work on Australian Story and Compass, as well as picking up two Walkley Awards.  

Speaking about her experiences on the series, Olivia told the ABC that it was challenging, yet rewarding.

‘We just had a plane ticket and were honestly out there alone with our dinky little cameras, desperately hoping we would find somewhere to stay, something to eat and, above all, a really cracking story that we’d be able to shoot and cut in time to send back and move on to the next place,’ she said.

She also gave potential racers a glimpse into what it would take to be a success on the show.

‘You need to be willing to put everything into it – not just be funny or beautiful,’ she said. 

‘You need to be open, fearless, willing to push yourself really hard and really have a thirst for life.’

The series also helped launch the career of John Safran who, despite finishing last in the inaugural season, went on to become a regular fixture on the ABC.

Interest in the show was reignited back in March when Australian Story reunited the cast of the first season to speak about their time on the show.

However, host Richard Fidler claimed that a rebooted Race Around The World would not work in 2025 as ‘identity politics would be lathered over the whole thing.’ 

‘Like, should you have gotten that kind of person? Does that person have the right to tell that story? I think we live in a kind of culturally constipated moment that wouldn’t want that,’ he said.

The initial iteration of Race Around The World ran for just two seasons, with Olivia and Tony Wilson crowned winners of the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

Despite being a ratings winner for the ABC, it was scuttles in 1998 due to rising production costs and the logistics involved in bringing such a show to air. 

Applications close on December 22.