Race Across the World pair reflect on epic adventure

Stephen and Viv Redding said they had been seeking a "big adventure"

A recently retired couple have described taking part in this year's series of the BBC TV show Race Across the World as a gruelling experience.

Stephen and Viv Redding, from Rutland, were the oldest team in the competition, which sees five pairs attempting to travel from Japan to Indonesia in the fastest time.

Contestants must complete the 9,320-mile (15,000km) journey with a limited budget and no flights, smart phones or credit cards.

The husband and wife duo said they were very competitive and aimed to win the challenge so they could take home a cash prize.

The couple, from Uppingham, said they had wanted to take on a "big adventure" and felt completing the epic race across land and sea would be a huge achievement.

Mrs Redding, 65, said she applied for the show because she did not want to be the "archetypal old biddy, who sits in her chair knitting".

She said they were "active people", who played regular sports and enjoyed dance classes.

Mrs Redding thought they would be prepared because of their lifestyle and having seen every episode of previous seasons.

She said: "How wrong were we? It was gruelling and far harder than we ever anticipated."

The husband and wife team planned their journey from Japan to Indonesia

Mr Redding, 61, said: "You're on the go all the time. Your mind is active and alert.

"Just walking down the street, you're constantly looking, is there a map? Is there a timetable? Can someone help us?

"You're constantly at a high state of alert because you have no information, you have nothing.

"You literally just have this map of the world."

Mr Redding said finishing the race was "important to us".

"I don't think we cared if we won or lost, but of course you want to win," he said.

Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.