Race Across the World 2024 winner travels across Isle of Man

The winner of the 2024 series of Race Across the World has said he "loved" his time on the Isle of Man after filming a social media travel project on the island.

Alfie Watts rose to prominence after winning the BBC travel programme, where competitors in teams of two race across part of the world using any means of transport other than flying.

On his trip to the island, Watts took on different daily challenges including making his way from one end of the island to the other using various modes of transport.

He said he had chosen the Isle of Man as he did not know much about the island and he wanted to immerse himself in local culture and showcase aspects of Manx identity often overlooked by visitors.

"The fact that it has its own language, the fact that it has its own currency," he said, were among the things that surprised him.

Watts, who is from Hertfordshire, arranged the trip after speaking to the island's tourism board, Visit Isle of Man.

He said he had heard "really, really good things" but realised he knew little about the place.

The 2024 winner said his travel challenge across the island deliberately echoed elements familiar to viewers of Race Across the World, including hitchhiking and unusual transport methods.

But he joked that "it's quite hard to get mileage across the Isle of Man, because you go for 10 miles and then reach the end of it".

Despite stepping outside his comfort zone by hitchhiking, the 23-year-old said the friendliness of the Manx public made it easy.

Getting from one end of the island to the other, Watts found himself taking buses, bikes, the Manx electric railway, and even hitchhiking in a tractor.

"I'm not really a hitchhiker by normality," he said, but added that the island felt "very safe".

Another experience that surprised him was aqua biking in Port Erin, something he said had never appeared on his bucket list.

"There's some things that I don't realise that I want to do until I hear that they exist," he said, adding that "was like aqua-biking on the Isle of Man".

Describing the experience as "really good fun", he added that conditions were "a bit windy" but worth it for the scenery.

But Watts' standout destination was Peel, which he described as "brilliant", citing its food, scenery and exceptionally friendly people.

On his third challenge, Watts was tasked with finding various different wildlife.

While he managed to see seals, Loaghtan sheep, and even wild wallabies, he was unable to find a traditional tailless Manx cat.

This resulted in a forfeit chosen by his social media followers, leaving him travelling home dressed as an aeroplane.

Two years on from his Race Across the World victory, Watts is now the co-host of The Detour, the official BBC podcast about the show that first propelled him into the public eye.

He said the programme had "completely flipped everything on its head", opening doors to opportunities he had never imagined.

"I'd never get recognised in the street. I'd never get the opportunities that I do now," he said.

Reflecting on why the show continued to resonate with audiences, Watts said it struck a balance between travel and reality television while reminding viewers that "on the overwhelming scale" people were fundamentally good.

His advice to this year's finalists was "give everything a crack, say yes to everything".

The final of the 2026 series of Race Across the World will be broadcast on BBC One and iplayer at 20:00 BST.

Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.