MILLIONS of viewers have been gripped by a Bradford duo’s epic race across South America - travelling 25,000km without flights or a smartphone.

Emon and Jamiul Choudhury were chosen from 40,000 applicants for the new series of BBC2’s Race Across the World, in which five pairs make their way from Mexico City to the most southerly city in Argentina, with just a map and a limited budget. They can’t use planes, smartphones, credit cards or the internet. Using the cash equivalent of an airfare from the start to finishing point, they must reach five checkpoints along the way.

Emon, 35, who lives with his wife in Saltaire, was estranged from nephew Jamiul, 25, of Oldham, for 10 years before reuniting at a wedding three months before the programme. “Jamiul applied and said: ‘Do you fancy doing it?’ I hadn’t watched the first series so didn’t know what I was letting myself in for,” said Emon. “I’d never spent more than a day with Jamiul, I thought it would be a fantastic journey to share, and a chance to rekindle our relationship.”

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Added Jamiul: “I’ve always done things with a support system to keep me from falling, so I wanted this trip to push both me and my uncle in ways we’ve never experienced."

The pair had no idea where they were going when they were dropped off in Mexico City. “The biggest challenge was the budget - it worked out about £26 a day each for food, travel and accommodation,” said Emon. “Another challenge was the language; nobody spoke English and we don’t speak Spanish. But we got by. People were helpful; we saw the beauty of mankind.”

Emon, who runs Ezy Care car parts business in Bradford, has climbed Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro. “I was an explorer in my twenties, but I’ve become a bit lazy in my lifestyle. I wanted an adventure. I’ve done lots of travelling, mainly in Africa, and visited Cancun as a teenager, but I’d never been anywhere else in South America.”

In this week’s first episode, Emon and Jamiul, an architecture graduate, visited Copan Ruinas, a Mayan archaeological site. “The scenery blew our mind, “said Emon. “It was difficult not having phones; we were back to basics. But it made us more aware of our surroundings. You look up when you don’t have a phone, it was liberating.”

In the episode the pair headed for the first checkpoint, at Honduras, but after spending £70 on a taxi, arrived too late to get boat tickets. “That was a low point,” said Emon. “The race is always in the back of your head and I’m competitive. But it was an amazing experience. We made memories for life.”

See the next stage of their journey when Race Across the World continues on BBC2, Sundays at 8pm.