Celebrity Race Across the World review: The celebs are not the main attraction in this spirit-lifter of a show

Much like the shenanigans in the Scottish castle, the genius of these shows is in the casting.

For this new series, four teams of celebs are sent racing across Central America, each one pairing the star with a family member, friend or partner.

Although in the case of singer, EastEnders star and Strictly finalist Molly Rainford, her partner Tyler West – who is a TV presenter and DJ – they are both from the world of showbiz.

Each pairing also represents something different – Roman Kemp struggles with anxiety, while his sister Harleymoon is more outgoing and extrovert; Anita Rani is competitive, decisive and 100-miles-an-hour, while father Bal has been working to make his children's lives better than his own.

Meanwhile, Molly and Tyler are keen to switch off and get away from the showbiz rat race, and Derry Girls actor Dylan Llewellyn and mum Jackie are introverted and shy, and want to break out of their shells.

Of course, a lot of the fascination with the celebrity version of Race Across the World is seeing these stars divorced from the red carpets, the cameras and the hot-and-cold running assistants.

But is has the added spice of their family members knowing them as they are, from before they were famous, allowing them to push buttons and expose a side of these celebs we wouldn't normally see.

The real stars of the show, though, are the landscapes they travel through.

The pairs start on Isla Mujeres, on Mexico's east coast, just off the tourist hotspot of Cancun. It's surrounded by limpid waters, gently breaking on the rocky coastline and is the most beautiful place you've ever seen.

Then the journey begins and we're off to Vallodolid, and Merida, and Lamanai, each of which is the most beautiful place you've ever seen – colourful, lush or gently undulating, they're all incredible.

And that's even before you get to Flores, the first checkpoint of five on the way to the endpoint on the Peninsula de la Guajera in Colombia, the northernmost part of mainland South America.

Flores straggles down a lake shore in Guatemala, all brightly-coloured houses, white-washed cathedral and higgledy-piggledy streets.

It makes you want to immediately jump on a plane, a boat, a train, whatever, hoicking a backpack on your shoulder and taking that gap year you've always promised yourself.

The celebs have a similar idea, which does lead to a few unintentional Partridge-isms.

Tyler and Molly stop off at a Mexican chilli farm, to get some bed and board. In exchange, they take on a shift picking jabanero peppers in the never-ending groves on the farm.

There, they seem to think it's a bit of a spa break, allowing them to unwind and even – perish the thought – detox.

“It's like a space to clear your head,” says Molly. Meanwhile, she is surrounded by Mexicans with their heads down, picking chillis in the heat like chilli-picking machines.

They're an endearing couple, though, full of enthusiasm and delight at finding themselves doing things they've never done before, especially when Molly reveals she has been working since the age of 11, when she reached the final of Britain's Got Talent.

Favourite pairing so far, though, is Team Tortoise – Dylan and Jackie.

The strike the right note from the off, as the three other teams streak away from the start point, they struggle along the beach, Dylan mournfully shouting after them “see you at the checkpoint, hopefully”.

They are uncertain, shy and hilariously self-deprecating, and you feel their journey – both literally and metaphorically – will be the one worth following.

Meanwhile, we can join them on their journey as we get dazzled by the sheer variety and majesty of our planet and its people.