Cliff Notes – Race Across The World stars reveal weird mystery of being separated as children
- Brothers Brian and Melvyn discussed their childhood separation during a fishing trip in China, revealing the emotional impact of being sent to different schools without explanation.
- Viewers expressed a strong interest in uncovering the reasons behind their differing educational paths, highlighting the brothers’ journey towards healing their fractured relationship.
Race Across The World stars reveal ‘weird mystery’ of being separated as children
Race Across The World brothers Brian and Melvyn were sent to different schools (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)
Race Across The World brothers Brian and Melvyn revealed they were still haunted by the ‘ghost’ of their mysterious childhood separation.
The siblings are among the four remaining pairs, after the elimination of former married couple Gaz and Yin, travelling 14,000km from the Great Wall of China to Kanniyakumari, the southernmost tip of India.
On tonight’s episode of the BBC reality tv show, Brian and Melvyn opened up about their complicated upbringing that set in motion their now ‘distant’ relationship.
‘Mum was quite hard work. We weren’t a particularly loving family,’ Brian began, as they embarked on a fishing trip and sampled lotus flowers inPuzhehei, western China.
He then explained they had no idea ‘to this day’ why he was sent to boarding school around the age of ten, while Melvyn attended a state secondary school.
Explaining the impact of the decision, Brian admitted: ‘I didn’t feel special or privileged. It was the opposite. It was, “Why am I being sent away?”‘
The brothers had the heart-to-heart while fishing in China (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)
Brian said their family ‘wasn’t loving’ while they were growing up (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)
To Brian’s surprise, Melvyn revealed his parents never informed him that his brother would be attending boarding school.
He said: ‘I’ll tell you what I can’t get my head around, and I still can’t get my head around it to this day. I was never told you were going to go to private school or boarding school. You just went.’
Melvyn also disclosed the emotional toll of being separated without explanation at a young age.
‘The way it made me feel was [that our parents] must be looking at the way I’m turning out, and they don’t want Brian to turn out the way [I am],’ he said.
Brian and Melvyn expressed their desire to heal their fractured relationship (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)
He added: ‘[My parents were] taking my brother, probably my best friend at the time, away.’
Brian and Melvyn admitted that they ‘don’t normally discuss’ their childhood, but in their later years had started to broach the topic.
Brian remarked: ‘It’s quite nice in our latter years, we can talk about it.’
Melvyn also expressed his desire to ‘get rid of the ghosts.’
On X, Race Across The World fans expressed their desire to solve the ‘weird mystery’ of the brothers’ different schooling while applauding the restoration of their relationship as they healed old wounds.
Viewers said that Brian and Melvyn needed to be ‘protected at all costs’ (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)
Among them was @fadeeintoyou, who said: ‘Obsessed with this weird mystery about why one of these brothers went to boarding school and the other didn’t like I’m gonna need a documentary done diving deeper into this now #raceacrosstheworld.’
Echoing their sentiment, @clarijo382109 wrote: ‘#raceacrosstheworld This might be one of the most important conversations that Brian and Melvyn will ever have.’
@RosemaryLee commented: ‘Really need to know why Brian and Melvin went to different schools #raceacrosstheworld.’
@DSJ1974 penned: ‘Loving Brian and Mel on #raceacrosstheworld. Brothers finding each other again.. Great contestants this season..’
@nickmhyde also added: ‘Melvyn and Brian must be protected at all costs #raceacrosstheworld.’
Left in the competition alongside Brian and Melvyn are couple, Fin and Sioned, mother and son duo, Caroline and Tom, and sisters, Elizabeth and Letitia.
Race Across The World airs at 9pm on Wednesdays on BBC One and iPlayer.