Daily closures on southern link to Manx capital
The Department of Infrastructure (DOI) plans to shut sections of the A5 route daily from 09:30 to 15:30 BST from 6 May.
Centre line reflective road studs are being put in.
A DOI spokesman said "redundant" cat's eyes, "most of which are now broken or compressed into the road surface", will be removed.
The first stage of works will see the road closed between the roundabout at Glashen Hill and its junction with Orrisdale Road.
Then the section between Blackboards to the Oatlands Road junction will close.
That will be followed by the area between Mount Murray to Fort North Roundabout.
The DOI said residents and bus services will be allowed special access.
Diversion routes will be accessible through Old Castletown Road during the second and fourth stages, and the St Marks Road will be available throughout.
All works are should be complete by Friday 16 May.
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.
Delays expected while key road to south resurfaced
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18 hours ago
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Chaos after planes grounded across Britain
Hundreds of thousands of passengers across the UK are suffering travel chaos after an air traffic control failure grounded planes at the start of the school summer holidays. London's airspace was closed for more than an hour because of 'technical issues' said to be caused by a 'radar failure' that last 20 minutes, according to a Department for Transport (DfT) source. Air traffic control provider Nats said its engineers have 'restored the system that was affected' and it is 'in the process of resuming normal operations'. It said the technical issue was at its control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire. More than 120 flights had so far been cancelled by 7.30pm, with fears that the disruption could carry on for days. Aviation data company Cirium said there were 3,080 scheduled departures from UK airports on Wednesday - equating to more than 577,000 seats. Credit:Flightradar24 Ryanair has called for Nats's chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign, claiming 'no lessons have been learnt' since the August 2023 outage when more than 700,000 passengers suffered disruption after Nats suffered a technical glitch. The full cost of that meltdown to airlines, airports passengers and others was around £100 million. Neal McMahon, the Irish-headquartered airline's chief operating officer, said: 'It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe's continued mismanagement of Nats.' He said Ryanair pays Nats more than €100m (£86m) and expects better service. The Liberal Democrats demanded a Government investigation into Wednesday's air traffic control glitch 'to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause'. Sir Ed Davey added: 'The public deserve to have full confidence in such a vital piece of national infrastructure.' Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'I am aware of a technical issue which impacted Nats' operations causing travel disruption this afternoon. 'I have been informed systems have now been restored but continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice.' 08:54 PM BST That's all for today Thank you for following our live coverage. Here are the headlines from this afternoon's air traffic control outage: A 'technical issue' thought to be a 'radar failure' at Nats, the air traffic control provider, led to the closure of London's airspace for more than an hour. Cirium, an aviation data company, said more than 120 flights had so far been cancelled by 7.30pm. Passengers spoke of their frustrations at being kept in limbo on the tarmac and worries over missing events such as weddings. The Liberal Democrats called for an investigation to rule out 'hostile action as a cause'. Ryanair called on Martin Rolfe, the head of Nats, to resign over the 'outrageous' disruption. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, said 'continued disruption is expected'. 08:45 PM BST More than 120 flights cancelled More than 120 flights have been cancelled so far today, according to the latest figures from aviation data company Cirium. As of 7.30pm, 67 departures and 55 arrivals were chalked off across all UK airports, with Heathrow seeing the highest number of cancellations so far at 24 departures and 14 arrivals. 08:25 PM BST Government 'working closely' with air traffic control to establish cause The Department for Transport has said it is working closely with Nats, the air traffic control providers, to establish the cause of the technical issue. In a statement, a spokesman said: 'While passengers should continue to check with individual airports for advice, Nats have confirmed their systems are now fully operational and flights are returning to normal. 'We are working closely with Nats to understand the cause of the technical issue and the implications for the resilience systems in place.' The department noted that the Transport Secretary does not have any direct control over Nats and has no powers on staffing decisions. 08:05 PM BST Teenager diverted to Brussels on first unaccompanied trip Standing in front of the departure board at Heathrow Terminal 5, one woman told The Telegraph that her flight delay pales in significance to the travel chaos her teenage son has encountered on the way back from his first solo trip abroad. 'I think my flight to Munich is delayed, but got here early anyway to have a glass of wine,' said Louise, who declined to give her surname. Her flight was not showing as delayed on the departure board by the baggage check-in, but an online tracker suggested it was running an hour and ten minutes late. 'That isn't too bad,' she added. 'But my son, who is 15 and flying for the first time as an unaccompanied minor from Marseille to Heathrow, has landed in Brussels. So I am tracking him as well.' 07:43 PM BST French tourists adopt laissez faire approach to flight chaos French tourists have been left stranded after two flights to Paris were cancelled following the Nats radar failure. A group of about 40 passengers, who were booked onto easyJet and AirFrance flights to Charles de Gaulle Airport, have been plotting alternative ways of getting home. Sophie Viaud, 49, who was scheduled to return to Paris after a 10-day holiday in Scotland with her family, said she was 'sad' her flight had been cancelled. The mother-of-two said she was now planning to fly to Milan on Thursday morning and then onto Paris. 'It's ok, we don't have a choice', she told The Telegraph. Another passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, suggested he was not bothered by the cancellations: 'It's better for the flight to be cancelled than to be killed.' 07:33 PM BST Best man could miss brother's wedding A man stranded at Heathrow Airport is in danger of missing his brother's wedding. John Carr, a chiropodist from Stourbridge, was on his way to Norway with friends to help set up his brother's wedding, for which he is best man, when he found out his flight was cancelled. The 35-year-old said: 'I'm pretty gutted. We've got loads of stuff in the suitcases to set up the venue. 'We've got the wedding rehearsal to do. It's quite stressful.' His friend James Hedges added: 'We found out today; we'd already checked in and gone through the security checks. 'We were in the departures lounge, and we were literally sitting down having a burger when it came up on the (screen). Our flight was still showing as if it was leaving, and they were waiting to give us a gate and that that would be given at 4.45pm. When that time came around, it then switched to cancelled.' Mr Carr and his friends were desperately trying to rebook flights inside the terminal. 'We don't know what we're going to do tonight in terms of accommodation,' he said, adding: 'It's rubbish. There's nothing we can do.' 07:15 PM BST Family's 'trip of a lifetime' in jeopardy A family on the 'trip of a lifetime' have been caught up in the travel chaos at Heathrow Terminal 5. Durand Meachem, 49, from North Carolina, is travelling with his partner and their two daughters on a tour of New York, London, Dubai and Thailand to celebrate his upcoming 50th birthday. 'We are supposed to take off at 10.30pm, but being that no flights have come in, all the flights are delayed,' he told The Telegraph. Mr Meachem said he has been quizzing airport staff to find out details. 'I was asking him a variety of questions about the situation, just because everything is time sensitive, for everyone. Those who are coming in, and those who are leaving.' 07:05 PM BST Airlines 'unlikely' to hand out compensation for flight turmoil Consumer group Which? has advised passengers that the radar failure would likely be classified as an 'extraordinary circumstance' outside of the airline's control, making compensation claims unlikely to succeed. Naomi Leach, deputy editor at Which? Travel, said: 'If your flight is cancelled or delayed, you're unlikely to be owed compensation by the airline as the technical issue is considered an 'extraordinary circumstance' and out of the airline's control. 'However, you do have a right to food or a hotel stay depending on the length of the delay but be sure you keep the receipts as you will need to claim this back from the airline.' On its website, the Citizens Advice Bureau also said that passengers were unlikely to get compensation if a delay was outside an airline's control, such as through bad weather or security risks. 06:53 PM BST 'We'll just go to the bar and have another drink,' says stranded passenger In the departure lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5, confused travellers are milling around, waiting for British Airways to update them on the fate of their flights. 'We don't know if we've been affected yet,' said John Wharton, 56, who, along with Christina Franca, 50, is returning from holiday in Madeira and waiting for a connecting flight home to Jersey. 'We've just travelled back from Madeira. We flew in, got here and just connected to the internet and we've seen all the potential problems.' Despite the prospect of delays, the pair remain optimistic. An earlier Heathrow to Jersey flight due to depart at 4.20pm is now set for 7.20pm, but all later services, including theirs, are still showing as on time. 'We don't know until we start putting our bags in, but we can't put our bags in until 5.40pm, so we are just waiting.' Mr Wharton remains sanguine. 'It's one of those things, you can't do anything about it.' 'We'll just go to the bar and have another drink, so it's fine. These things happen. It's out of our control.' 06:39 PM BST Children offered plane tour to pass the time Children on board a grounded plane have been offered entertainment in the form of taking a look around the cockpit. Dionne Ukleja, who is travelling with her teenage daughter from Heathrow to Houston following a study abroad programme in Oxford, said: 'At one point the pilot even opened up the flight deck and invited the kids to have a look'. She said: 'We were supposed to take off at 2.50pm. We were third in the queue when the radar went down. 'They had us sitting on the tarmac for a while before asking us to move across the airport to park next to the Concorde. After about 20 minutes there, we were sent back to the stands.' 06:33 PM BST Scores of flights cancelled so far A total of 80 flights to and from the UK have been cancelled so far as a direct result of the Nats radar failure. That number is likely to rise, aviation data company Cirium warned, as the full impact of the incident makes itself felt across Britain and the Continent. It does not count the number of delayed flights, which is likely to be in the hundreds if not thousands. A Cirium spokesman said: 'Today, 30 July 2025, has seen a total of 45 departures cancelled so far, across all UK airports. 'There has also been a total of 35 arrivals cancelled so far, across all UK airports. 'London Heathrow has seen the highest number of cancellations so far with a total of 16 departures and seven arrivals so far. Around 16 flights en-route to London Heathrow had to be diverted to other airports, Cirium added. 06:24 PM BST Passengers in limbo becoming 'a little fed up' Passengers on a Heathrow flight, intended for Orly in southern Paris, are now entering their third hour stuck on the tarmac. Aurelia, 51, who was travelling from Heathrow to visit family in France, said her Vueling flight was scheduled to take off at 3.05pm, and said passengers 'are all a little fed up'. She's travelling with her two adult kids but said a number of families with young children are 'roaming around' the cabin, and air hostesses have been 'offering water to people with kids'. Aurelia added that 'even the crew seems to have received limited information' regarding when the plane will get moving. 06:10 PM BST Airlines should give stranded passengers 'food and drink' says regulator Passengers should be given 'food and drink' if they are stranded as a result of the Nats radar system failure, the Civil Aviation Authority has said. In addition, those stranded overnight should be given hotel accommodation as well. Meanwhile, Nats - the air traffic control organisation responsible for the radar system which failed this afternoon - will have to deliver a formal incident report to the authority. A spokesperson for the CAA said: 'We understand the challenges many consumers face following the technical issue that impacted NATS' systems today. Passengers who have been or continue to be impacted can find information about what they are entitled to on our website and social media channels. 'In the event of delays or cancellations, passengers will be expected to be provided with food and drink as well as accommodation if delayed overnight.'Following today's failure, as part of the well-established regulatory processes of NATS' licenced activity, NATS will share an incident report with the CAA.' 05:58 PM BST Lib Dems call for investigation to rule out 'hostile action as a cause' A full investigation into Wednesday's air traffic control glitch must be launched, the Liberal Democrats said. Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said: 'It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault. 'With thousands of families preparing to go on a well-earned break, this just isn't good enough. 'The Government should launch an urgent investigation to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause. 'The public deserve to have full confidence in such a vital piece of national infrastructure.' 05:45 PM BST Londoner may miss wedding after captain clocked off during delay A Londoner may be unable to attend a wedding after her flight was cancelled because of the airspace outage. Monica Clare, 68, was due to fly with her cousin Geri Hawkins, 71, on Aer Lingus to a wedding in Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. But the 2.40pm flight from Heathrow Airport was cancelled after the captain's shift ended during a delay. Ms Clare, from Brentford, west London, and Ms Hawkins, from Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire, have been left unsure of how they will get to a wedding they are due to attend in Limerick on Friday. 'We went back to the stand for more fuel and possibly a new route out but the backlog of flights is a bit crazy now,' Ms Clare told The Telegraph. 'We had a cup of water. The wedding is in Limerick on Friday but a hotel and hire car are awaiting us tonight. 'I was anxious for getting to Shannon while it's still daylight as I am meant to be driving when I get to the other end. 'But at 5.30pm the captain told us their shift had finished so Aer Lingus HQ in Dublin cancelled the flight. 'We have been told to get updates back at the departure terminal as to when and how we can travel. 'We are completely fed up now.' 05:40 PM BST Heathrow expects flow rate to resume by 7.15pm British Airways said it will be operating 32 flights per hour until 7.15pm at Heathrow Airport, by which time the airline expects to be back to the usual 45 per hour. Disruption spanned an hour or more with some domestic and short European flights that weren't due to reach cruising altitude able to depart but the majority disrupted, with no incoming services possible. Six or seven aircraft that were in the air and due to land were diverted to Paris and Brussels and they're trying to get those passengers home. Other flights were held at foreign airports and that backlog is now being worked through. A British Airways source said: 'We don't know what caused this yet but it appears to have been a radar issue and Nats are responsible for the radar, so you have to say it the buck stops with them.' 05:34 PM BST Ryanair calls for air traffic control boss to resign Martin Rolfe, the head of Nats, must resign after the Wednesday afternoon radar outage that disrupted hundreds of flights to, from and across the UK, Ryanair has said. The airline, one of Europe's largest operators, slammed Nats for 'unacceptable delays' to those 'travelling with young families on long-awaited summer holidays'. Neal McMahon, the Irish-headquartered airline's chief operating officer, said: 'It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe's continued mismanagement of Nats. 'Yet another ATC system failure has resulted in the closure of UK airspace meaning thousands of passengers travel plans have been disrupted. 'It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the Aug'23 Nats system outage and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe's incompetenceMr McMahon continued: 'If Nats CEO Martin Rolfe fails to resign on the back of this latest NATS system outage that has disrupted thousands of passengers yet again, then UK Transport Minister Heidi Alexander must act without delay to remove Martin Rolfe and deliver urgent reform of Nats' shambolic ATC service, so that airlines and passengers are no longer forced to endure these preventable delays caused by persistent Nats failures.' 05:25 PM BST Passenger travelling to Greece via Scotland and the Netherlands Jack Rickeard, who earlier explained he was stuck on a grounded plane at Newcastle airport, said he has managed to plot a new route to Rhodes in Greece. 'We have been lucky enough to get a new departure route via Scotland and the Netherlands,' he said, adding that his flight was 'leaving only about an hour late'. 'Not everyone else is as lucky.' 05:22 PM BST London City airport warns of 'cancellations' London City airport has warned that some flights may be cancelled. In a statement on X , a spokesman for the airport said: 'Due to a technical issue with air traffic control across the London area, flights in and out of London airports - including London City Airport - might be delayed or subject to cancellation.' 05:16 PM BST Flights to UK subject to three-hour delays Air traffic control systems are now 'fully operational', Nats has said - although the EU air traffic control agency is warning of delays greater than three hours to UK-bound flights. A Nats spokesperson said: 'Our systems are fully operational and air traffic capacity is returning to normal. Departures at all airports have resumed and we are working with affected airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely. We apologise to everyone affected by this issue.' A Department for Transport source said the outage had lasted for about 20 minutes in total, although that is a much shorter amount of time than UK airspace was closed for. Eurocontrol said in an update to airlines that a 'recovery rate' was in force for flights to the UK, meaning many fewer airliners can be accepted than under normal conditions. Thanks to the 'previous technical issues' delays will persist until at least 9pm London time, with delays 'as high as 200 minutes per flight'. 05:15 PM BST Flights being diverted from diversions James Hall, a features writer at this newspaper, has just touched down at Gatwick from Inverness after narrowly avoiding being diverted to Glasgow. 'We took off in Scotland, got to above the Lake District, were held in holding pattern with other planes and were then told by the pilot that we were being diverted to Glasgow,' he said, adding: 'We headed north again, but 10 minutes later he came back on and said we'd been given a slot at Gatwick. 'So we turned around again.' 05:11 PM BST Pictured: Planes avoid London Airports A timelapse from Flight Radar 24 reveals a plunge in the number of planes over the UK. Many planes have been diverted to mainland Europe. 05:08 PM BST 'Continued disruption is expected,' says Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, has said that 'continued disruption is expected' after the Nats radar failure this afternoon. 'I am aware of a technical issue which impacted Nats' operations causing travel disruption this afternoon,' the Cabinet minister posted on X. 'I have been informed systems have now been restored but continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice.' 05:04 PM BST What to do if caught up in London's flight disruption A cancelled or delayed flight has the potential to disrupt even the best-laid travel plans. Never has it been more important to know your rights – especially since, in many cases, you may be entitled to hundreds of pounds in compensation. Below is our guide on everything you need to know if you have been caught up in today's travel chaos. Read the guide here. 05:01 PM BST Virgin Atlantic expecting 'disruption' Virgin Atlantic flights will be delayed because of the outage, the airline has confirmed. One of the airline's planes travelling from Lagos, Nigeria, has been diverted to Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. 'Due to a technical issue at Nats Swanwick air traffic control, some UK arrivals and departures are subject to delays and disruption,' a spokesman said. 'We apologise in advance to customers who may be affected.' 04:56 PM BST Passengers stranded on the tarmac Passengers have been left stranded after a radar failure closed parts of the UK airspace. Isabella Shepherd-Evans is 'stuck on the tarmac of Faro' after her flight was turned around just as the pilot started to taxi down the runway. 'Flight attendants were handing out water and both doors were opened, warning of lengthy delays,' she told The Telegraph. Domenico Sorrentino has also been affected by the airspace closure. His 12:45PM flight from Naples to Gatwick was diverted to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. He said he's aiming to go 'back home' but there's been no news from EasyJet as of yet. Dominic says the Airline is 'waiting for information' on what's happened. He's travelling alone, heading home to Portsmouth. For now he's waiting in the airport to see when his flight will be. Jack Rickeard is stuck at the gate of a Jet2 flight from Newcastle to Rhodes. He said he has 'been told by the pilot that we are likely to be delayed for at least 3 hours unless they can arrange an alternative route that avoids London airspace. He added: 'All other flights leaving Newcastle are delayed, there has already been an Aberdeen to Heathrow flight divert into here.' 04:49 PM BST 'Vast majority' of British Airways flights affected The 'vast majority' of British Airways flights have been affected by the airspace issue, the airline has confirmed. 'Like all airlines, we are dealing with the impact of an Air Traffic Control issue that is affecting the vast majority of our flights,' a spokesman said. 'Whilst this is entirely outside of our control, we want to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience and assure them that our teams are working hard to get their journeys back on track as quickly as possible.' 04:46 PM BST Europe braces for knock-on delays A source in Eurocontrol, the pan-European air traffic control service, said radar failure was an isolated incident in the UK, with no reported outages in continental Europe. The service was alerted by the British authorities that the failure would halt departures for between 30 and 60 minutes. They have since been informed that the radar failure has been resolved but will cause further 'huge delays' as a repercussion. Airports in Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels are all expected to be hit by knock on effects. However, the Northern European hubs are not yet regulating their service, despite taking a number of diverted flights. Credit:Flightradar24 04:44 PM BST Outage potentially affected hundreds of thousands of passengers Today's outage may have affected hundreds of thousands of passengers, data about the number of flights arriving and departing from British airports suggests. Cirium, an aviation data company, said there were a total of 3,080 scheduled departures from UK airports today, equating to more than 577,000 seats. Similarly, 3,090 flights were timetabled to arrive at British airports, bringing in a total of 579,000 passengers if every single seat was filled. Many of those flights, having landed or departed earlier today, will not have been affected by Wednesday afternoon's outage, which appears to have lasted just over an hour. Nonetheless, the knock-on effects are likely to last for the rest of the day and potentially into tomorrow. This comes as Friday, 1 August 2025, is projected to be the busiest day for global air traffic this year, based on scheduled flights, with a flight departing every 0.75 seconds somewhere around the world, on average. 04:43 PM BST 'Going nowhere,' says passenger Passengers have reported being grounded at Heathrow Airport after 'radar issues' closed swathes of UK airspace. The problem is said to have now been resolved but delays and cancellations are still likely to persist. 04:32 PM BST Analysis: Shutdown echoes summer 2023 The nationwide air traffic control shutdown this afternoon will immediately bring to mind the vast Nats outage of summer 2023. During that incident, which also happened during the key summer season, more than 700,000 passengers were stranded when flights had to be grounded following a technical glitch. A radar failure is said to be the cause of Wednesday's meltdown so far but details are, at the time of writing, scant. A simultaneous nationwide radar failure suggests at the very least a critical computer failure. The cause of that failure will be keenly scrutinised over the coming days, weeks and months. The full cost of that meltdown to airlines, airports passengers and others was around £100 million. Today's outage is shorter than 2023's four-hour meltdown, but the costs are likely to be in the same ballpark. An inquiry set up by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator, into the August 28, 2023 incident found that Nats had rostered a support engineer to be on-call and working from home rather than on site that day, despite it being one of the busiest of the year in terms of passenger numbers. 04:31 PM BST Problem resolved but disruption likely to continue The radar fault that forced the closure of all London-controlled airspace over the UK has now been fixed, Nats has said within the last few minutes, but knock-on delays are likely to continue. A spokesman for Nats said: 'Our engineers have now restored the system that was affected this afternoon. We are in the process of resuming normal operations in the London area. 'We continue to work closely with airline and airport customers to minimise disruption. 'We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.' 04:30 PM BST 'Radar issues' causing nationwide shutdown London's skies are beginning to reopen, Eurocontrol has said within the last few minutes. The cause of the nationwide shutdown is said to be 'radar issues'. All of England and Wales' skies are controlled by Nats, the British air traffic control centre, from its HQ at Swanwick in Hampshire. A radar failure would leave controllers unable to see which aeroplanes are where in the sky, potentially affecting flight safety. The Telegraph has obtained footage from on board a plane at Faro airport in which an announcement blames 'radar system back in the UK' . Credit: Isabella Shepherd-Evans for The Telegraph 04:28 PM BST No departures from Gatwick Gatwick Airport has confirmed that the 'technical issue' impacting Nats was impacting all outbound flights across the UK. A spokesman for Gatwick said: 'A technical issue impacting NATS is affecting all outbound flights across the UK. 'There are currently no departures from London Gatwick while the situation is being resolved. 'We are working with NATS to resume flights as quickly as possible. Inbound flights are still landing at the airport. Passengers should check the status of their flights with their airline.' 04:21 PM BST Flights landing but skies sparse A Eurocontrol notice seen by The Telegraph instructed airlines that London airspace was closed to all incoming flights from 2.39pm GMT today. Flights that are still airborne over Britain appear to be landing safely as planned, according to Flight Radar 24 data, but planes appeared to be avoiding the airspace over London. Credit:Flightradar24 04:18 PM BST Flight paths over London 'limited' A spokesman for Nats, the air traffic control company in charge of Britain's skies, acknowledged a 'technical issue' but said he could give no indication of when the problems would be fixed. He said: 'As a result of a technical issue at Nats Swanwick air traffic control centre, we are limiting the number of aircraft flying in the London control area in order to ensure safety, which is always our first priority. 'We apologise for any delays this may cause. Our engineers are working hard to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and we are working closely with airlines to help minimise disruption. 'At this stage we cannot say how long it will be before operations are back to normal. 'Please check with your airline on the status of your flight.' 04:14 PM BST Good afternoon Welcome to our live coverage. We will be bringing you all the latest updates from the reported closure of London's airspace. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
'BBC's new Traitors-style show Destination X has one big problem'
OPINION: The Destination X contestants do miss out on the very best elements of Race Across the World BBC's new travel show Destination X steals some of its elements from The Traitors and Race Across the World, making it addictive TV. Put yourself in the shoes of Destination X's contestants who are being guided by the gamesmaster, Rob Brydon. Imagine being blindfolded and led onto a luxury coach that has blacked-out windows, travelling through Europe. You must try to work out where you are — Destination X — with only vague and confusing clues to help you. There is £100,000 at stake. The money on the table is much higher than the £20,000 winnings for Race Across the World and even better than The Traitors 2025's jackpot of £94,600 (this was split two ways at £47,000). Immediately, it sounds enticing. Think The Traitors meets Coach Trip. You can play along at home too, although without the attractive monetary reward. Destination X misses the best parts of Race Across the World "It struck me as the best bits of The Traitors with the best bits of Race Across the World," its gamemaster Rob Brydon teased ahead of it landing on BBC One. The Would I Lie To You? host is good fun and he has been taking inspiration from Claudia Winkleman's terrific hosting on The Traitors. But Destination X does have one big flaw. The Destination X contestants do, in fact, miss out on the very best elements of Race Across the World. The majority of the filming so far takes place from the inside of the coach. This does prove to be a limit of the new BBC series, especially where it has been pitched as a travel show. The Destination X contestants don't get to interact with the locals or have the opportunity to freely explore within the countries they are travelling through. Perhaps it would give away too much. All of the clues the contestants get are tightly controlled by production through challenges. It would be great to see more of the Destination X contestants dropped in the middle of nowhere with the freedom to explore some of the surrounding area. Almost like a real life Geoguessr, where players have to work out the location from Google Street view. Race Across the World contestants often tell Yahoo UK that exploring the countries and speaking to strangers are the two most rewarding things to get from the experience. Being confined to two coaches (one for sleeping) on Destination X is like trapping all of the contestants of The Traitors in one room of the Scottish castle. Or putting them on a long overnight bus on Race Across the World. Race Across the World's 2024 winner Alfie previously complained to Yahoo UK that boredom on those endless coach journeys was the toughest part of the show. It seems a shame not to make more of the stunning locations Destination X's coaches are travelling through. I want to see more moments like the second episode's cable car challenge in the Switzerland mountains. It's gripping and the scenery is spectacular. Rows and casting But the claustrophobia on the coach does have its advantages. It will work well for escalating the tension among the cast. I expect explosive rows to break out in that small space as the trip goes on, nearing its final destination. There are a lot of different personalities onboard you could see clashing. Destination X's bosses have cast a variety of different characters from endurance athlete Nick who isn't afraid to speak his mind even when he doesn't agree with others, to E-commerce Manager James who doesn't mind stirring up the drama, to relaxed and trusting London taxi driver Daren. Like The Traitors, everyone plays the game differently. Some people onboard are quick to form secret allegiances. There are the people who tell the truth and others who want to tell lies. You can't help but wonder how you would play the game. But there are no banishments here; its the person who guesses the furthest away from the location who will be sent packing. Understandably, the first episode feels like a slow burn until the contestants board the coach to embark on their adventure. Once it gets underway, Destination X promises to be a thrilling ride. Watch Destination X's first two episodes on BBC iPlayer.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
BBC travel show Destination X reveals filming secrets and where stars sleep
How is Destination X filmed? How is it cast? Where do contestants sleep? Destination X is filmed on two coaches over 32 days travelling through Europe. The contestants and two coaches make the journey of more than 11,000km across different countries, turning Europe into a board game. The aim of the game is simple; contestants must be able to guess where they are — Destination X — on a map using the clues given to them along the way. The person who guesses the furthest away is sent home. How is Destination X filmed? When on the move off the coach, the contestants have to wear blackout goggles before they get to their specific stop. Production staff don't want to give away too much of the scenery because it could spoil the game. Behind the scenes, there was a crew of 190 people there to film the reality series originally from Belgium. Its host, Rob Brydon, said he was "attracted" by the scale of the BBC show. He said: "Being a part of a show as ambitious as this, with as huge a crew and as huge a team. I knew it would be a real challenge to see if I could steer that ship." Cameras are rolling when the contestants climb aboard the coach for the adventure. It is not an ordinary coach. The windows are opaque most of the time while travelling. A flick of a switch allows the windows to briefly work like normal, allowing the contestants to have a snapshot into where they really are. It is a luxury coach with green velvet chairs, making up comfortable seating areas. Keeping the real-time location a secret proved a challenge during any stops for production staff along the way. Brydon explained: "All the time when we are out and about on our travels, they are trying to keep players in the dark, so they aren't allowed to see anything, but more importantly, to hear anything. For example, if a crew member went off to buy a coffee, they had to be careful not to come back with a branded coffee cup that might give away the name of where they were." The host admitted he slipped up on revealing a location. "I remember once we were at a particular location and I knew that in a few days' time we would be at another location and I said to somebody in the production team: 'Oh I can't wait until we get to X' and then I suddenly realised one of the players was close and I thought 'Oh no what have you done' — Luckily, they didn't hear me!" Where do contestants sleep? It's not like The Traitors, where the contestants don't sleep at the Scottish castle and really spend the night at a nearby airport hotel. This doesn't make it to the screen on The Traitors, instead, the participants are filmed in the bedroom quarters of the castle. On Destination X, there is a second coach which follows behind for sleeping. Unlike The Traitors, the sleeping quarters are shown on the BBC show. The sleeping coach is made up of a corridor with bunk beds on either side. To give the contestants a degree of privacy, there is a curtain they can draw across their bed. The sleeping quarters also offer the contestants a more private area to share secrets with who they want, potentially without other listening ears. Host Brydon said: "They have nice bunks but nonetheless you're sleeping on a bus. You lose your privacy; I would have found that very difficult indeed." The map room Each episode ends with the contestants going to a special map room. It is a room hidden away on the bus, in a similar way to how the traitors meet in a secret part of the Scottish castle at night. In the map room, the contestants guess where Destination X is. They don't have long to place their cross on the map on the tablet in the room. Secret toilets There is a toilet on the main coach, which is addressed in a fun way while the show is starting. But there are also secret portable toilets that aren't talked about on the show. Behind the scenes, executive show producer Dan Adamson told press, including The Telegraph: "We set ourselves a rule which gave ourselves one problem: no number twos on the bus... It's about humanity, it's about being kind to each other. We had to create a system." It was explained that a car pulled along portable toilets that were attached to a trailer. The coach would have to pull over when anyone needed the toilet. To ensure the game wasn't spoiled, the contestants had to wear their blackout goggles and were chaperoned to the portable toilets. Filming outside of the coach There is filming that takes place outside of the coaches, too. It begins in the airport, and the contestants take a ride on a helicopter before climbing aboard the coaches. But the coaches do stop along the way. The show's executive producer, Adamson, explained how it works to the press: "We take over whole castles, we run a train on a public network, we take over cable car systems." These moments are tightly controlled to ensure specific clues are given to the contestants, without totally spoiling the game. Destination X's casting Executive show producer Adamson said they weren't "scared to put good players in". "It's rare you get a chance to turn the whole of Europe into a board game," he said. People were chosen because of the skills and life experience they have. To name a few, there is a crime writer, Deborah, who puts together puzzles and an endurance athlete, Nick, who has done a marathon in every country. Destination X will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Wednesday at 9pm. There will be two episodes each week.
