Best known as the voice of Love Island, Iain Stirling is trying something completely different as the host of Race Against the Tide
Iain Stirling is fronting the new BBC show (Image: BBC)
Love Island’s Iain Stirling has stepped away from the villa and onto the sands of Scotland in a bold new series.
Race Against the Tide, which has just launched on BBC Two, sees Stirling take centre stage as host of a distinctive sand sculpture competition.
Prior to the series launch, Stirling said: “Audiences are going to love Race Against the Tide! It’s got everything you could want from a summer show – stunning Scottish scenery, incredible creativity, and, of course, lots of sand puns – you can be shore of that. I can’t wait for everyone to see what our teams create.”
Filmed on St Andrews Beach, the show welcomes seven teams to compete in a race against time, with pairs given just six hours to construct sand sculptures before the incoming tide washes them away. Each duo comprises one professional sculptor and a complete amateur.
The contestants hail from a diverse range of backgrounds, including a leather craftsman, cake decorator, plasterer, stationery designer, carpenter, art teacher and fine art student.
The sculptures are assessed by industry professionals Sadie Clayton and Jamie Wardley, who judge each creation on technical ability, creativity and storytelling, reports the Daily Record.
The debut episode aired on Tuesday (August 18) evening and fans were genuinely impressed, taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their verdicts.
One viewer enthused: “Watching #RaceAgainstTheTide on # iPlayer. It’s actually quite fun.”
Another added: “#raceagainstthetide – fantastic fun and silly summer television and completely pointless. Great stuff.”
A third delighted viewer chimed in: “Loving #RaceAgainstTheTide with @IainDoesJokes on @ BBC @BBCTwo a great fun new show. Who doesn’t love making sand castles on the beach. This is that x1000! Original idea! Well done.”
However, the programme failed to win everybody over, with one critic posting: “I think this is better viewed on mute #raceagainstthetide.”
Each episode of Race Against the Tide centres on a fresh challenge built around a distinct theme. The opening instalment tasked the contestants with creating a sculpture inspired by the phrase ‘Life’s A Beach’.
When the challenge concluded, Rachel and Athena secured the title of Sand Champions, while Zara and David were eliminated from the competition.
Across the upcoming five episodes, the other couples will be eliminated until one team claims the first Race Against the Tide crown.
Race Against the Tide is available to stream on BBC iPlayer