Who are Sam Ryder and friend Kaz? Meet Celebrity Race Across the World 2026 contestants

Celebrity Race Across the World is back for a fourth season – and taking part this year are singer Sam Ryder and his best mate Kaz.

The celebrity pair will be setting off from the vibrant city of Kuching, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak in North West Borneo, and the gateway to the island's vast wilderness.

They will traverse prehistoric jungles and the heartlands of Borneo, to reach five check points across three countries and two continents, ultimately aiming for the southern tip of Australia, and the finish line in Melbourne.

As usual, they will be taking on the challenge without a smart phone or internet access – not in the hopes of winning a prize pot, but purely for the love of the game.

So, exactly who are Sam Ryder and his friend Kaz? Read on for everything you need to know about the pair as they compete on Celebrity Race Across the World season 4.

Relationship: Friends and colleagues

Job: Singer and tour manager

Instagram: @samhairwolfryder and @kaz_coles

A former construction worker, 37-year-old Sam Ryder is a singer who rose to prominence during the pandemic for sharing clips of song covers on TikTok, where has over 14 million followers. In 2020, he became TikTok's most viewed UK artist, and singed to record label Parlophone to launch his solo career.

Two years later, he was selected to represent the UK at Eurovision with his song Space Man, scoring a whopping 466 points and coming in second place.

Since then, he has released two albums and been nominated twice for a Brit award, making him the first Eurovision act to ever be nominated.

In 2025 he appeared as a mentor, alongside Paloma Faith, on talent show Your Song, while this year he held the role of Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ Superstar on the West End.

Ryder is racing with his best friend and tour manager, Kaz.

"We met in 2013. Two kids touring in vans. We just got on like a house on fire, straight away," Sam said.

Celebrity Race across the World begins on Wednesday 28 October at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.