''Road Raja'' is a

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

that aired on Sky One from 29 August to 3 October 2004. Set in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, the series followed six celebrities as they completed a number of driving tasks in and around the city, culminating in the Road Raja Grand Prix - a mad dash around the city.

The Celebrities

Julie Goodyear Julie Goodyear MBE (''née'' Kemp; born 29 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Bet Lynch in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Bet for nine episodes in 1966, before becoming ...

* Keith Allen *

Caprice Bourret Caprice Bourret (born October 24, 1971) is an American businesswoman, singer, model, actress, and television personality. She lives in London where she runs her company, By Caprice. Early life and education Bourret attended the co-ed Cathol ...

Dennis Waterman Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', '' Minder'' and '' New Tricks'', singing the theme tunes of th ...

Tania Strecker Tania Strecker (born 26 June 1973) is a Danish-British model and television presenter in the United Kingdom. Her break into TV began with Channel 4's '' Naked Elvis'', and she then co-hosted MTV's ''SELECT'' with Richard Blackwood. After severa ...

* Russell Amerasekera Note: Keith Allen left during the third episode due to a family emergency and therefore did not complete the rest of the series or compete in the Grand Prix.

Presenter

The series was hosted by comedian, actor, dancer and Bollywood film star

Javed Jaffrey Syed Jaaved Ahmed Jaaferi (born 4 December 1963) is an Indian actor, dancer, and comedian who has appeared in Hindi films and television shows. He is son of the comedian Jagdeep. He joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in March, 2014 and contested ...

Music

The theme tune was composed and performed by Keith Allen. The show also features various examples of Indian music, in conjunction with its setting.

The Race

In the final episode the celebs competed in the Road Raja Grand Prix - where they had to complete a tour of Mumbai over 5 stages. At the end of each stage was an iconic landmark and the celebs had to have their picture taken by a member of the public to prove they had reached the destination. The final order of the race was: * 1st - Caprice Bourret * 2nd - Tania Strecker * 3rd - Dennis Waterman * 4th - Russell Amerasekera Note: Julie Goodyear did not finish the race because of a crash - she did not suffer any injuries and was not driving the car at the time - her navigator was. A common theme throughout the series was Julie's ability to get others - usually locals - to drive her vehicles for her. After the race she was also disqualified.

External links

* * {{Sky1 Sky UK original programming 2004 British television series debuts 2004 British television series endings Television shows set in Mumbai