As a rising star in the acting world, Kola Bokinni is more accustomed to hanging out with Ted Lasso co-star Jason Sudeikis than clinging on for dear life on a budget transport zipping through rural South America.

But on Celebrity Race Across The World, the 32-year-old, who is travelling with cousin Mary Ellen, found himself exactly in that predicament, fearing that he was imminently about to be involved in a crash.

‘I was terrified,’ he told Metro.co.uk ahead of the launch of the BBC series, which also stars Kelly Brook and her husband Jeremy Parisi, Jeff Brazier and his son Freddy Brazier and Scott Mills and his husband Sam Vaughan.

Kola recalled: ‘It was torrential monsoon rain and we were in a car and this guy was pelting it. I stayed awake because I was like, “I ain’t happy with this. I feel like we might actually crash here.”

‘He was going a hundred and something and this car was not the safest car. It was just an average car. That was quite a scary moment.

‘It was also like two or three in the morning so for me to stay awake I must have been terrified.’

The ‘Haunted’ Hotel

The Top Boy actor could not even console himself with the thought of a comfortable hotel at the end of the journey. He thought one of his lodgings was ‘haunted.’

‘It looked like something out of a horror movie,’ the Ted Lasso said while grimacing.

‘There were loads of old pictures of family members and we were like, “This person definitely died here.”’

Why Kola Bokinni Signed Up for Celebrity Race Across The World

So why did Kola Bokinni put himself and his cousin Mary Ellen through Celebrity Race Across The World and what is his career history?

Born in Peckham, Kola attended the renowned performing arts school the Brit School, which counts Adele, Tom Holland, and Amy Winehouse among its graduates.

His first major on-screen credit was an episode of Charlie Brooker’s dark anthology series Black Mirror in 2016.

Three years later, Kola was cast as Leyton in Netflix’s reboot of crime drama series Top Boy, which concluded after five series in 2023.

However, his most recognised role is Richmond AFC footballer Isaac in the heart-warming series Ted Lasso.

Before catching a red-eye flight from LA to Brazil for Celebrity Race Across The World, Kola had been hanging out with his Ted Lasso castmates at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

He told us the British contingent, among them the likes of Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple, were huge fans of the BBC series but had little by way of advice.

‘They didn’t give me no tips, though, none,’ Kola said. ‘I got a rude awakening when I got there. I was like, “Ah, so this is hard work”.’

Kola’s other credits include BBC Three sitcom Crims, about two men sent to a young offenders’ institution after one of them involves the unaware other in a bank robbery, and BBC crime drama Cuffs.

A Family Affair

Both Kola and his cousin Mary Ellen, who is also a performer and lives in Ireland, agreed to sign up for Celebrity Race Across The World to have a unique experience together.

Mary Ellen explained: ‘Kola called me and was like, “Hey, Mary, do you want to be a part of the show with me?” I was like, “Oh my God, you thought of me?”

‘I just want to create memories with my cousin, I suppose, and go on the adventure of a lifetime.’

Kola said: ‘It’s not so many times that you get to do something like this. Obviously, I’ve travelled with my job but I’ve always had to play other characters.

‘To do something and it’s me, and with my family and I’ll get to see what we’re all about, will test our mustards a little bit.

‘So, that’s the reason why I wanted to do it, to just experience a different side of life and the world.’

Family Feuds and Bus Rides

However, like all families Mary Ellen and Kola admitted to us they butted heads through their travels.

It was the first two weeks Mary Ellen said they found ‘really, really tough’, while Kola admitted they were ‘at each other’s throats.’

She explained: ‘There was a bit head butting in the first few weeks. We were trying to find how to spend 24/7 together and not kill each other – and do a race and budget. There are so many things to think about.

‘I definitely, at one point, wanted absolutely to kill him. But we got over that and we had a dance and a tequila.’

Kola explained the ‘initial shock’ of adjusting to backpacking on a budget with no phone brought up ‘lots of emotions.’

‘It came out quite a lot in us,’ he admitted. ‘We were at each other’s throats for a bit – and we were not sitting next to each other on busses, really.’

Mary Ellen added: ‘I just needed my personal space.’

The Unexpected Upside of Traveling Together

And there was another unexpected benefit…

She continued: ‘But I’d say actually, the whole sitting away from Kola on the bus actually worked out to be great because no one ever bought the seats next to us so we ended up having two seats to ourselves.’

Celebrity Race Across The World airs Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.