Londonderry woman will 'do anything to win' after making a standout first appearance on BBC’s gripping new reality series Destination X

A mother and care assistant from Londonderry is stepping out of her comfort zone – and into a blacked-out bus somewhere in Europe – in BBC One’s gripping new reality competition Destination X, which launched last night (Wednesday) at 9pm.

Dawn, 33, is one of 13 brave contestants who’ve signed up for the high-stakes, globe-spanning game hosted by Rob Brydon. The twist? None of the players knows where they are. With blacked-out windows, mysterious detours, and red herrings galore, each leg of the journey challenges contestants to place their best guess on a map. Get it wrong, and you’re off the bus – possibly for good.

"I would do anything to win it," she explained in a BBC interview. "I'm not going to make friends. I'm not going on to be nasty, but at the end of the day, I want that money, same as everybody else.

"I would definitely spend the money on securing [my daughter] Ella's future, especially her education. I would buy myself a new car and probably take my whole family on holiday somewhere."

Though she admits geography isn’t her strong suit, Dawn’s confident her charm, determination, and people skills will give her the edge: “I’m bubbly and chatty. If I can befriend people and get to know them, then hopefully they’ll point me in the right direction.”

Despite confessing to brushing up using a child’s atlas and snacking more than studying, Dawn is all-in for the experience – even if it means being cut off from her loved ones.

“I’m going to really miss my wee girl and Jason. I’m on the phone to my mammy five or six times a day, so that’ll be hard,” she continued.

Dawn’s already lived a life full of surprises – including 40 hours toward a private pilot’s license and even flying solo – a dream she had to pause when she bought her home and became a mum.

“I’m doing this to make my family proud, to make Derry proud,” she says. “It doesn’t matter where this bus is – you can take a girl out of Derry, but you can’t take Derry out of the girl.”

Destination X airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer. Viewers can also play along at home – because the question remains: where the X are they?

Dawn shares more about her strengths and winning strategies…in the BBC interview

How did you prepare yourself mentally and physically for taking part?

I've been eating more junk and not watching what I eat, doing the opposite of what I should be doing! I don't think I’ve been mentally preparing myself either. Although, to be fair, I did buy a wee child's Atlas and read it. Apart from that, I have been trying to learn some basic countries and capitals. I'm not going to lie and say that I've done loads of work. I'm relying on everybody else to tell me where we are.

What makes you think you’ve got the right skills for this game?

I'm a people person and I'm bubbly and chatty. Those skills are definitely going to help me because my geography is not. If I can befriend people and get to know them, then hopefully they'll point me in the right direction.

How do you feel about being cut off from the world for such a long period of time?

I'm not looking forward to that, it’s going to be very difficult. I’m going to really miss my wee girl and Jason. I know she will be absolutely grand because she’s in the best hands with her daddy. I’m on the phone to my mammy 5 or 6 times a day so I’m not sure how I’m going to cope with not speaking to her!

How far would you go to win the £100k and what would you spend it on?

I would do anything to win it. I'm not going on to make friends. I'm not going on to be nasty, but at the end of the day I want that money, same as everybody else.

I would definitely spend the money on securing Ella's future, especially her education. I would buy myself a new car and probably take my whole family on holiday somewhere.

What would surprise other players about you?

I do have a bit of a sneaky side. You know, I'm a nice wee mommy from Derry and a lovely person but I do have a slight sneaky side too. I'm keeping that to myself on the bus so I can pull it out when I need to.

What assumptions will other players make about you?

They might think I’m a bit airy fairy. And they're probably right! They won’t think I’m as on the ball as I actually am. And I’m 100% going to let them think that.

Describe yourself in one sentence.

I'm very chatty, bubbly and friendly but also ruthless and stubborn.

What scares / excites you most about this challenge?

I'm most nervous about looking stupid and being so far out from what everybody else is thinking. I'm also worried about not catching on to the clues.

The unknown is exciting to me. Not knowing what’s coming every day when you wake up or what you’re going to be doing.

Do you have a strategy for how you are going to play the game?

You can have a strategy but when you get on there it'll go out the window anyway. I have to see what kind of people I'm on board with and take it from there. I'm sitting here saying that I'm not going to make friends and I know I will build relationships and click with people. I'm going to be sad to see people go. I am a very bubbly and outgoing person and I can gain people's trust quite easily.

What's the biggest adventure you've ever been on?

I started my private pilots license and did about 40 hours. I flew the wee plane solo twice. I had to stop it after the 40 hours as I bought my house and had Ella. It was just too expensive to continue. It may be something I would go back and do again in the future.

Tell us something viewers will find surprising about you.

I'm doing the show because I want to make my family, Derry and Ireland proud. It doesn’t matter where this bus is - you can take a girl out of Derry but you can’t take Derry out of the girl!