Hunted (2015 TV series)

Hunted is a British reality series that began airing on Channel 4 on 10 September 2015. The series features contestants who are instructed to go on the run for a period of 25 (originally 28) days in mainland Great Britain, whilst avoiding a team of Hunters composed of former and serving police, intelligence personnel, and on-foot teams. During their time, the Hunters have access to contestants' personal information and use "powers of the state" such as ANPR, CCTV and call tracing to locate contestants. At times, the Hunters will use social media and monetary rewards to members of the public (and captured contestants) for information leading to a successful capture. On the final day, any remaining contestants must reach a designated "extraction" point before being captured, winning a share of £100,000.

Hunted
GenreReality
Directed byMiles Blayden-Ryall
Helen Crampton
Sam Eastall
Georgina Kiedrowski
Tim Lawton
Abi Mowbray
Narrated byEddie Marsan (Series 1)
Jonathan Smith (Series 2 - Present)
Theme music composerNick Harvey
Composer(s)Nick Harvey
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series5 (Civilian)
3 (Celebrity)
No. of episodes30 (Civilian)
14 (Celebrity)
Production
Executive producer(s)Tim Whitwell
Matt Bennett
Jonathan Smith
Producer(s)Lucy Curtis
Production location(s)United Kingdom
CinematographySean Lewis
Editor(s)Carlos Serrano Azcona
Camera setupmulti-camera
Running time52 minutes
Production company(s)Shine TV
DistributorBanijay
Release
Original networkChannel 4
Picture format1080i 16:9
Audio formatDD2.0
Original release10 September 2015 (2015-09-10) 
present
Chronology
Related showsHunted USA

A celebrity adaptation, Celebrity Hunted, is also produced in aid of Stand Up To Cancer, where contestants compete for a shorter time period of 14 days.

Format and rules

In both the civilian and celebrity series, the contestants, now regarded as Fugitives, voluntarily go on the run in mainland Great Britain and must avoid detection from the Hunters, a group of current and former police and intelligence officials for 25 days (28 in the first two series and 14 for the celebrity series). From series 2, the contestants are escorted to a public area and given a head start before the Hunters begin their search and are given the names of their targets. Fugitives are given a debit card with a small amount of money provided by the production team, and a rucksack containing essential and personal items (though in series 5, the fugitives began with only the clothes on their back and no head start) During their time on the run the Fugitives can use any existing connections, or ask members of the general public, to assist them in avoiding capture.

Whilst the Fugitives attempt to avoid using technology and thus detection, the Hunters use a vast array of different "powers of the state", such as closed surveillance, phone records and number plate recognition to pinpoint their chosen target. If one (or more) Fugitives have become difficult to locate, the Hunters use social media to encourage members of the public to reveal any information, and post content specifically for a Fugitive to reveal their location without realizing. Hunters may also be directly contacted by the public with any leads by telephone. Any member of the public with information leading to capture is compensated for their effort. Hunters additionally operate throughout the country through use of two-person ground teams that can deploy immediately under order of the Chief, the ground teams also perform reconnaissance at Fugitives' homes and attempt to goad family members and/or loved ones for information and may be observed to determine any irregularities in their daily routines.

When a Fugitive is caught, they're told their time on the run is over and are escorted to a vehicle for debrief back at the Hunters headquarters.

In the final few days of the game, any Fugitives still on the run are given instructions of their 'extraction point' and a finite amount of time to get there. The Hunters are told of the last-known locations of the Fugitives and extend their efforts to figure out where the extraction is taking place. When a Fugitive successfully reaches the extraction point within the time-frame, they can no longer be caught by the Hunters are deemed as the Winner. Due to the nature of the show, there are two possible outcomes to the hunt. One or more Fugitives can reach the extraction point and win whilst the opposite can occur where every Fugitive is caught and the hunt prematurely ends (known as a "clean sweep").

Regular series

Series 1 (2015)

Fourteen contestants were chosen and began in their respective hometowns. Fairoaks Airport in Surrey served as the extraction point.

Name Age Occupation Hometown Status
Lauren English[lower-alpha 1] Decorator rowspan=4 style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Winners
Emily Dredge[lower-alpha 1] Entrepreneur
Stephen Hardiker[lower-alpha 2] Plumber
Martin Cole[lower-alpha 2] IT Specialist
Adam Channell[lower-alpha 3] Caught
Emma Channell[lower-alpha 3] 30
Ricky Allen General Practitioner South London Caught
Adam Young NHS Support Worker Caught
Davinder "Dovski" Singh[lower-alpha 4] Leicester Caught
Harinder "Harry" Singh[lower-alpha 4] Leicester
Freddie Young[lower-alpha 5] Teaching Assistant Caught
Jacqui Omer[lower-alpha 5]
Elizabeth D'Arcy[lower-alpha 6] Tutor Caught
Sandra Cooley[lower-alpha 6] Occupational Therapist

Series 2 (2016)

Ten contestants were chosen and began in Milk Street in Birmingham. The Isle of Sheppey in Kent served as the extraction point.[1]

Name Age Occupation Hometown Status
Nick Cummings 50 Househusband Taunton rowspan=2 style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Winners
Ayo Adesina[lower-alpha 7] 33 Software Developer Hackney
Anna May[lower-alpha 8] 25 Court Clerk Keighley Caught
Elizabeth Garnett[lower-alpha 8] 20 Stockbroker Temp Leeds
Madu Alikor[lower-alpha 7] 33 Software Developer/Consultant Hackney Caught
Lolly Jones 34 Comedian/Actress London Caught
Hamish Thorburn[lower-alpha 9] 49 Property Investor Wirral Caught
Mikaela Skinner[lower-alpha 9] 46 Building Shop Owner Wirral
Kirk Bowett[lower-alpha 10] 37 Facility Manager London Caught
Jeremy "Jez" Scarratt[lower-alpha 10] 57 Army Medic Simulator Cambridge

Series 3 (2018)

Nine contestants were chosen and began in Manchester city centre. The River Dart in Devon served as the extraction point. From this series onwards, the number of days to avoid capture was reduced to 25.

Name Age Occupation Hometown Status
Daniel Murphy[lower-alpha 11] 34 Singer Milkman Preston rowspan=4 style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Winners
Joseph Appleton[lower-alpha 11] 20 Singer Milkman Preston
Bob Ayling[lower-alpha 12] 60 Electrician Dover
Alex Ayling[lower-alpha 12] 26 Postman Dover
Magid Mah 28 Deputy Mayor of Sheffield Sheffield Caught
Jamie Clark 37 Ex-Policeman Dorset Caught
Mella Mwamba[lower-alpha 13] 28 Housewife Bromley Caught
Sandra Canrom[lower-alpha 13] 30 Advertising Executive Middlesex
Carlene Crowe 67 Retired College Tutor Suffolk Caught

Series 4 (2019)

Ten contestants were chosen and began at the Port of Liverpool. The Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham served as the extraction point. This was the first time in any series that the Hunters won.

Name Age Occupation Hometown Status
Harry Savage[lower-alpha 14] 20 Student Sussex Caught
Frank Savage[lower-alpha 14] 23 Campsite Owner East Sussex
Nathanael Watt[lower-alpha 15] 26 Architecture Student Nottingham Caught
Ismail Haruna[lower-alpha 15] 27 Architectural technologist Nottingham Caught
Loren Hannon 26 Personal Banker Essex Caught
Matthew "Matt" Mason 29 Royal Marines Commando Devon Caught
Emma Davidson[lower-alpha 16] 23 Neo-Natal Intensive Care Nurse Devon Caught
Jessica "Jess" Kirkham[lower-alpha 16] 27 Neo-Natal Intensive Care Nurse Devon
Paul James[lower-alpha 17] 48 Construction Manager Hertfordshire Caught
Nick Batchelor[lower-alpha 17] 51 Lead Youth Worker Kent

Series 5 (2020)

Ten contestants were chosen and began at A Bond Warehouse on Spike Island, Bristol. For this series, the fugitives started with no supplies or prior knowledge of their starting point. Amlwch Port in Anglesey served as the extraction point.

Name Age Occupation Hometown Status
Daniel "Dan" Ryder[lower-alpha 18] 33 Gym Owner Wigan rowspan=4 style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Winners
Hayley Morrison[lower-alpha 18] 27 Human Resources Wigan
Rob Ellington[lower-alpha 19] 24 Social Media Content Creator Wokingham
Ben Arrowsmith[lower-alpha 19] 24 Pensions Firm Reading
Ella Tomkins[lower-alpha 20] 22 Charity Researcher Newbury Caught
Jessica “Jess” Warr[lower-alpha 20] 23 Independent Financial Advisor Swindon
Daniel Edwards[lower-alpha 21] 32 Landscape Gardener Birmingham Caught
Francesca "Frankie" Greenidge[lower-alpha 21] 35 Foster Carer Birmingham Caught
Antonia "Toni" Pugh-Thomas 48 Haute-Couturier Fulham Caught
Mervyn "Titch" Little 78 Retired British Army Major Portsmouth Caught

Series 6

It was confirmed on the official Shine TV website that they were looking for applicants for a sixth series.[2]

Hunters

A team of 30 specialists includes former and serving police and intelligence personnel, an ex CIA agent and cyber intelligence experts, who use the fugitives' online footprints to research and hunt them. The team has access to replicated powers of the state, including CCTV and ANPR. Before starting, all the fugitives gave permission to be tracked in the same way as the state might track a fugitive – their cash cards and phones are monitored, their houses searched and their friends and family questioned. The hunters also use media campaigns to recruit the general public into helping them, offering financial incentives.[3] The team is split into two parts: (i) a team of operatives in the field who are in vehicles across the UK, on standby to follow orders from Hunted HQ to head to a particular location to follow up leads on fugitives' whereabouts or to question their friends and family; and (ii) a team in the Hunted HQ to gather Intelligence, which they then distribute to field teams.

List of Chiefs

List of Hunted Chiefs
Name Active Position Notes Win/Loss Record [lower-alpha 22]
Brett Lovegrove 2015 Chief (2015) The former Head of Counter Terrorism Command for the City of London Police.[4] Lovegrove departed after the first civilian season. 0-1
Peter "Bleks" Bleksley 2015–2019 Deputy Chief (2015) A former undercover detective at Scotland Yard.[5] Bleksley served as the Deputy Chief to Lovegrove before assuming command in the second civilian season. After his first clean sweep, Bleksley departed the show after fourth civilian season. 1-4
Chief (2016–2019)
Ben "Sherlock" Owen 2015–2020 Deputy Chief (2015–2019) An ex-military sniper and member of British Military Intelligence. Owen loaned his services as a Senior Anaylst on the American adaptation of the show in 2017, and as the Deputy Chief to Lovegrove and Bleksley before taking command in the third celebrity season and departing in the fifth civilian season. 0-2
Chief (2019–2020)
TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA

Celebrity Hunted

A celebrity series was confirmed by Channel 4 in 2017 with their appearance fees donated to Stand up To Cancer. The rules for the celebrity edition remained the same as the Hunted series, but the celebrities are given fourteen days to evade capture.

Series 1 (2017)

Seven celebrities were chosen and began at Somerset House in London. Orford Ness served as the extraction point.

Name Known for Hometown Status
Jay McGuiness[lower-alpha 23] Member of The Wanted Nottinghamshire rowspan=2 style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Winners
Siva Kaneswaran[lower-alpha 23] Member of The Wanted Dublin
Jamie Laing[lower-alpha 24] Made in Chelsea star Oxford Caught
Spencer Matthews[lower-alpha 24] Made in Chelsea star London
Anneka Rice TV Presenter Glamorganshire Caught
Dominic Parker[lower-alpha 25] Gogglebox star Kent Caught
Stephanie Parker[lower-alpha 25] Gogglebox star Kent

Series 2 (2018)

Eight celebrities were chosen and began at the Tower of London. Fawley Power Station served as the extraction point.

Name Known for Hometown Status
John "Johnny" Mercer[lower-alpha 26] Politician Kent rowspan=2 style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Winners
Alex Joseph "AJ" Pritchard[lower-alpha 27] Strictly Come Dancing professional Stoke-on-Trent
Kemal "Kem" Cetinay[lower-alpha 28] Love Island contestant Essex Caught
Chris Hughes[lower-alpha 28] Love Island contestant Cheltenham
Kay Burley[lower-alpha 26] Sky News Journalist Wigan Caught
Louis Smith[lower-alpha 27] Olympian Peterborough Caught
Vicky Pattison[lower-alpha 29] Geordie Shore Newcastle-upon-Tyne Caught
Dominic "Dom" Joly[lower-alpha 29] Comedian London Caught

Series 3 (2019)

Eight celebrities were chosen and began at Ham Polo Club in Richmond. In this series, the celebrities started with tracking devices attached to their ankles. Herstmonceux Castle served as the extraction point.[6]

Name Known for Hometown Status
Aldo Zilli[lower-alpha 30] Chef Abruzzo rowspan=3 style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Winners
Jean-Christophe Novelli[lower-alpha 30] Chef Arras
Gavin Henson[lower-alpha 31] Rugby union player Mid Glamorgan
Martin Offiah[lower-alpha 31] Rugby League and Union player London Caught
Georgia "Toff" Toffolo[lower-alpha 32] Made in Chelsea Torquay Caught
Stanley Johnson[lower-alpha 32] Author & former politician Penzance
Lucy Mecklenburgh[lower-alpha 33] The Only Way is Essex Havering Caught
Lydia Bright[lower-alpha 33] The Only Way is Essex London

Production

Each fugitive was filmed by a dedicated cameraperson, who followed the fugitives wherever they went. While filming, the production team was split so that the team working with the hunters was separate from the team working with the fugitives, to prevent information passing between the groups and to provide a more realistic experience. In preparing for production, over 800 Freedom of Information requests were submitted to find the location of state-owned CCTV cameras positioned throughout the British mainland. When real footage could not be obtained, Channel 4 cameras captured footage that would have been available to the state, which was stored on a central database for the hunters to access if they wished. However, they had to "officially" request the information as if it were a real fugitive hunt.[7] The hunters were overseen by an independent adjudicator, former Head of Covert Operations for the Metropolitan Police, Kevin O’Leary, whose job was to make sure that the information requested and gathered by the hunters reflected the information that would be available to them in real life and within the appropriate time frame. He was the only person who had the power to release information to the hunters and would only do so when he considered that the hunters had done sufficient detective work to justify access to the information.[8]

Ratings

Episode ratings are taken from BARB and include Channel 4 +1.[9]

Hunted

Series 1 (2015)

Episode no.Air dateViewers
(millions)
Channel 4
weekly ranking
110 September 20152.893
217 September 20152.453
324 September 20151.99*3
41 October 20151.77*4
58 October 20151.954
615 October 20152.027
Series average2.18N/A

Series 2 (2016)

Episode no.Air dateViewers
(millions)
Channel 4
weekly ranking
122 September 20162.521
229 September 20162.391
36 October 20162.273
413 October 20162.082
520 October 20162.083
627 October 20162.191
Series average2.26N/A

Series 3 (2018)

Episode no.Air dateViewers
(millions)
Channel 4
weekly ranking
14 January 20182.735
211 January 20182.982
318 January 20182.892
425 January 20182.582
51 February 20182.592
68 February 20182.693
Series average2.74N/A

Series 4 (2019)

Episode no.Air dateViewers
(millions)
Channel 4
weekly ranking
110 January 20192.262
217 January 20192.292
324 January 20192.542
431 January 20192.472
57 February 20192.213
614 February 20192.541
Series average2.39N/A

Series 5 (2020)

Episode no.Air dateViewers
(millions)
Channel 4
weekly ranking
113 February 20202.561
220 February 20202.642
327 February 20202.182
45 March 20202.462
512 March 20202.563
619 March 20202.743
Series average2.52N/A

Celebrity Hunted

Series 1 (2017)

Episode no.Air dateViewers
(millions)
Channel 4
weekly ranking
110 October 20173.113
217 October 20172.913
324 October 20173.073
431 October 20172.973
Series average3.02N/A

Series 2 (2018)

Episode no.Air dateViewers
(millions)
Channel 4
weekly ranking
116 October 20183.443
223 October 20182.863
330 October 20183.563
46 November 20182.782
513 November 20182.902
Series average3.11N/A

Series 3 (2019)

Episode no.Air dateViewers
(millions)
Channel 4
weekly ranking
113 October 20192.953
220 October 20193.133
327 October 20192.505
43 November 20192.824
510 November 20192.434
Series average2.77N/A

Critical reception

The Telegraph review complimented the series, saying the "game show element was very effective, playing with our instinctive tendency to take the side of the pursued, and skilfully edited to keep the tension high."[10] The Daily Mirror's Adam Postan described the series as "the biggest TV joke of the year", pointing out that most of the surveillance powers were replicated by methods that were unexplained.[11]

International versions

In the US, the show is produced by Endemol Shine North America under the same title Hunted, which premiered on 22 January 2017 on CBS.[12]

In Spain, the show is produced by Movistar+ in collaboration with Shine Iberia under the title La huida ("The Escape"), which premiered on 8 April 2016 on #0.[13]

In Denmark, the show is produced by Metronome Productions A/S under the title Menneskejagt ("Manhunt"), which premiered on 24 August 2016 on DR3.[14]

In Russia, the show is produced by WeiT Media under the title Охота ("The Hunt"),[15] which premiered on 17 September 2016 on free-to-air network NTV.[16]

In Netherlands, the show is produced by Simpel Media commissioned by AVROTROS under the same title Hunted, which premiered on 17 October 2016 on NPO3.[17]

In France, the show is produced by Endemol Shine Group and commissioned by RMC Découverte under the title Escape, 21 jours pour disparaître ("Escape, 21 days to disappear"),which is set to premier in 2018.

In Italy, Celebrity Hunted will be the first non-fiction Italian product of Amazon Prime Video, which commissioned it to Endemol Shine Group. Production started in 2019.

Legend:

     Currently airing franchise
     Franchise with an upcoming season
     Franchise no longer airing
     Status unknown
Country/Region Title Network(s) Winners
 Denmark Menneskejagt DR3 Season 1, 2016: ?
 France Escape, 21 jours pour disparaître RMC Story
RMC Découverte
  • Season 1, 2018: Jean-Philippe
  • Season 2, 2019: Sabrina & Aurélie
 Italy Celebrity Hunted: Caccia all'uomo Amazon Prime Video Italy Season 1, 2020: Claudio Santamaria & Francesca Barra; Fedez & Luis Sal
 Netherlands Hunted NPO 3
  • Season 1, 2016: Evert Kramer
  • Season 2, 2017: Omar Abdelkarim
  • Season 3, 2018: Sophie Goderie
  • Season 4, 2019: Koen Vinken & Juul Kennis
 Russia Охота NTV Season 1, 2016: ?
 Spain La huida #0 Season 1, 2016: Antonio & Roberto
 United States Hunted CBS Season 1, 2017: English King & Stephen King; Lee Wilson & Hilmar Skagfield

Notes

  1. Lauren & Emily were a duo when the hunt began but opted to separate.
  2. Stephen & Martin were a duo when the hunt began.
  3. Adam & Emma were a duo when the hunt began.
  4. Davinder & Harinder were a duo when the hunt began.
  5. Freddie & Jacqui were a duo when the hunt began.
  6. Elizabeth & Sandra were a duo when the hunt began.
  7. Ayo & Madu were a duo when the hunt began, but opted to separate.
  8. Anna & Elizabeth were a duo when the hunt began.
  9. Hamish & Mikaela were a duo when the hunt began.
  10. Kirk & Jez were a duo when the hunt began.
  11. Daniel & Joseph were a duo when the hunt began.
  12. Alex & Bob were a duo when the hunt began, but opted to separate.
  13. Mella & Sandra were a duo when the hunt began.
  14. Frank & Harry were a duo when the hunt began.
  15. Nathanael & Ismail were a duo when the hunt began, but opted to separate.
  16. Emma & Jess were a duo when the hunt began.
  17. Paul & Nick were a duo when the hunt began.
  18. Daniel & Hayley were a duo when the hunt began.
  19. Ben & Rob were a duo when the hunt began.
  20. Ella & Jess were a duo when the hunt began.
  21. Frankie & Daniel were a duo when the hunt began but opted to separate.
  22. As Chief
  23. Jay & Siva were a duo when the hunt began.
  24. Spencer & Jamie were a duo when the hunt began.
  25. Dominic & Stephanie were a duo when the hunt began.
  26. Johnny & Kay were a duo when the hunt began but opted to separate.
  27. AJ & Louis were a duo when the hunt began but opted to separate.
  28. Chris & Kem were a duo when the hunt began.
  29. Vicky & Dom were a duo when the hunt began but opted to separate.
  30. Aldo & Jean-Christophe were a duo when the hunt began.
  31. Gavin & Martin were a duo when the hunt began.
  32. "Toff" & Stanley were a duo when the hunt began.
  33. Lucy & Lydia were a duo when the hunt began.
gollark: I'm busy factorioing.
gollark: ***dun dun dun***
gollark: Maybe I should actually work on Kristshop. The client-server model is probably a good one, apart from the whole vendor lock-in and trust thing.
gollark: The difference is that those are heavily regulated and have established companies behind them.
gollark: I must admit, though, that the Δshop prefix feature is quite nice, though kind of problematic.

References

  1. Poppy Jeffery (28 October 2016) "Channel 4's Hunted contestants finish on Isle of Sheppey after Sittingbourne stay", Kent Online. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  2. http://www.huntedapplications.com/
  3. "Hunted: Could you go on the Run". Channel 4. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  4. Ben Travis (10 September 2015). "Hunted, Channel 4 – Episode 1 review: paranoid real-life thriller series is a gripping watch". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  5. "The Hunters". Channel 4 Press Release. Channel 4. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  6. https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a28965509/celebrity-hunted-line-up-season-3-stand-up-to-cancer-toff-stanley-johnson/
  7. "Hunted: The Makings of a Manhunt". Channel 4. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  8. "Series 2 Guide". Channel 4. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  9. "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB.
  10. Gerard O'Donovan (10 September 2015). "Hunted, episode one, Channel 4, review: 'intense'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  11. Adam Postans (10 October 2015). "Why Channel 4's The Hunted is the biggest TV joke of the year". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  12. "'Hunted' Reality Series Gets 'Survivor's Slot & NFL-Bolstered Premiere On CBS, Hunted Is AMAZING". Deadline Hollywood.
  13. "Gran estreno de 'La Huida', el nuevo 'reality' del canal #0". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 8 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  14. "Menneskejagt på DR3". dr.dk.
  15. НТВ и ВайТМедиа ищут участников для нового реалити «Охота» (in Russian)
  16. "British TV Show 'Hunted' to Get Russian Remake". Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  17. "Kun je zomaar verdwijnen? In het nieuwe én spannende TV-programma Hunted moeten twaalf Nederlanders 21 dagen lang uit handen blijven van een team van professionele opsporingsexperts". npo.nl.
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