Cummings had an accomplice impersonate him outside a leisure centre, leading the Hunters to believe they had caught him, when he was actually 120 mi (190 km) away on a canal path.
This was the first series where there was prize money for winners. The Isle of Sheppey in Kent served as the extraction point. Ten contestants were chosen and began in Milk Street in Birmingham. Before he was caught, Ricky Allen proved so elusive while on the run in Scotland that one of the Hunters described it as "a real-life 39 steps" which was published in a newspaper as well as "wanted" posters.Fairoaks Airport in Surrey served as the extraction point. Regular series Series 1 (2015) įourteen contestants were chosen and began in their respective hometowns. 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, or every Fugitive can be caught and the hunt prematurely ends (known as a "clean sweep"). When a Fugitive successfully reaches the extraction point within the time-frame, they can no longer be caught by the Hunters are deemed as a Winner. 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. 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. When a Fugitive is caught, they are told their time on the run is over and are escorted to a vehicle for debrief back at the Hunters headquarters. The ground teams also perform reconnaissance at Fugitives' homes and attempt to goad family members or loved ones for information and/or may be observed to determine any irregularities in their daily routines. Hunters additionally operate throughout the country through use of two-person ground teams that can deploy immediately under order of the Chief. Any member of the public with information leading to capture is compensated for their effort. Hunters may also be directly contacted by the public with any leads by telephone. 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. 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 circuit surveillance, phone records and number plate recognition to pinpoint their chosen target. 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. 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). 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. 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). ( August 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. It has a similar format to the programme Wanted which aired from 1996–1997 on Channel 4.Ī 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. On the final day, any remaining contestants must reach a designated "extraction" point before being captured, winning a share of £100,000. 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. 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.
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. Hunted is a British reality series that began airing on Channel 4 on 10 September 2015.