Hunted Series 7 press pack
Category: Press PackProgramme information
Hunted is back. 12 ordinary people from all over the UK have turned fugitive. If they can successfully outrun the elite team of hunters for 21 days, they will win a share of £100,000.
On the run across the length and breadth of the UK, these fugitives will be looking over their shoulders, ever fearful that the hunters have picked up their trail.
Leading the investigation from Hunted HQ is Chief Superintendent of Cleveland Police, Lisa Theaker. Lisa has led many complex investigations. Now she oversees a handpicked team of top police and military personnel, armed with the powers of the state, which includes live CCTV, ANPR, GPS positioning, drones, tracker dogs, mobile phone monitoring, publicity campaigns and, for the first time, motorbikes.
In one of the most closely-monitored countries in the world, where will the fugitives hide?
Episode 1 – Sunday 17 March 9pm, Channel 4 (TBC)
12 fugitives are on the run and for the first time ever they need to escape London, one of the most watched cities in the UK with an estimated 940,000 CCTV cameras. Speeding into central London on the underground the fugitives all surface together at Piccadilly Circus and attempt to escape the eagle eye of the hunter helicopter which is beaming back live pictures to Hunter HQ. Can the fugitives evade capture with hunters swarming the city in helicopters, motorbikes and cars.
Armed only with a change of clothes and a small amount of cash the fugitives all run for cover. The hunter helicopter has locked onto Cathy and Annida, two fifty-something best friends who are keen to prove that age is just a number. But will their number be up after a card transaction alerts the hunters to their location near Westminster pier.
Meanwhile, mother and son Sade and Cameron and prison officer brother and sister Jaxon and Nicola rely on the help of strangers whilst father and daughter fugitives Steve and Beth turn to a contact to help them get out of London as quickly as possible.
It’s not all plain sailing for city boys Jack and Alex who jump on Boris bikes hoping to get ahead of the hunters, but they are no match against the ground team motorbikes and the hunters chase them towards Liverpool Street Station. After a narrow escape the friends seek refuge on a friend’s family estate in Essex, but it doesn’t take long for the hunters to get onto them again. Will it be game over for the friends before it has even begun?
Childhood sweethearts, Christine and Munya decide to use public transport to get to Heathrow where they hope to hitch a lift. With CCTV everywhere it’s a risky move that could lead the hunters straight to them. In an unexpected act of kindness the couple manage to get a lift from a touring musician to Norwich where they hide out for the night. Convinced the hunters aren’t onto them and that they are ahead of the game the couple start to relax but some smart investigation in HQ threatens to bring the lovebird’s time on the run to an untimely end.
Alex and Jack Q&A
Alex (27) and Jack (27)
Alex and Jack both live in London
Relationship: Best friends
Occupation: Alex is a financial consultant and Jack is a product developer
All information correct at time of filming
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
Jack: For three reasons. I've always wanted to know what I would like to be like on the run... legally. To test myself to see how much of a challenge it would be to be able to do something like this for 21 days. And the third reason I think is pretty obvious: win 100 grand.
Alex: I wanted to see how good I'd be at something like this. To test myself and find out how I'd react in situations that I'd probably never be facing in day-to-day life.
What do each of you think you’ll bring to your Hunted partnership?
Jack: Imagination and positivity.
Alex: Realism and practicality. By practicality, I mean we have very limited tools at our disposal so I’ll be trying to always make a plan with what we've got. I do think we can stay away from the hunters for 21 days even though they've got a lot at their disposal. And by realism, I mean bringing this dreamer, Jack, back down to Earth.
Do you think being best friends will mean you’ll approach challenges in the same direction?
Jack: I think we're both heading in the same direction, just with different routes. We want to get to the end goal through the same means, but one of us will think one idea is great. One of us might think another idea is great and so it's up to us to be as diplomatic as possible. We've already come up. With rules for that so we don't kill each other.
Are you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
Jack: Well, it wouldn't be the first time! No, I don’t. Neither of us really hold grudges. I can't bear spending more than 10 seconds arguing about something because it just feels like a waste of energy, so we're both quick to resolve a problem.
Alex: I’m not, because we've never really had a fight. Whenever we have a disagreement, we always vent it very quickly and then laugh about it five seconds later, I don't think we've ever hit the fight stage. I think we've bickered, argued and disagreed. But we’ve never fought.
When you're on the run, what sort of tactics do you think you're planning to use to evade the hunters?
Alex: We're going to lay low for a bit. Try and really throw them off the scent, and then we're going to use connections to make our time as pleasurable as possible, and then when we're at a point of advantage, we might even try and kind of mess with the hunters a little bit.
Are there things you’ve seen in previous series of Hunted that you’d like to adopt – or avoid?
Alex: Yeah, I saw one the other day that me and Jack had already agreed that we were going to try and use. We were going to potentially try and have between 10 and 30 people dress up in similar outfits and lose the hunters in that. Jack calls it ‘the Thomas Crown effect’. We had that plan and then we saw that it had been tried before!
Jack: We want to use the crowds to our advantage, that kind of thing. Something that involves deception and kind of the ability to make a quick exit.
What life/career experience/s have you had that you think would give you the edge over the hunters and other fugitives?
Jack: None! The only thing is maybe cadet force at school, but other than that, I have absolutely no experience doing what we're about to do.
Alex: I've done quite a lot of travelling, trekking, walking, climbing, camping so I'm sure that will come into use. Other than that, just socialising. Me and Jack are quite social, and I'm imagine we'll chat to a lot of people in the 21 days on the run so. We’ll use our communication skills.
How confident are you in your abilities? Do you think you have what it takes to make it to the end?
Alex: Since Jack asked me to join him on the show, I have not doubted for a second that we win. I swear on my life and that's not even like you know, I can't. I'm not even just pretending for you for the cameras. I keep trying to think. Will they catch us? I'm just like, no.
Jack: No. If we're sensible and we do everything to plan, then I don't see a way we can’t. Unless we make a mistake, or we get unlucky.
I'm prepared to be brought down to Earth or maybe one of the experiences which we get is a humbling experience. Like, we may not be as smart or as intelligent or good at avoiding capture as we may have thought so. That may be something we learn about us, but I think in our current mindsets, we're pretty confident that we have what it takes to win.
Alex: We have found that we've been underprepared, but it might work as a tactic. If there's no plan, then there's nothing for them to go against and we’re less likely to inadvertently trap ourselves. So in a way one of our tactics is complacency, but I do think that we do have the connections and the kind of sense to start with no plan and very quickly have a viable plan.
What do you think the experience of being on the run will be like?
Jack: Pretty tough, pretty challenging, but also pretty fun. I think we're going to have a great time, I think. There's going to be a lot of adrenaline-fueled experiences, which I'm particularly looking forward to. I think having that kind of test to see if we can get out of it will be pretty fun.
Alex: I like how Jack called it an adrenaline-fuelled experience. That's what I was after. That's what I hope to get. I think there could be some sleepless nights. I'm not really an anxious thinker too much, but I know before an exam sometimes I'm not even scared about the exam, but I just can't sleep and I can't stop thinking about it. I'm sure there's going to be nights where I'm lying awake thinking about tomorrow. I'm not even scared of being caught. I'm not scared of the experience. I just know I'll be thinking of what I can do on the run: ideas and thoughts charging through the mind. So yeah, a lot of adrenaline and maybe lack of sleep on the way.
How do you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack and no possessions?
Jack: I'm kind of already there. I'm not that obsessed with my phone. Or so I think. I'm not that scared about losing it for three weeks. I think being without that technology is something which I've kind of always wanted. I'm quite excited to be without those things for three weeks because I think it would be good for us.
Alex: I’m excited. Whenever I go away for a weekend with friends or something like that, I always try and leave technology in the bedroom. Maybe take it out just before bed. I just think it enhances the experience and you're far more present. There's no better time than these 21 days – we need to be as present as possible!
Jack: My problem is I use YouTube to learn absolutely everything. If I don't know how to do something, I’ll be wanting to reach for my phone to YouTube “How to put up a tent”, “how to light a fire”, “how to cook this meal”. All I do is rely on YouTube I think my common sense will be put on test.
Alex: For me it’s maps. I say I've got the best sense of direction in the world because I never sit following maps. I always start with the map, suss out where I’m going and just throw it away in my pocket. But I always start with that, so being on the run without maps will really test my actual test direction.
What home comforts will you miss?
Jack: The loo, wine and food… Friends, of course.
Alex: Definitely social occasions just being around mates. Me and Jack obviously best friends, but I'll miss out on a month of hanging around with everyone else.
Would you say you have a busy social calendar?
Jack: Yeah, we're screwed now.
Alex: I'd like to think I see friends regularly. We have a relatively busy social calendar.
How big a factor is the prize money for you?
Alex: Zero. I didn’t even know there was a prize. Even right now, I couldn't care less. I think it'll take to the last three days until I start thinking about the money. Bragging rights is 10 percent, cash is five percent, and 85 percent is the experience.
Jack: For me, I know that if I'm going to get close to the hunters, all I'm going to be thinking about is the money. In that very moment, I'm going to forget about the experience, forget about where I am, forget about what I might learn over the next few days: All I'll be thinking about is the 100 grand.
Cathy and Annida Q&A
Annida (55) and Cathy (56)
Annida and Cathy both live in the Worthing, West Sussex area with their partners
Relationship: Best friends
Occupation: Annida is an aesthetic technician and Cathy is a care home activity coordinator
All information correct at time of filming
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
Annida: It's me cause Cathy asked me to if I'm honest, I wouldn't have done it by choice. But I've been dragged into it screaming and I'm here now. She's my friend and she asked me very nicely. I just thought, it's a challenge – if I've been asked to do something, I'm not going to say no. That's just who I am.
Cathy: I love the show and I love anything competitive. I'm a stage in my life or I'm not gonna get a chance to do something like this again, so I just thought it would be. Really good fun.
What do each of you think you’ll bring to your Hunted partnership?
Cathy: I think I'm really creative and I think that I'm quite fast thinking. I've got a lot of people skills and can be quite charming if I want to be and quite persuasive with people. I can influence people in a good way.
Annida: I'm quite good with people, but I'm a little bit slow off the mark, whereas Cathy will go straight in there. I'm more of a thinker and an organiser, whereas she's better at thinking on her feet and just getting stuck in. I'm hoping that we complement each other in that way.
Are you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
Annida: I'm not worried about it. No. If we do, I'll just slap her and she'll be fine [laughs]. We don't take life too seriously. There's no point. We've been friends too long to let something like this come between us.
Cathy: I'm not worried about it. We've already had discussions about it and we know it's going to be testing times spending 24 hours a day with anyone. It's going to be difficult. And added with the pressure of being on the run, but I think our sense of humour will get us through it.
How long have you been friends and where did you meet?
Cathy: About 20 years.
Annida: We met at a business lunch that was organised by the local council for Ladies: “Ladies That Lunch”, it was called. We both ran our own businesses and we used to go to some meetings and we just hit it off. We spent most of our time at the bar.
When you're on the run, what sort of tactics do you think you're planning to use to evade the hunters?
Cathy: Ohh well, we've got costumes... Our disguises are very good. We'll have a bit of subterfuge going on. That’s what we’re planning.
Annida: We're trying fool the hunters a little bit leading them on a little bit of a merry dance. We’ll be hoping to use alternative forms of transport. Maybe a little bit of water transport.
Cathy: We're pretty sure we're not going to outrun them on foot, so we're going to have to use brains rather than anything else.
Are there things you’ve seen in previous Hunted series that you’d like to adopt – or avoid?
Cathy: Well, I've seen them win and. I'd like to try and do that.
Annida: Yeah, that works for me too.
Cathy: I think we both realise that the hunters are quite clever, so we're not going to keep goading them. We will try and have a bit of a laugh, but we're not going to do anything too silly, I think. I think we’ll be trying to stay off the beaten track as much as possible.
What life/career experience/s have you had that you think would give you the edge over the hunters and other fugitives?
Cathy: Well, I'm used to pain and being uncomfortable because I've been married three times.
Annida: We've both got kids. We've both had stresses in our lives. We've gone through marriages, divorces, deaths, accidents, parenting struggles. We've just been through nightmares, really and we've come out laughing. We're quite strong independent women. I think that's what we're concentrating on. We spend our lives looking after other people and this is just doing something for us, for a change.
Cathy: I imagine we're going to be some of the oldest people that are on the show, to be honest. So hopefully we won't rely so much on technology as the younger people do.
Annida: We’ll be a bit old school.
How confident are you in your abilities? Do you think you have what it takes to make it to the end?
Annida: Yeah, too right we do!
Cathy: There’s luck to it as well, but the fact that we're willing to go to any length, within reason. Once we're in, we're in with both feet. We're both very committed to trying to win and once we commit to something, we're in for it. If we don't, we're not going to cry and it's still not going to be the end of our world. Whatever happens, we’ll be coming out a bit stronger.
Annida: We'll give it our best shot. That’s all we can do.
What do you think the experience of being on the run will be like?
Cathy: I think it's going to be quite hard work and I think that because we're the older people, I’m probably going to have to need a nap in the afternoons.
Annida: She doesn't do early mornings. She’s still sulking about getting up early tomorrow.
Cathy: I think we're going to find it physically demanding and mentally demanding. I think the physicality is going to be the hardest thing for us, not the mental side.
Annida: You get achy bones when you get over 50.
Is age something you think about going on an adventure like this?
Cathy: I think that we're not the usual, ideal candidate for something like this.
Annida: I think once you start to get like into your 40s and your mid-40s and then you get to 50 then you are invisible: You're just the person that makes things happen. People will turn to you to do something, but they just don't see you anymore. I think it happens very easily.
Cathy: We want to show that women of our age still vital and have still got a chance to go out there and have some fun.
Annida: That we're that we're people. Don't write us off just because we're old and wrinkly all right.
How do you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack and no possessions?
Annida: I've had no money most of my life - I've got kids! I've never got any money! And even when I have got it, I'll just see it go past. It just goes straight out.
Cathy: We've both gone through stages of being quite terrified, but then we think, well, no one’s gonna die. We're not gonna starve. No one's gonna kill us. We know it’s £100,000 pounds at stake, so it's not going to be a walk in the park. We’re quite aware of that.
What home comforts will you miss?
Cathy: My boyfriend's chest, because I always laid my head on it at night.
Annida: Bed, probably, but I don't sleep very well anyway; A good cup of coffee; And wine. Well, we can get that if we try hard enough and we're nice to people.
How big a factor is the prize money for you?
Annida: It's not. I think this is just our journey. This is our journey. If we get prize money at the end. Of it, then yeah, fantastic.
Cathy: That's a bonus cherry on the top.
Annida: That would be great, but yeah, I think it's this is more about us doing what we want to do,,having a laugh and just doing something for us for a change, instead of everyone else.
If you manage to avoid capture, what would you spend your winnings on?
Annida: I'll pay off some of my debts and trying to help my children a little bit.
Cathy: Yeah, I've got two daughters - It’s really hard growing up these days. I think also I would try and help them, but I also would give a little bit of money to charity to mental health, because that's been a key thing for me and my family really, and it's very underfunded.
Christine and Munya Q&A
Christine (48) and Munya (48)
Christine and Munya live in Sheffield
Relationship: Married couple
Occupation: Christine is a teacher and Munya is an Ex- British Army Officer. They are also Co-Owners of an overseas restaurant business
All information correct at time of filming
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
Christine: We have long been fans of Hunted, and when we were deciding to be part of it, it was mainly because we wanted to try and challenge ourselves by going out and using old world skills. We were brought up in a generation where there was no internet. We had no mobile phones, and surveillance was at an absolute minimum. We actually lived without all of the devices that most people rely on these days. We feel that we have a set of skills that might give us a bit of an advantage over the younger fugitives. We wanted to see if we could roll back time and live in the disconnected way that we did a long time ago and see whether or not we could beat the current hyper-technologised system that way.
Munya: Christine and I have been together - as friends, lovers and married couple – for 31 years now in total – since 6th Form, in fact. Before we had our three children, we used to go on lots of adventures: we'd travel to other countries, we'd go hiking, we'd go mountain climbing. We then had kids, spanning from 1998, and since then we were completely focused on the family, and perfectly happy to commit to doing so. The kids are now flying the nest, and this presents a perfect window of opportunity between them leaving the house and us getting too old for adventure and the bones starting to creak! While we are still young enough to do something adventurous, we definitely want to go for it.
What do each of you think you’ll bring to your Hunted partnership?
Christine: I think that I will probably bring a bit of intuition. A kind of spontaneity, because I think out of the two of us, I am the more spontaneous, while Munya is the more thoughtful, calculated and strategic planner. I do have the capacity sometimes just to grab opportunities as they pass me by. I will be more likely to be able to befriend people, strangers. I'm quite a friendly smiley person, and I think I'm quite adept at establishing a rapport with people really quickly.
Munya: On my part I have military experience, so I served in the British Army for 16 years as an Army Officer. So, I have a lot of the strategic thinking that emanates from a military mind, but also the ability to endure hardship and adverse circumstances. The ability to live outdoors, having to use navigation skills, and so on - all those are military skills that I bring – and they are probably going to be the main strengths of the planning side of things, but also the physical tactical elements of living on the ground and being able to manoeuvre. And as a military man, one’s mind is constantly thinking, “What is the enemy thinking, and how do I how manoeuvre myself around the enemy?”, so that that that's a key skill that that I bring to the party.
Are you worried about falling out?
Christine: Honestly, I am not worried about that whatsoever just because we've been together for so long. We've been together since we were 17 years old, and we are now in our 48th year on this planet. We were kids together. We did A-levels together; we were in A Level English Literature and Geography together! We then went to the same and then institution, sitting literally next to each other for four years on one of our HE courses. So really, we've been quite inseparable for over 3 decades, and falling out over fugitive tactics isn’t really going to break us apart. Also, we know each other's buttons, we know when to kind of stand down. We know how to manoeuvre ourselves around each other and really support each other. So even if we get agitated or stressed – which we will – I think we know how to navigate our way around each other with minimal drama!
Munya: I wouldn't really say falling out will be a key issue there. There may be difference in thinking or in, you know, the planned move, but what we've developed over years, even when there's a bit of tension or difference of opinion on the way forward, is the ability to de-escalate and see the other person's perspective. So far, we've pretty much been able to work out anything. That's not to say there won't be any tension. We may argue about one or two things, but the key thing is, are you able to then compromise, then come to some form of resolution? And I think we will, and that's potentially how we’ll be working.
When you're on the run, what sort of tactics do you think you're planning to use to evade the hunters?
Christine: Well, in the first place, in terms of our actual plan, it's very varied because we don’t think that the “all the eggs in one basket situation”, is a very good idea. So, we have a varied mix of different strategies, focusing on unpredictability, essentially trying to ensure that we don't have a series of patterns as we're going along that the Hunters can easily work out. We feel that that gives us the best chance to slightly confuse the Hunters, and make them have to work hard to try to psychoanalyse us, and to imagine what we might do next.
Munya: Also in terms of the geographical spread of the UK, we intend to stay on the move. We're not restricting ourselves to a particular area, and instead we intend to keep on moving. The aim is “Keep the patterns unpredictable!”, with the intention of moving to different parts of the UK mainland.
What life/career experience/s have you had that you think would give you the edge over the hunters and other fugitives?
Christine: I've been in education since 1997. I’ve taught in Further Education, Higher Education, and in secondary schools, and have also worked as a Local Educational Authority manager.
A significant part of that is around the ability to plan, which is a key part of the professional practice of any educator. So, I'm able to look at things and to strategically plan. I'll be in a supporting role in this, however, as I think he's a better strategic planner than I am! But certainly, my planning skill set will come into it. I'm also very good at being calm under pressure, being a secondary teacher, and being accustomed to working in chaotic situations, and with hormonal teenagers! People who've not experienced being a secondary school teacher don't necessarily have a sense of how stressful it can be. Teenagers are often not the easiest people to manage. I've worked in some very tough schools, so I'm able to withstand pressure, and don't easily crumble. I'm quite unflappable! I think that that that's going to be brought to this experience. Also when Munya was in the military, we moved around a lot while he was serving, so we’ve already lived a very nomadic lifestyle, so I'm adept at settling into different spaces. We've been everywhere, and so I'm not going to be daunted by crossing boundaries as we go around the country because I'm used to most places in the UK, from British Army postings.
Munya: The greater part of my working life has really revolved around the military and one of the key things there is the idea of planning. Planning is everything. As a military individual, you're always, considering the worst at all points. What's the worst thing that will happen? And how do I come to that? What's my alternative plan? What would I do in the instance that my initial plan doesn't work? Because I think one of the issues that some people may face, is that idea that you can invest in one plan? If that one plan doesn't work then things unravel. However, I'm able to constantly think through different options, even under pressure, and that's the key thing.
How confident are you in your abilities? Do you think you have what it takes to make it to the end?
Munya: Definitely. The Hunters are formidable, but the way I think of it is that we're basically dealing with human beings, and that that's the bottom line. We're dealing with people. They may have greater capacity; they may have technologies that they use, but they're still human beings that need to use their faculties to think through plans in order to get to where you are. When you look at history of wars, it's not necessarily the better equipped that wins. It's the one who's able to outmanoeuvre the mind and plans of the other that wins.
We’ve also got each other as support pillars, and we've supported each other through a lot. As we go through the process, you know, even when it gets difficult, the idea that I've got my best friend here. And she's with me and I'm with her. That will keep us going.
Christine: We feel that we have what it takes because, ultimately, we are pitting our wits against other human beings. Human beings with bits of machinery, etcetera, but human beings nonetheless. There is a human interface behind all of the software. Stripping away the gadgets that they have, we're looking at them as human beings who are think like we do. We're in the strategic and cerebral manoeuvring business with this, and we do think that we do have a good chance.
What do you think the experience of being on the run will be like?
Christine: The overriding thought that we have right now, at the outset, is just the immense sense of adventure and great fun. Because we've had adventures together in the past, before we settled down and committed to our children more than anything else, it feels like a return to our younger selves. It's that kind of sense of unfettered adventurousness, just with older bones. We know that it will be stressful. Physically taxing, obviously, because there's a lot of actual moving around and so on. That will be a challenge for us, especially at our age. We know the kind of paranoia of not knowing at any one point where the Hunters are will impinge on the ‘fun’ element of it a bit, and that the psychological attrition of that will be quite something, but we've got each other. We feel that we'll be able to kind of co-support in terms of any stress.
Munya: We're going on an adventure and a shared experience, that's how we look at it. Looking at my background as a military man, I've lived in in the bushes. I've travelled a lot. With this, I get the opportunity to be travelling with Christine rather than travelling with the army, going to different places, making plans as a pair, as a partnership. The other thing that enthuses us about Hunted is that, over years, we have been critically analytical of the development of technology and how it impacts on human life, and how it has changed life from what it was before. For us, Hunted presents as a natural experiment to try and live how we did when we were younger, with no internet, no mobile phones, no Facebook, no Instagram, no social media, and we really couldn’t pass up such an opportunity. It's an experiment, and an exciting opportunity to see if we can outwit this whole domain of technology with older wits, and older wiles!
How do you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack and no possessions?
Munya: It's rolling back time. It's nothing that's phases us because we've lived that life. Things like standing in a queue for half an hour just to use a phone box to communicate, or trusting that if someone says we’re meeting at half three, we'll meet there at half three. If that person wasn't there, there was no way of contacting them. So it’ll just be going back to a life that we once lived.
Christine: I mean we are fundamentally digital non-natives! We're foreign to this digital space that we live in, and experienced life before it, and have the capability of actually easily detaching ourselves from phones and things like that. We're not absolutely connected to them in the way our children are, for example. What we will struggle with, I know, is the lack of possessions. It's going to be really spartan in terms of what we start out with, and the resources will be very, very limited. That will be a challenge just in terms of getting around surviving.
Munya: The contact with loved ones I think is going to be the key issue, because technology for us means family contacts. Forward and backward passing of information, greetings, family affection, electronic hugs. We’re really close to our extended family, and missing that element is probably going to be difficult.
What home comforts will you miss?
Christine: I will definitely miss my Tempur mattress - I wish I could take it with me! That's honestly, that's one of my main concerns, because I have a somewhat dodgy back, after a couple of serious road traffic accidents a few years ago. Also tea – herbal tea, to be specific. We are prolific herbal tea drinkers. We'll have a cup of breakfast tea just once in the morning, and then we have several cups of herbal teas during the day. We have a whole selection of herbals, from camomile, to fennel, to nettle, to lemongrass – you name it! We could run a little shop from our kitchen selling herbal tea. I'll miss that.
Munya: When I wake up in the morning, I'm a bit groggy and I always have to have a warm shower first thing every morning, to wake me up. We actually both always start our day with some warm nice warm water. Sometimes even a shared bath or a shared shower!
How much do you want to be there at the end as winners?
Munya: Well, initially, our focus was on the adventure itself, for its own sake. However, over time, you know, the more we thought about it, the more we've thought how nice the money might be nice too! So, the money has become an important motivating factor too, although it wasn’t so much at the start.
How would you spend the prize money?
Munya: Over time, as we thought more about it, we've thought, “Oh, actually our kids are all flying the nest, or close to flying the nest – it might be useful to have a pot of money for supporting house deposits to get them on the property ladder!” Also, we have Christine’s mum – our Mum, really - who is 72, and still working pretty much full time as a nurse. She’s incredible, and we love her dearly. She worked all through COVID – literally through the whole of it - and never had really a break since COVID started until now. We’d like to take her on a long holiday - somewhere far away, where she can sit, chill and not be called into work.
Also, we've worked with a particular charity in Zimbabwe for a while, and we’re patrons of it. It is an incredible charity that does excellent work supporting poor, destitute and orphaned young people, many of whom are homeless. They give them skills training, job and entrepreneurship training and guidance, as well as mental health counselling and support. They also sponsor talented young people from poor backgrounds to attend school or university, and fully pay all of their fees. If we won, some of the money would definitely go towards supporting that charity.
Jaxon and Nicola Q&A
Jaxon (28) and Nicola (26)
Jaxon and Nicola both live in Wigan
Relationship: Siblings
Occupation: Jaxon and Nicola are both prison officers
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
Jaxon: I wanted to go on the run because I'm trying to raise awareness for transgender people and sort of normalise the topic. I'm 18 months into transitioning from female to male myself, so I've just been trying to be visible for people and provide that education and awareness. Just make it a lot more normal and show people that you can still have a life and you can still do whatever you want to do.
Along with that, I wanted to have the experience with my sister after everything that we have been through over the last 18 months. We're both prison officers as well, so I think it would be a really unique experience to have and to take back into our jobs.
Nicola: I would like to do it just for something that we can do together as me and Jaxon, since he has transitioned to male, but also for myself. I wanted to do it to prove something to myself really. That I can do something like this. I feel like I'm misjudged a lot in my appearance, and I just want to do something to prove people wrong.
What do each of you think you’ll bring to your Hunted partnership?
Jaxon: For me personally, I have a military background. I was in the military before I joined the prison service and I'm on a mission to prove to myself that I still have that side of me. It's been a rough few years, and I've kind of lost myself in the process. I think I definitely have mental strengths after everything that I've been through and I hope that I can show Nicola and everyone everything that I've learned in the process of doing what scares you.
Nicola: I feel I'm very strong minded as well. When we're together, we pull each other through situations and get through it together. I feel like we both have different traits that help each other through the hard situations in life and that's what we’ll bring for each other mainly. Things Jaxon might struggle with, I feel like I'll be quite good with, and vice versa.
Are you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
Jaxon: Ohh no, we know that's going to happen!
Nicola: We bicker quite a lot, so it's bound to happen. But it's never anything serious. It's only harmless bickering.
Jaxon: We know that no matter how big the argument, there's a bigger picture. Plus Nicola destroys anyone in an argument, there’s no point in even trying!
When you're on the run, what sort of tactics do you think you're planning to use to evade the hunters?
Nicola: Jaxon always say that he would just shove me to the front and let me do the sweet talking because he feels like he looks quite intimidating.
Jaxon: Nicola’s the pretty face because people look at me and just think thug [laughs]! She can get sweet talk going. I've got a bit more gift of the gab.
I think we're just generally really genuine, nice human beings, and we're used to dealing with a lot of different situations, both of us being prison officers and speaking to a variety of different types of people. Our mindset is kind of like half Hunter, half Fugitive. I think it'll work to our advantage because of the background that we come from.
Are there things you’ve seen in previous series of Hunted that you’d like to adopt – or avoid?
Nicola: We've said we want to try and do things as out there as possible.
Jaxon: We want to have a lot of fun and we want to try and do a lot of things that haven't been done before. What those things will be, I don't know. But we're planning on having the best time as we try and do everything that we can do.
Nicola: We're planning on having a lot of fun and not just thinking about staying away from Hunters. We want to have fun with it as well.
What life/career experience/s have you had that you think would give you the edge over the hunters and other fugitives?
Jaxon: I was in the RAF before I joined the prison service and I've been in the prison service for about 5 years now. I think both of those jobs sort of give you an element of life experience that the everyday person doesn't have. You see and deal with a lot of things that you don't on a on a sort of normal day-to-day basis. Then obviously over the last 18 months, I've gone through a massive change in transition. That has required a lot of overcoming adversity in both a mental and a physical way, so I think all of those things will hopefully scare the hunters a little bit on what we could be capable of.
Nicola: My only experience really has been in the prison service for about 5 years now. Other than that, I don't think I really have any other type of experience. I mean, being with Jaxon, it will obviously be a big help with his experience in the RAF. I feel like us together make a pretty good team.
Jaxon: I think we've already been through a lot. I think Hunted for us is going to be an amazing experience, but, compared to everything we’ve been through emotionally, it’s probably going to be more fun!
How confident are you in your abilities? Do you think you have what it takes to make it to the end?
Jaxon: Absolutely confident. I think you've got no chance if you don't believe you can.
What do you think the experience of being on the run will be like?
Nicola: We’ll have a mix of emotions, I think. I feel like we'll go through any and every emotion under the sun.
Jaxon: This will put us through everything mentally, emotionally and physically. But I think that neither of us are naive to how amazing that's going to be for us personally and for our own development. The experience of going through that ourselves and as a team with each other, I think it's only going to bring us stronger. I think it'll have a pretty amazing effect on our lives going forward.
How do you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack and no possessions?
Nicola: I'm hoping we've got some good associates dotted about the UK as much as we need. I think we're relying on them pretty much. Technology wise, I'm not too fussed. When we're at work in prison, we don't have our phones half the time anyway, so it's not going to be a massive shock to have our phones taken away. Until we need a map.
Jaxon: I think the prospect of it is a little bit daunting just because of the things that you don't realise you use your phone for like a map or the clock or something like that. I don't really know what we're going to do without maps.
What home comforts will you miss?
Nicola: The dogs and my mum. I talk to my mum every single day, so that's going to be weird. I don't think I've ever gone a day without ringing my mum or speaking to her in some way.
Jaxon: I'm going to struggle without the dogs. Just because we just see them everyday and they’re a massive part of our lives. I think every experience that we go on as well, I'm going to be thinking “The dogs would love this”, especially if it’s something outdoors. It will be the people that we’re around - including the dogs – that we’ll miss the most, rather than materialistic things. I think we're very much people.
How big a factor is the prize money for you? If you manage to avoid capture, what would you spend your winnings on?
Nicola: We both said at the beginning we didn't even think about the money side of it. We were literally just doing it for our own personal reasons and the the achievement at the end of it of winning. Of getting through something like this. The money literally doesn't even cross my mind. But obviously we would be massively appreciative of it as anyone would be.
Jaxon: No, we definitely didn't think of it as motivator. I'm about 15 grand down now after having chest surgery, so it would probably be a help, but we haven't really thought about it to be honest.
Nicola: First thing I want to do is send my mum and dad on the best holiday ever. I also want my dad to help me renovate the house, so most of it will go to them anyway.
Jaxon: It would probably just help me out after being buried in an overdraft after having to pay for surgery.
Sade (36) and Cameron (19)
Sade and Cameron live together in Nottingham
Relationship: Mother and Son
Occupation: Sade is a property business owner and Cameron is a retail sales assistant
All information correct at time of filming
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
Sade: I think me and Cameron are big fans. We've watched every season together and always thought that we could have won every season. So, for me, I thought “Let's just give it go”. The reason we never applied before is Cameron's 19 now. He's looking to move out of home and start to spread his wings a little bit. He’s my only son, so that's my baby flying the nest, so I thought it would just be a really brilliant and amazing opportunity for us to have this experience together, to spend quality time together and have a bit of fun before we kind of both start on new separate journeys. Just have a bit of a fun life experience with my son before he leaves me forever!
Cameron: Well, obviously the £100K and would be flipping life-changing! That would just be mental, seeing that many zeros in my bank account. Then it's the fact of our last little hurrah. A big journey we have together before we both go our separate ways. Because I’m 19, I grew up in the generation of technology wherever I turn being easily accessible. I would love to just challenge myself going 21 days without having any technology and finding new things about myself that I wouldn't normally find in a day-to-day experience.
What do each of you think you’ll bring to your Hunted partnership?
Sade: I think I'm a very logical individual, so I've learned very recently that I do panic. I didn't realise this was a trait that I had, but I've been told by a few people recently that I am a bit of a panicker, which I'm quite surprised about. Aside from that, I am very logical. I don't tend to let emotion influence my decision making, so I think that's going to be really useful because it's going to allow me to kind of see what I need to do rather than what we feel we need to do because we're in a bit of a tizz.
I think my leadership skills are kind of one of my best qualities. Being able to drive forward and focus. If I've got a plan, then I'll go ahead and I'll achieve it. And I'm really, really positive. My mantra in life is everything will always be OK. I always believe that in everything that I do. So having that uplifting spirit between the two of us, I think, will allow us to pull it back up when it is getting a bit difficult.
Cameron: I believe I'll bring the physical aspect to it. If there's a fence that needs to be hopped over, I feel like I can easily do that just to check if the coast is clear. My mum will be more of a logical thinker, whereas I would be physical. I'll have to drag Mum over the fences! I’m very cheeky, I love to have a joke. No matter what mood I'm in or what mood my mum's in, I love to make her laugh, So I'll look to bring up the team morale while we're on the run.
Are you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
Sade: Yeah, absolutely! [laughs] We're mother and son, so that's the dynamics which means we automatically fall into that role where, if he's pushing the line too much, I'm going to want to pull it back. So yes, there's a chance that that could happen. But I think the beauty of me and Cameron is we have got a really good relationship and a very good understanding of when we’re rubbing each other up the wrong way. You know when one person maybe needs to give the other a little bit of space. We're going to annoy each other absolutely. We just have to see how that that plays out!
Cameron: I'm not worried though, because I've known her my whole life. She's known me my whole life. I feel like we know each other. My mum probably knows me more than I know her, but I feel like, yes, we will annoy each other, but it's pretty much like every day circumstance. We annoy each other every day. But we'll know how to argue and then get over it. I’m not worried about it because it'll just be like a normal argument that we have at home, just that I can't walk away.
When you're on the run, what sort of tactics do you think you're planning to use to evade the hunters?
Cameron: I would love to tease the hunters - that is my number 1 mission! Just tease and take the mick out of them. Primarily this is a game of the hunters chasing us, and I want to switch it up so that we’re annoying the hunters.
Sade: I want to try and keep as rural as possible and use as few of our associates as physically possible. Rough it for as long as we possibly can, staying under the radar as long as we can. But equally, I want to have a really good time, so I'm not going to be overthinking. We've got a few ideas and but we're just going to go in and have an absolute blast and wind hunters up along the way.
What life/career experience/s have you had that you think would give you the edge over the hunters and other fugitives?
Sade: I’m in property. I'm self-employed and I’ve got my business, so I'm used to being a high-end level pusher. Constantly on the go. Never really switching off. That's my life day-to-day. So for me, the high-pressure side of things - although it's maybe not comparable - there's definitely a quality there that I can transfer over from my day-to-day work to what we're doing right now. I'm a leader, so I manage a lot of people and I'm super confident. There's not much that phases me and much that can really get to me.
I've also got a lot of contacts within my portfolio because of the type of work that I do with. That could work quite nicely for us in regard to staying places, and hopefully staying in quite nice places as well. Although I want to stay under the radar, I do want a little bit of luxury.
Cameron: I feel like my age is my advantage. It isn't a weakness for me because at 19 I have been a supervisor and I've also worked in multiple retail jobs, so I'm able to sell. I’m confident to say “If we do this for you, can give us a lift”, things like that. Also, I did athletics five days a week for four years straight, which has given me so much determination. I’ve got the type of mindset that If I want something done, I'm going to do it. No matter how hard it is, I will complete it and reach the end. Plus the physical advantage. None of them will be able to catch me in a foot race!
How confident are you in your abilities? Do you think you have what it takes to make it to the end?
Sade: I've said it all the way through. Every so often I look over to Cameron and say “We're gonna win this, you know”. There's just this belief inside me that, yes, we know it’s not going to be easy, but we know that we've got the grit that is required to see this out and push through. We've come to win. we're very competitive people.
Cameron: 100 percent! I know if we both put our minds to it, there's nothing that can stop us from achieving it. There's nothing that will stop us.
What do you think the experience of being on the run will be like?
Sade: I think it will be horrendous! [laughs] I'm going to be honest. It's going to be really, really tough. It is without a doubt. We're under no illusion at all that we know, it's gonna be tough. But aside from all of that, for me especially, this is going to be a real opportunity to kind of just stop. It sounds a bit corny, but it’s a real soul-searching opportunity because I've spent so many years just focusing solely on work and Cameron and that's been my world. I've never really stopped and kind of gone, “OK, what is it that YOU want and what is it that YOU like”. To get this opportunity to put my phone down, have no work to think about and just see how I react in situations that I can't control - because I normally control everything. How do I respond to that - I'm a big believer in growth and personal development.
Cameron: The camping side of it, I'm not looking forward to that. I feel like that's going to be awful. I'm too much of a city orientated boy. I want to be able to open my door and be able to walk two steps and there's a Subway. It's going to be an ironer for me to actually find out what I can do within myself when everything's taken from me: my PlayStation and my phone, my life really. When my back hits the wall, what do I do to overcome it?
How do you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack and no possessions?
Cameron: I'm sort of excited. I am excited because never again we'll have this experience of not having anything. It's a scary thought because for my 19 years, all I’ve known safety of money. You can tap your card, or text someone to send you money. It's a scary feeling to wrap my around everything I've learned in 19 years is going down the drain and I've got to start from new.
Sade: My experience is a different thing entirely from Cameron’s because I've had to grind. I didn't start with mobile phones and just being able to tap to buy things. I'm looking forward to having to hustle. That kind of grit. I like that.
What home comforts will you miss?
Cameron: This is a really odd one, but shampoo and conditioner because I have really bad dry scalp. My shampoo, my condition and my hair oils - I'm actually gonna struggle without it. You're gonna see me itch in my head because my scalp is a mad one when I don't have them. We'll have to find something along the way, I'm sure, because I can't have any flakes. Also my PlayStation, obviously.but I would say top one now that I thought my shampoo and conditioner.
Sade: For me it's coffee. I'm already dreading the thought of not being able to wake up every morning and have a fresh brewed coffee. It's killing me. And then just the kind of basic things, just like your bed, your shower. It takes me probably about two hours in the morning to really get going. I have to wake up, have a coffee and then just sit in silence for a bit in peace. That's my vibe. It's not gonna be that on the run. We'll readjust very quickly, I think.
How big a factor is the prize money for you? If you manage to avoid capture, what would you spend your winnings on?
Cameron: I'll be very smart and I would put most of it aside for my savings, so I can actually put a deposit down for a mortgage. Just so at a young age, I can be on the property ladder, because it's scary times we are living in. I would want to give myself that head start in in life really. I would also treat my mum to something nice. Go to a nice West End musical or something like that just to say thank you for everything for the 19 years. And then also just go on a shopping spree like get new shoes, new clothes and go on a few little holidays. Enjoy my teenage years.
Sade: Mine's not as exciting. It will probably be invested into my business. To be able to take my foot off the gas a lot sooner than I would be. I don't want to work up until I'm 60. I'd rather ease up a little bit sooner. I’d pump it into my business so that we can expand a lot quicker and then just enjoy the fruits of my labour.
Steve (60) and Beth (23)
Steve lives in Essex and Beth has recently moved to Manchester
Relationship: Father and Daughter
Occupation: Steve is a construction business owner and Beth is a quantity surveyor
All information correct at time of filming
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
Steve: We like the idea of the competition. Also, spending some time with my daughter. It's an experience which I'm never going to repeat again. We hope to raise some money for charity off the back of it.
Beth: We’re doing it to charity, but also for me I'll be spend time with my dad. It’ll be an experience to prove to my dad that I'm not as naive as he thinks I am.
What do each of you think you’ll bring to your Hunted partnership?
Beth: I think I'll bring a sense of modernity basically just being down with the kids. 21st Century tech and all that. My dad's a bit of dinosaur. I think I'll be able to prove to him and other people that you don't have to necessarily like slum it to beat the Hunters. You don't have to sleep and feel. The map.
Steve: I want to prove to Beth that dinosaurs are not dead. There are still a few of us floating around. Beth has been very lucky. She's had a very privileged life, where I hadn't at her age, so I really wanted to try and strip her back and make her realise what it's like to rough it. Beth never had to rough it. That will be very interesting - I think we'll be having a few battles along the line.
Are you worried about falling out?
Steve: There's going to be a lot of compromise. Bethany thinks she's new age and I'm old money, so we will be having a few disagreements along the line. Every couple of hours, I think!
Beth: Yeah, I think so too. We haven't lived together since properly since I was about 12 or 13. It will be difficult. The challenge could be spending a lot of time with my dad living in each others pockets.
Steve: Bethany has always been a very opinionated child. That’s the best way put it [laughs]. The way to combat that was to send her to a private school many miles away, so she couldn't come home every weekend. And I think she's trying to pay me back for it!
When you're on the run, what sort of tactics do you think you're planning to use to evade the hunters?
Beth: I think we'll use our wit and our lack of – well MY lack of – geographical skills. We've got a wide range of contacts all over the country that are willing to help us, and I think that's good.
Steve: I think we're very outgoing people as well. I'd like to think people are going to take pity on us. They take pity on me if they see me with Beth! Obviously only having one ear might be an advantage, so I'll play on that for a while, I think. We're not going to stay in many places for too long. I'm a great believer in living out in the wild outdoors, and Beth believes we're going to hop from hotel to hotel.
Are there things you’ve seen in previous Hunted series that you’d like to adopt – or avoid?
Beth: We want to avoid getting caught. So that might be a good start [laughs]!
Steve: What I would avoid, which I've noticed some people have done, is going to camp in somebody's back garden. The only way back out of the property would be around the side gate. So wherever we go, we want to make sure we've got at least two escape routes. We don't want to stay anywhere too long. We won't stay there for more 24 hours and there's going to be no structure to our pattern. We’ll just try and confuse whoever's trying to look for us. If we're going down the road, we may occasionally stop and go back up the road.
What life/career experience/s have you had that you think would give you the edge over the hunters and other fugitives?
Beth: I have no life skills! Off top of my head, I don't have any life skills. I can make a roast dinner and wash my clothes, and go shopping. That's about it. So for me, that's a downside. I don't actually benefit the team in that way.
So will you be relying on your dad to help you on the way?
Beth: Well, yeah, I am. I'm relying on my looks to get me lifting people and I can just pretend I'm a distressed girl on the side of the road. So that's probably the only thing I'll bring to the team and laughter. I’ll crack a. Few jokes here and there.
What about you, Steve?
Steve: I spent seven years in the army. I did surveillance when I was in the army, so I know what it's like to live out and hide in in a place for a few days at a time. Mind you, that was 30-odd years ago, but I still think it was yesterday. I don't mind roughing it. I don't mind getting wet – I love it when it rains. The worse the weather, the happier I am. I think that's what I bring to the team because Beth, when it starts raining, goes indoors. I've got to try and pull her along with me.
Do you think your surveillance experience will help with seeing things from a Hunter’s perspective?
Steve: Yeah, I think I can anticipate the way they're going. The way they're going to try to trap us. That's why we've just got to have no pattern to it. That way we're working day-to-day. I like to think, as far as surveillance and entrapped evasion, I think I'm OK with it. I've evaded my wife for 25 years in the same house! [laughs]
How confident are you in your abilities? Do you think you have what it takes to make it to the end?
Beth: I think we definitely do. We both have a very strong-willed mentality, and we would both fight to the bitter end. I would do anything to not get caught. I don't care who I've got to push in my way. There's no way they're catching me, and my dad's the same.
Steve: We're both very, very competitive and we're not in it to lose. We've not come along for just for the experience. It is going to be fantastic, but we actually genuinely believe we're going to win.
What do you think the experience of being on the run will be like?
Beth: I think it's gonna be. I think it's been quite difficult, maybe more difficult than I've anticipated, but I'm trying not to think about it too much and just take every day as it comes. Hopefully I can adapt to my surroundings and see the bigger picture that I'm doing it for good cause, and I want to win.
Steve: I'm not going to underestimate the hunters because they're very good at what they do. But having said that, I will be concerned. I will always be on edge for every day I'm out in the field. I'll be on edge that around the next corner, they might be there. I know it's going to be a challenge. We're both up for it, but I think it’ll be mentally draining to think that at any moment, you could possibility could be caught.
How do you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack and no possessions?
Beth: Horrendous. Awful. The fact that I can't take my skincare is really starting to panic me. It’s finally sort of sinking in now, but also the fact that I can't get my weekly blow-dries and all my other beauty treatments is really starting to panic me. And dad told me I can only take one pair of shoes with me, which is also as concerning. So, I'm really struggling to come to terms with that. I think I will struggle.
Steve: When we packed our backpacks – well, when I packed my backpack, because Bethany has decided she's not going to have a backpack, she's taking a designer handbag – Bethany asked if I had room in my backpack for seven outfits and three pairs of trainers. You know, that was the first awakening for her. I said no. It's going to be interesting.
What home comforts will you miss?
Beth: Three home-cooked meals every single day, Diet Coke, watching Vampire Diaries, having a bath, going to the gym… Do you want me to Carry on? I'm going to miss everything. But just you wait, I am going to get my hair done and get my nails done. I'm not forgoing my beauty treatments just because I'm a fugitive.
Steve: I'm quite a simple person. All I'm going to miss is my ice lollies. I love having an ice lolly each night and a bag of wine gums. I'm not a drinker. I don't smoke, but every night I have about four ice lollies. I've got four over there. Technology? Computers? I don't even own a computer. Everything's on my phone, my and to be wants to walk away from a phone for a couple of weeks. It’ll be fantastic for me it's going to be good. For Beth, I think it's going to be like an awakening.
Beth, it sounds like you’re hoping to keep up some of your real life rather than totally roughing it. How do you think that might work on the run?
Beth: I think having such an extensive beauty regime, I've got such a good community of beauty therapists that have my back and I'm obviously very loyal client, so I think I'm going to be able to wheeze my way around the country with my nail lady and do what I need to do. I'm going to prove to people that, yeah, you can look glam while being on the run. We're in the 21st century for Christ's sake. Don't tell me that people in prison can't get their nails done because I know they can.
How big a factor is the prize money for you? If you manage to avoid capture, what would you spend your winnings on?
Steve: I've been through cancer – four years ago. Luckily, I'm a survivor of it, but there’s a good friend of ours, who's got a young son who went through cancer at six years old. When this opportunity of doing hunting come up, we thought that giving a share of £100,000 to her children's cancer charity would make me feel good. It just made me feel like I'm giving something back. I’d feel like I've won a million personally by giving away £100,000. Although the money's not for us, I think that drives me on more, because I feel that I've got to get the money. It's more important I get money for the charities than myself.
How much do you want to be there at the end as winners?
Beth: It's not even a debatable topic. We're gonna win. We will crawl across the finish line if we have to. We've got to win.
Steve: We will be totally motivated right up until the end.