HUNTED SERIES 8 PRESS PACK
Category: Press PackProgramme information
HUNTED returns Sunday 12th October at 9pm on Channel 4.
14 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 former Detective Superintendent of the Thames Valley Police, Ray Howard. Ray has led many complex investigations. Now he oversees a handpicked team of top police, military personnel and cyber security experts, armed with the powers of the state which includes CCTV, ANPR, Facial Recognition technology, helicopters, surveillance drones, tracker dogs and mobile phone monitoring.
In one of the most closely monitored countries in the world, where will the fugitives hide?
EPISODE 1 - Sunday 12th October, 9pm
14 civilians turned fugitive must make a daring escape from Stansted Airport and stay on the run for 21 days to win a share of £100,000. In hot pursuit is Chief Ray Howard and his army of brainy and brawny hunters who will stop at nothing to catch their prey.
Unknown to the fugitives, every move they make is tracked by facial recognition cameras as they travel through the terminal building. Ray immediately deploys his helicopter and ground teams to the airport, giving the fugitives just minutes to escape before the hunters arrive on scene.
Following an agonizing wait at baggage reclaim, the fugitives eventually race into the arrivals hall in a bid for freedom. The first out and acutely aware of the peril they’re in, are sisters Emma (38) & Jenni (34) who attempt to hitch out of the area; Mother & daughter Saffron (25) & Dionne (55) buy a bus ticket which instantly alerts HQ of their route and final destination; Farmers Andrew (51) & Robin (37) recognize the severity of their predicament and with the hunter helicopter hovering just above their heads wish they’d applied for Bake Off; Newly engaged sweethearts Cameron (27) & Simran (28), are road-testing their relationship as a modern-day Bonnie & Clyde, but the hunters have other plans for them; Bristolian duo Sean (47) and Marie (43) don disguises and make a speedy getaway by train…. Partially sighted Ste (47) and his best mate Chris (46) decide to spend the little money they have to get out of dodge but are recorded on ANPR at the first hurdle. However, it is Warren (35) & Shaq (31), two brothers-in-law from south London, who find themselves unable to lose the hunters’ crosshairs. Trapped like rats in a carriage on the Stansted Express they are desperate for the train to leave on time as the hunters come hurtling towards the ticket gates …
HUNTERS
Ray Howard Q&A
Ray is Chief Hunter at Hunted HQ
What is your favourite part about filming Hunted?
My favourite part about filming Hunted is the thrill of the chase. Every series brings new challenges and unpredictable moments, which keeps the excitement alive. The teamwork and strategy involved in tracking down the fugitives is tough but also very rewarding. The team is incredible and brings together some of the most capable people from the policing, military, cyber, and analysis disciplines. It’s an experience that keeps us guessing as much as the audience, we never quite know what is coming next with the fugitives.
What keeps you coming back each series?
It’s always an intense experience and I enjoy the adrenaline rush and the satisfaction of outsmarting the fugitives, sometimes we get them and sometimes we don’t but there is a real thrill in the chase. I think the dynamic nature of the show ensures that no two series are the same. That constant evolution is what we all thrive on; different contestants bring new challenges, new solutions, and new captures. The extraction is always exciting and it’s always great to see how the fugitives are planning to make their final escape. We work our socks off to sweep up as many as we can before the clock ticks down.
In three words, what can viewers look forward to?
Suspense, Strategy, Excitement. And if I can add a fourth, a bit of Fun too.
Without giving anything away, what was the most surprising moment of the
series?
Without revealing too much, there is a brand-new aspect to the show that took us all by surprise. It introduces a new element of decision-making for the contestants, involving huge risks and huge rewards for the fugitives brave enough to try. This was a game- changing move and kept us all on the edge of our seats, but you’ll have to watch to see if it works out for them!
Georgina “George” Bradley Q&A
Georgina is Head of Ops at Hunted HQ
What is your favourite part about filming Hunted?
Having a new set to film in was very exciting, I also really enjoyed working with the HQ team. The atmosphere and camaraderie were electric and exciting. The wit was sharp and acerbic as always and I laughed a lot. The pace of the series was unbelievable; my heart felt at times like it would stop beating as it struggled to cope with the constant surges of adrenaline.
What keeps you coming back each series?
Personally, I love the professional challenge. My job is to know where everyone is and deploy the Ground Hunters. I am responsible for thinking strategically, making complicated and immediate operational decisions. I am often pushed to my limits with logistical challenges. I must communicate (under intense pressure) with several assets at the same time. I don’t always manage to keep my cool! The pressure is very real. You really must always be on top of your game.
In three words, what can viewers look forward to?
Suspense, Shock, Surprise!
Without giving anything away, what was the most surprising moment of the
series?
Hunted is a well-oiled machine, however, to keep viewers tuning in and wanting more, there is a fresh and exciting twist. Be prepared for an act of the daring, where the fugitives need to find their courage to reap the rewards. The extraction is mind blowing!
Abbie (Abi) Barrett Q&A
Abi is The Deputy / Head of Intelligence at Hunted HQ
What is your favourite part about being part of Hunted?
I essentially did a very similar job and role whilst in the military for seven years. I’ve been out the military for about a year now, so it was good fun getting to apply those skills and expertise once again, albeit this time in a slightly less lethal manner… The best part however, was getting to work with the talented individuals both behind and in front of the camera. Everyone involved was evidently at the top of their game, and when such high performers come together to achieve a goal, it’s unbelievably satisfying and good fun too.
Why did you choose to take part in Hunted?
I heard a rumour that there were more fugitives than ever and less time to catch them so I thought Ray might need a little bit of extra help this year! I’ve watched the show previously and have always wondered how it’s all done - I was expecting it to be all fake and artificial, but I was in for a shock when we actually had to conduct thorough investigations and intelligence operations! The jumping up and down like kids at Christmas at the time of a capture is a true and genuine feeling too; I didn't think I would get that emotional or caught up in it all, but it feels like real life when you’re in HQ! I could NOT wait to capture these fugitives (some more than others in particular cases…).
In three words, what can viewers look forward to?
Scooters, Cows, Drones.
Without giving anything away, what was the most surprising moment of the
series.
1) No paddleboards or kayaks were used at any point…
2) I don’t know whether this is a good or bad thing, but the extent to which the British public are willing to help fugitives on the run…
FUGITIVES
Andrew and Robin Q&A
Andrew (51) and Robin (37)
Andrew and Robin both live in West Dorset
Relationship: Friends
Occupation: Andrew is a Farmer and Robin is and Agricultural Electrician
All information correct at time of filming
Describe your experience in three words.
ANDREW: Phenomenal, Sensational, Thrilling.
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
ROBIN: I'm hugely competitive. I would say, of all people I know, I would be the most competitive person. It was a real chance to see whether I could do it and more importantly, if anything, it was the adventure. I love an adventure. I like taking it different from the norm and the idea of going on Hunted and being chased by the best in the business, for me, was what it was all about. And, of course, getting to spend time with a good friend.
ANDREW: Well, for me, much the same as Rob, really. It was just the thought of an amazing adventure. My life has been very regimented. On the family farm here, I am a sixth generation. You know, farming is what we do here. And since the age of six years old, I was always destined to work on the farm, doing the same sort of jobs every season.
There's a bit of variety every day, you know, working with animals and competing against the weather and just trying get the crops to grow. And yeah, it was just something totally different that I'd never done before.
I wanted to prove, as well, to a lot of people that we are not just farmers with a bit of straw hanging out of his mouth, that I've actually got a little bit of something else and that I could survive that. That I could thrive in a totally alien environment.
What did you bring to your Hunted partnership?
ROBIN: Well, first of all, the humour and the chatty side. I don't I think I brought along a strategy and the need to focus on the game. Yeah, I like to bring fun to the competition. A perfect yin and yang, I'd say.
ANDREW: I brought confidence and really, a desire to have really good fun on this. We had both done a lot of prep for this, so we were very well prepared. But we've got quite an interesting dynamic. You know, Robin is 13 years my junior and so he's much more athletic and driven and I'm more of a laid-back character. So, if things got quite heated, I thought I'd have been the one that was relaxed and take a more laid-back approach to things.
Did you think you’d approach challenges in the same direction as your partner?
ROBIN: I thought that we would end up essentially making the same plans. We didn't really have any disagreements the whole time. We basically had a good chat in the morning of what we were going to do that day. And we support each other, even in the times when we had a minor difference in opinions in where we should be going.
ANDREW: You see, I don't like conflict, so I'll do anything to avoid conflict. And if it means I've got a back down from doing the right thing then I'm happy to do the wrong thing.
What did you do to prepare for going on the run?
ANDREW: We had months and months of preparation for this. I stumbled across a podcast called The Hunted Podcast and I listened to 78 episodes in the tractor through the dry spring this year, listening to interviews from ex-hunters, from ex-fugitives, the production staff, even the referee. So, I was building up the knowledge, it was like finding the Enigma machine.
We had an idea of what we needed to do and what would work. So, we started signing up associates and friends who were quite distant from us, some from all around the country, because we never knew where we were going to get dropped. We had a whole network right the way across the country of old school friends. We were so well prepared for what was going to happen, but we didn't let on how well prepared we were.
ROBIN: My prep really was just to stay reasonably fit. I found quite a lot of the time having no plan was probably the best plan we had.
Were you a fan of the series before taking part? Did you adopt any tactics from previous series/contestants?
ROBIN: I'm a huge fan of the show. It's probably one of the only reality shows, TV shows, that I've actually watched all the way through. And, yeah, I think, the content of it is great. I certainly didn't knowingly do anything anyone else did, quite simply because I think what we did was so random, a lot of the time it would be hard to replicate.
ANDREW: I think what we were relying on was common sense. We just assumed that they were on our tail all the time. And so, we were doing everything we could to make a clean break and to cover any tracks. Deleting a phone call or trying not to use phones, that was the major thing you know. If we were turning up at someone's house, we would just turn up.We would not ring ahead. So, we would just try and do as much as we could off the top of our heads and trying to use the common sense of leaving no trace and leaving none of these, what they call, “digital breadcrumbs”.
Did you have a preconceived idea of what being on the run would be like? Was the reality similar or different to this idea?
ROBIN: I found being away from home was actually probably a bigger question for me. I found being on the run a piece of cake. It didn't worry me at all [being on the run], but I found being away from home very tough.
ANDREW: I thought that being hunted would have been a lot harder than it was. It just became, I don't want to say easy because we had to walk ten miles a day in extreme heat, and we didn't know where we were going to stay, but we had the sort of confidence that things are going to be all right. And it just became an adventure.
I was so worried before we started about how we were going to cope, where we were going to go, where we were going to sleep, how we were going to eat. And, turned out, we had a cooked meal every day, we had a beer in our hand every night and we had a bed most nights. I never envisaged it was going to be like that.
How did you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack, and no possessions?
ROBIN: Wasn't worried about at all. My phone doesn't stop ringing. Going off all day. So, for me, it was a real reset, and I loved every bit of it. The idea of no phone, anything like that, I think everyone should do it.
What home comforts did you miss?
ROBIN: My family.
ANDREW: Same for me.
How big a factor was the prize money for you?
ANDREW: I think it's probably a bit more for me than it was Robin. I don't think I'd have entered if there wasn't prize money. I couldn't have justified the time off work and the sacrifices that my family made for me to do this. I wouldn't have done it had there not been this huge prize fund, you know. It would take me about nine years of milking cows to earn that sort of money. It was a huge motivation.
ROBIN: For me, it was never about the money. I mean, the money would be lovely, of course. Who wouldn't want that? That’s my opportunity to hit some of the mortgage off and take the kids away and, you know, just have a bit of a cover blanket.
But for me, it wasn’t about the money. For me, it was purely about winning something. I mean, first and foremost I love competition, and I hate losing. So, to go on this game, was never about the big pay check at the end.
How confident were you in your abilities before setting off?
ANDREW: Well, we were so relaxed, you know, we were playing pool on the morning of the launch. We were fit, we were healthy, we were focused, and we were relaxed. We had done all the preparation.
For me, I can say my only nervous moment was the first hour or so because I knew if we could get away from The Hunters then, it was on.
We just didn't feel nervous. We didn't feel anxious. We just felt relaxed and ready, and we had we had our kit. We knew what we're going to do.
ROBIN: To fill the gaps, it wasn't arrogance that made us like that, it was just that felt we confident in what we were about to do. You know, I think good preparation really is what caused that.
ANDREW: And Robin's obviously a fast, superior runner and a lot fitter. So, you know, I was struggling to keep up with him a bit when we were leaving and that made me a little bit tired. And then when you're tired you become a little bit emotional and irrational. And so, I got on a bit of a flap. But once that passed, we were away, so we were relaxed.
Without giving anything away, what was your favourite part about being on the run?
ANDREW: My favourite part was not knowing what lay ahead that day. You had a rough plan, but you didn’t know where you were going to sleep at the end of that night and who you were going to meet. We had a couple of times when we actually did have a plan, I think maybe 2 or 3 days.
ANDREW: My faith in humanity after what we've just done is fully restored. We were just talking to people on the street. They put us up in a bed, give us a glass of wine and cook breakfast in the morning. I mean, it was unbelievable, really.
People generally want to help. Even people who haven't seen the show wanted to help. And yeah, that was great.
ROBIN: My favourite part of the whole thing has got to be the unknown. And just like a real survival kicks in in the morning, ‘okay, this is what we're going to do. And if we got to adapt, we will.’ And I think we're very good at adapting.
Jenni and Emma Q&A
Jenni (34) and Emma (38)
Jenni lives in Barnsley and Emma lived in Harrogate
Relationship: Sisters
Occupation: Jenni is a Prison Officer and Emma is a Business Owner
All information correct at time of filming
Describe your experience in three words.
JENNI: Wowzers, Heart-warming, Inspiring.
EMMA: Challenging, Heart-warming, Adventure-filled.
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
JENNI: I'll be honest, I never wanted to do it. It was all Emma. I just humoured Emma.
EMMA: I’ve always wanted to go on Hunted; I’m such a big fan of the show. I just thought it'd be a really unique experience and something that would be really great to do with Jenni actually.
JENNI: I'd never seen the show, so I just said yes to applying, thinking there's no way that me and Emma are going to get on the show. But then we did.
EMMA: Happy surprise.
What did you bring to your Hunted partnership?
EMMA: I would say I'm probably more organized. And I would say I'm the leader and Jenni’s the follower.
JENNI: Absolutely, you’re the shepherd and I’m the sheep. I brought the humour and the personality… I think we bounced off each other quite well, don’t you?
EMMA: Yeah, yeah.
Did you think you’d approach challenges in the same direction as your partner?
EMMA: No, I think all Jenni wanted to do when we were on the road was go stay at my in-laws’ house because they've got a really nice house!
JENNI: That’s correct.
EMMA: Jenni just wanted a holiday, I think. So she got a bit of a shock.
Were you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
JENNI: I wasn't worried because we’re sisters and we disagree a lot. We know how each other works, don’t we. So, yeah, I can just tell by looking at Emma and vice versa if she's in a mood or not.
EMMA: I wasn't worried at all about disagreeing or arguing. I think as siblings, it's easy to just say, ‘shush, you're annoying me’.
What did you do to prepare for going on the run?
EMMA: We spent a small fortune on outdoor camping equipment. Jenni just moaned the whole time we had to camp outside, so it was a waste of money.
JENNI: All I did was panic. Even the night before, I was thinking,’ what are we doing?’.
EMMA: And we didn't have a plan. I tried to kind of come up with a bit of a plan and a route, but it’s actually so hard to do that because you just don't know what every day is going to throw at you all.
Were you a fan of the series before taking part? Did you adopt any tactics from previous series/contestants?
JENNI: The only thing I'd seen of the series was bits and bobs on Gogglebox. I didn't watch it at all. And then when I knew we were going on it, I didn't want to watch it because I was getting so anxious about going on it.
EMMA: Yeah, I watched a lot of Hunted.
Did you have a preconceived idea of what being on the run would be like? Was the reality similar or different to this idea?
EMMA: I think it could have been like far worse. We managed to find shelter and meet people to stay with. We were never just in a park somewhere. It was definitely what I thought it would be, but probably a little bit better.
In terms of having a really good time and enjoying ourselves and moving every day and meeting new people and trying to avoid CCTV and technology.
JENNI: Yeah, I had a blast. There was only one day when I was like, ‘oh my God, what are we doing?’. The one thing that really got me is that you’re stripped of everything, like your mobile phone, your friends, your family. You’re stripped of everything and that was probably more challenging than anything.
How did you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack, and no possessions?
JENNI: I must admit that setting off with nothing didn't really bother me. What did bother me was the idea that every night that we were on the run, at the time leading up to maybe 5:00, when we knew we had to keep our heads down and be somewhere, when we didn't have a clue where we were or what we were doing, that was scary.
But it was also quite nice. I think it was scary in the respect that we’d get somewhere, and we wouldn't know where we were or how to get to the next place. I think what I found scary is realising how much you rely on a phone.
EMMA: We only had a basic map; I think that was quite challenging. Just not knowing how to get somewhere, which is something really simple in your everyday life because you just put Google Maps on.
What home comforts did you miss?
JENNI: I missed my washing machine, my electric toothbrush, and my shower.
EMMA: I really missed my husband and son, Callum.
JENNI: And I really missed my dog, my washing machine and my dog.
How big a factor was the prize money for you?
EMMA: I think initially, before we set off, the prize money was massive to me because I had a six-month-old baby, and I wanted to come home with something that would set him up for life. But actually, I think when we then started on the road, the prize money just wasn't in part of it, for me personally. It would have been lovely, don't get me wrong, but it was about the experience.
JENNI: I wasn't thinking about the prize money whatsoever because I just thought as long as we can get day by day done, then you don't miss what haven't got. Don't get me wrong, everyone thinks about winning the lottery and spending that. But you don't have it, so you don't miss it.
How confident were you in your abilities before setting off?
EMMA: I thought we'd either call it on day one or get to the end.
JENNI: I think I probably thought it would be easier than it was to just like disappear.
Was there anything about the experience that surprised you?
EMMA: I think what surprised me the most is how kind people were. Everyone we met was so lovely. And I think that was a massive shock, I never expected that you could just go up to someone in a car park and that you'd end up staying at their house, and they’d feed you and do your washing and be so accommodating and so lovely.
JENNI: And I suppose it opened my eyes up. I'm very cautious about just going up to strangers with my work and maybe judging people before I've spoken to them. But it really opened my eyes with how nice people actually are.
Without giving anything away, what was your favourite part about being on the run?
EMMA: My favourite part of being on the road was walking through fields of cows with Jenni.
JENNI: My favourite part was probably traveling through Scotland with you [Emma]. I had a ball. I didn't want to leave Scotland. My favourite part of it was seeing how nice the UK can be.
EMMA: There's no way I would have done something like this off my own back. It’s really cliche, but it actually a life changing experience.
Cameron and Simran Q&A
Cameron (27) and Simran (28)
Cameron and Simran live in Wolverhampton
Relationship: Couple - Engaged
Occupation: Cameron is a Decorator and Simran is a Social Media Manager
All information correct at time of filming
Describe Your experience in three words:
CAMERON: Adrenaline, Paranoia, Luck.
SIMRAN: Exhilarating, Challenging, Transformative.
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
SIMRAN: I really wanted to challenge myself. Every single person I told that I was going on Hunted, the very first thing they said was, ‘we get why Cameron's doing it, but like, you're not going to be able to do that’. So, I really wanted to challenge myself and push myself to see if I could do it. I think that was my main motivation for going on the show.
CAMERON: It’s not every day that you get to take a month off work and run around the country! I like a challenge, and I like to see how far I can take things. So that was my initial thought process on it.
What did you bring to your Hunted partnership?
SIMRAN: I would say you [Cameron] kept me level-headed. There were moments where I totally lost my head and just got stuck. Kind of like I was very erratic. And you [Cameron] helped bring me back down to earth.
CAMERON: I'm just along for the ride. And I really did think that was the way it was going to be. I think it became real, literally an hour in, like we were both so panicked. Neither of us was really thinking straight. So, I suppose we I would say it was very, very 50/50 of us keeping each other even remotely sane and level-headed.
SIMRAN: It’s hard to make snap decisions. So, I would say you [Cameron] came up with the logical ideas. And then I added thought and strategy to it. In a metaphorical way, I feel like I was like the engine, and you [Cameron] were the pilot. You need both to make it work.
Did you think you’d approach challenges in the same direction as your partner?
SIMRAN: No, definitely not. I think we're very, very different people so I thought we would tackle challenges completely different. I was genuinely concerned that this entire TV experience was going to break this relationship! I thought we were going to argue the entire time and just disagree on everything.
CAMERON: We disagree on a lot, but I don't think we argued very much. But it was a lot harder than I thought. We definitely executed things differently.
Were you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
SIMRAN: We did argue the whole first day. We were just at odds with each other. The one thing with me is that we do quite often clash, especially with the nature of this show. But even if we clash, like in real life as well, we always come back to each other.
I think what’s difficult about the show is that you don’t have that time to decompress, personal time, so you never had like a minute to just be like, ‘oh, you pissed me off and you said this today…’ or something like that.
CAMERON: The stakes were high. I was definitely worried that we wouldn't have downtime to reconnect if we did argue, and it was inevitable that we were going to.
What did you do to prepare for going on the run?
SIMRAN: I think it became abundantly obvious that we were probably one of the only couples that hadn't done anything. We were just trying to be as adaptable as possible. We had a very loose idea of what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go, but we truly leaned into the whole ‘plan to have no plan’. Stumbling into the right opportunities.
CAMERON: We kept saying, ‘if we don't know what we're doing, then how are the Hunters going to be able to know what we're doing?’. That's what we were thinking. But we really struggled with the geography of the country, bearing in mind we've both lived here all our lives. Like we had no idea. We didn't know North from East. We were massively underprepared, knowledge wise.
Were you a fan of the series before taking part? Did you adopt any tactics from previous series/contestants?
SIMRAN: Once we knew we were going on the show, we binge watched it. A lot of the time in the back of my head was that every time someone goes home or phone's home, that's the biggest big beacon to where you are. So, I think one of the biggest challenges for me was knowing that I couldn’t do that.
CAMERON: Kind of similar, I would say that watching the show taught me all the ways that other people got caught and the mistakes they made. You sort of make note of those things and try not to do it yourself, although in actual practice it proved much more difficult not to repeat the same mistakes other people made.
Did you have a preconceived idea of what being on the run would be like? Was the reality similar or different to this idea?
SIMRAN: I thought that we would be in a lot worse places than we actually ended up being, accommodation wise. I think our experience might have been a little bit more glamorous in other people's!
CAMERON: I would say that my perception of how the Hunters would be was different. I totally underestimated their ability to preplan. In the back of my mind, I thought if they find us, I will just run and not stop but I totally underestimated how they would literally swarm from all angles.
How did you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack, and no possessions?
CAMERON: I just kept thinking, how is that physically possible? You have to do a lot of ‘beg, borrow & thieving’ to get around. But that's the part I was excited about is I thought to myself, it feels like a massive game of hide and seek with all these funny little roles. And I just thought, in normal life, you're not going to run up to someone, in Starbucks or something and be like, ‘will you give me a lift?’.
So, it's almost like you get this bubble to sort of play around in society in a way you wouldn't usually. I've realized that having less, in some ways, gives you more.
SIMRAN: We were more creative, more outgoing and more willing to take risks because you thought, ‘well, I've got to stay safe’. If I had had my phone, we would have been caught in an hour or so. I would have made a Tik-Tok or something.
What home comforts did you miss?
CAMERON: Our bed. Our bed and our cats, I would say.
SIMRAN: I would say privacy. I don't I think we both realized how much we needed silence and just quiet time. And the normal stuff; I really wanted to have a bath, a really hot bath.
The other thing I would say is you realize how many normal things take for granted, being able to talk to people, have unlimited access to things on your phone, food, water, shower.
How big a factor was the prize money for you?
SIMRAN: I knew I would appreciate the challenge and the experience regardless of the money. But at the same time, we could pay for our wedding and a honeymoon. So, I would say it was 50/50 motivation.
CAMERON: I would say we wanted to experience it, but the money would have been nice. The money's there for a reason, it’s an inevitable motivation.
How confident were you in your abilities before setting off?
SIMRAN: I have absolutely no faith in myself at all. Like, I'm allergic to walking down the street. I was like, there's no way I'm going to do this.
CAMERON: I was quietly confident, not like too much. But I was also confident that you'd [Simran] do really well. I knew you'd [Simran] do better than you were expecting from yourself. And I believe you did ten times better than what you thought.
Was there anything about the experience that surprised you?
SIMRAN: What surprised me the most was my own attitude towards the experience. In normal life I would most likely give up a lot faster. For example, if I was tired or losing patience I could just go somewhere and have a sit down, eat, relax and then carry on. This experience forces you to keep pushing because you're constantly being hunted.
CAMERON: One of the things I found most surprising is how many complete strangers were willing to help us in any way possible. So many people gave up their time, their money, and their resources, just to help us along the way. As well as this, I actually found it surprisingly difficult to constantly keep our tracks and movements hidden, it really is difficult to disappear with modern technology!
Without giving anything away, what was your favourite part about being on the run?
SIMRAN: I loved the chaos, actually it was a love hate relationship with the chaos. You don't even feel like a member of society. Suddenly all the rules are different, and the stakes are higher. It was super exhilarating! I wish I could do it again, there's so much I'd do differently.
CAMERON: My favourite part of being in the run was purely the challenge of it all. It was new and exciting and I felt every emotion possible during my time on the run. Each day, each moment, presented a new obstacle to overcome and from that I gained a new sense of resilience!
Sean and Marie Q&A
Sean (47) and Marie (43)
Sean and Marie live in Bristol
Relationship: Couple - Married
Occupation: Sean is a Sweep Driver and Maria is a Team Leader in Insurance
All information correct at time of filming
Describe your experience in three words
MARIE: Epic, Grateful, Exciting.
SEAN: Emotional, Experience, Crazy.
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
MARIE: We’ve always been fans of the show; we’ve watched every series that has come out. It just looked really fun to do. And we thought we'd be smart enough to outsmart The Hunters.
SEAN: I wanted to take part in Hunted because I saw it as a challenge that I could overcome.
What did you bring to your Hunted partnership?
MARIE: I think it was very clear that I was more of the brains of the operation, and Sean was more of the brawn.
SEAN: I brought strength to our partnership.
Did you think you’d approach challenges in the same direction as your partner?
MARIE: No, I knew we would argue at every decision I made. And that's exactly what we did.
SEAN: No, I knew we would bicker. I knew we would approach challenges differently; we were prepared for that.
Were you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
MARIE: I wasn’t worried about getting into disagreements, as we do it all the time… and we did!
What did you do to prepare for going on the run?
MARIE: We didn't. We didn't get ready. I mean, obviously we got some camping equipment together. That was about it.
SEAN: Yeah, that’s about it.
MARIE: Yeah, we didn't really prepare a lot. We just got camping equipment together, a burner phone, and then we were just going to use charm to get through it. I warned all my friends that if The Hunters come to their houses they’re to watch them closely because they may bug the house.
SEAN: And we got walkie talkies; they were a lifesaver.
Were you a fan of the series before taking part? Did you adopt any tactics from previous series/contestants?
MARIE: Oh yeah, absolutely. Big fans. Yeah, we took a few things from when I watched it. The people that were paranoid, you know, at the time, tend to get the furthest. So, I think that's where my paranoia came in. I was paranoid the whole time.
SEAN: We did have some associates lined up to help us and yeah, we just warned them all with the Hunters. When they come look in, don't leave them alone in your house.
Did you have a preconceived idea of what being on the run would be like? Was the reality similar or different to this idea?
SEAN: It was exactly how I imagined it.
MARIE: It wasn't for me. I didn't expect to feel so in the game as I was. I didn't expect to feel like I was being chased up the stairs constantly for the whole duration that I was on the run.
I did not expect for the general public to pull through for us like they did. I didn't expect that one, I thought it would be really difficult. But actually, it was quite easy. I mean, they would do stuff for us and then go above and beyond and even do things that we hadn't asked for.
SEAN: Yeah. It was an emotional rollercoaster, that’s all I can say about it.
How did you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack, and no possessions?
MARIE: It's scary having no phone, no money. However, I did not miss my phone. I didn't miss my phone at all.
SEAN: It's not a great feeling. Feeling like you're homeless and have nobody and nothing.
MARIE: Yeah, I suppose it's not having a sense of belonging for us. For me anyway, it was just that I had no sense of belonging anywhere.
SEAN: Everything you've worked for, your comforts, are taken away from you. And you're left high and dry basically, it’s an emotional rollercoaster.
MARIE: It did make me think like being homeless. This is what it must be like. Like having to rely on others to eat, to sleep, to make phone calls, well to do anything that, you know, that people do daily, having to rely on other people to be able to do that.
What home comforts did you miss?
MARIE: Everything. The biggest thing I missed was not so much a comfort. It was more my daughters I missed. And my dogs, my daughters and my dogs. And my hair straighteners.
SEAN: I just missed everything. My family, my house, my cars, everything. Everything you rely on for day-to-day necessities, everything.
How big a factor was the prize money for you?
MARIE: For me, it was the all and everything. That’s what got me through. There were many times I wanted to give up or I thought, ‘I don't know if I can do it anymore’. But winning that money kept me going.
SEAN: Really kept me going, yeah. That money at the end was what I had my eye on. I don’t think I would have done it otherwise.
How confident were you in your abilities before setting off?
MARIE: We had firm belief that we were going to win.
SEAN: All day, every day.
MARIE: We knew we had the tools and the resilience…
SEAN: And the ability to do it.
Was there anything about the experience that surprised you?
MARIE: The general public was the biggest surprise of the whole journey for me. The people that helped us, supported us, went above and beyond.
SEAN: The only thing that surprised me was the way it was played out… but you’ll have to watch to see what happens.
Without giving anything away, what was your favourite part about being on the run?
SEAN: Meeting nice people.
MARIE: Meeting lots of great people because we did meet some great, great people, didn't we? Also learning stuff about myself as well. I knew I was a strong person, but that just proved to me how strong I am. And how strong we are as a couple.
Ste and Chris Q&A
Ste (47) and Chris (46)
Sean and Marie live in Warrington
Relationship: Friends
Occupation: Ste is a Project Manager and Chris is a Charity Worker
All information correct at time of filming
Describe your experience in three words.
STE: Stimulating, Immersive, Challenging.
CHRIS: Intense, Exciting, Overwhelming.
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
STE: Being someone that's registered blind, you don't see people like me on TV. And if you do see blind people on TV, they’re only represented in a very classic sort of stereotype. And because I have some of my vision remaining in my right eye, I'm in kind of a unique position where I use a cane, but I can also see certain things.
And that’s a big motivational factor for me. Wanting to go on Hunted was to sort of break down that classic stereotype, because people like me are massively underestimated, even within the low vision community, not just on TV. So that was a big motivation for me personally.
CHRIS: It’s not something I would normally put myself out for. But Steve's a very persuasive person. I wanted to support him [Steve], be his guide and help him through it.
I've had my own challenges with mental health and emotional well-being. So, part of it was kind of living up to that challenge as well and showing people that mental health doesn't have to define you. You can still go out and do these challenges and achieve amazing things, even if you’re experiencing or you've been through challenges.
What did you bring to your Hunted partnership?
STE: I brought a calm, pragmatic determination.
CHRIS: I just brought anxiety, essentially, and worry and concern. No, you know, I think what I brought to it was, I think I saw a vision.
I think Steve and I work really well as a team because we both bring something slightly different, and we both challenge each other a little bit.
Did you think you’d approach challenges in the same direction as your partner?
CHRIS: Oh, no. Ste is a real kind of go get em’, determined and pragmatic. Whereas I need a little bit more convincing, need a bit more time to think about things.
One of the things that you'll see about us is how much agonize over decisions and talk through decisions but in a way that really challenges each other. We’re not scared or upset at each other.
STE: I knew we'd both approach it very differently. We're almost like two sides of a coin. And I thought that would be a healthy mix because we'd both have an alternative view to how we should do something. And I knew we'd be able to meet somewhere in the middle and hopefully that would make two brains better than one, instead of it just being heavily weighted towards one or the other.
Were you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
STE: I wasn't worried about getting into disagreements. I was kind of counting on it. Chris and I have been friends for 20 years. We've done a lot of crazy challenges that we probably shouldn't have done or been allowed to do.
And I know that we're both very comfortable in being honest and open to disagreeing with one another and totally okay battling it out. I can tell Chris exactly what I'm thinking. I don't have to worry about offending him, and he's not afraid to offend me or, you know, be honest. And I kind of knew that we would disagree quite a lot.
But I also know we've got such a strong bond, such a strong friendship, that we'd both be able to operate in that sort of honesty layer and come to a good mutual decision.
CHRIS: It'd be boring and dull if we’d just agreed all the time. You get the best outcomes and the best results by disagreeing and challenging each other. Whatever disagreements we were having, we always came through it and it tended to work in our favour.
What did you do to prepare for going on the run?
STE: Oof the main things we did was we really put a lot of thought into what our network would be and what locations we could possibly use, up and down the country. We worked out that, between us, we’ve got a very diverse group of friends and contacts because, although we're good friends, we both have separate circles and a friend of friends that we don't share.
So, between the two of us, that meant we discovered we had quite a good network across the country. We just tried to understand our network and the assets we had at our disposal.
CHRIS: One of the things that we didn't have to think about was being uncomfortable, whether it was wild camping, being out in the wild or being cold, damp and wet, because whenever we go on an adventure, we always have terrible weather and we put ourselves in that situation quite a lot, so we don't have to worry about that too much.
Were you a fan of the series before taking part? Did you adopt any tactics from previous series/contestants?
STE: Actually, one of the things we worked out from watching previous episodes is we noticed a pattern whereby if people use somebody, whether it's a friend or a member of the public, for more than one thing, that seemed to create a bit of a vector. So, if you use somebody for a lift and you use their phone, that would give sort of two points of data for The Hunters to zone in on.
CHRIS: Also, things like minimizing your mobile phone use, minimizing how much you use ATM machines, minimizing how much you’re on CCTV. Those we're the things that we picked up from watching the series.
And I think we had a strategy of trying not to leave any digital footprints. Trying not to leave any data that they could track us on.
Did you have a preconceived idea of what being on the run would be like? Was the reality similar or different to this idea?
STE: We had this preconceived idea that we were just going on the road and vanishing into the woods, and this would be quite easy. I kind of took it a bit too lightly in that it's just like one of our weekends away where it's going to be an adventure and we're going to wild camp and we're going to do sports and we're going to have fun.
CHRIS: You realize every morning that you don't know where you're going to sleep that night, you know there are challenges that you don't really consider. And so in amongst it all, so for me, it was completely different to what we expected. You know, it was hard work. It was graft. You are relying on strangers and members of the public for help, for everything.
How did you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack, and no possessions?
STE: It's a good question. I think Chris was looking forward to having a break from social media and not having his own phone. But then I think Chris, by literally the first ten minutes you regretted not having your phone.
CHRIS: There's something really liberating about not being tied to a mobile phone. Not having to check messages and emails and social media and all that kind of stuff. And I quite often will take gaps. I take breaks on social media just to clear my head a little bit and stay away because it can be quite toxic on it. So, I was actually quite excited about having that break. But that rapidly changed.
STE: And I was the opposite because I'd rely on my devices. If you think about me and Chris, Chris can just nip to a friend's house and go and see him if he wants to. My way of communicating with the world as a blind person is through social media, is through my phone. And on top of that, I use my phone very differently to Chris.
I use it for identifying objects, for reading the back of labels, for all kinds of stuff. So, for me, whilst Chris was looking forward to being stripped of all that technology, I was dreading it because I was thinking, ‘right, I'm not going to take my smart glasses. I'm not going be able to use my voice over app’.
I'm not going to have the seeing eye tools that I would normally use, and it's going to make me a lot more blind than what I typically am on a day-to-day basis, because it was not just taking my devices, it was taking my artificial sight away. Chris became my smartphone.
What home comforts did you miss?
CHRIS: So many. A bed, a sofa, a TV, you know, being able to cook every night. The house.
STE: I didn't really miss any comforts as such. We stayed quite comfortable, I would say, for most of it. I missed my social life. I missed friends and family, along with all my technology and my gadgets, my visual aids.
CHRIS: My wife and my kids were always on my mind. It was Father's Day while we were filming and Steve's dad's birthday so we both missed big family things. That's what hit us the most, I think.
How big a factor was the prize money for you?
CHRIS: Not really that much of a consideration. We weren't really bothered about that. I think for both of us, it was more about the challenge and the experience and more about trying to represent kind of our various communities, whether it was mental health, whether it was about self-upbringings, whether it was people in the low vision community. We wanted to make sure that we held our own and that we were good representatives of those communities.
STE: I’d love to win the money, but I think we’d love to win [the show] even more. And that was our main motivation. You know, like if there was no money, we would still have the same amount of appetite to win. It was all about the challenge for us.
And being a member of the low vision community, I just wanted to prove that I wouldn't be quite so easy to catch compared to what people would first think.
How confident were you in your abilities before setting off?
STE: We were confident going in. I think we thought we'd be a lot more physical, and we'd be able to rely on our fitness and our outdoor, skills and experience. But we weren't really able to leverage that in any way. So, I think we were very confident going in, and I don't think we were at all concerned about anything.
CHRIS: The challenge is so much more than what I thought it was. I thought it'd be mentally tough, but I don't think I was prepared for how emotionally challenging it was as well. And if you put those things together, you know, we probably were confident but hadn't really considered what the whole experience would expose us to.
Was there anything about the experience that surprised you?
CHRIS: What did surprise is the emotional toll it took. And, you know, they got me crying after five days. And I thought that might happen at some point, but I didn't think it happened so early on. So emotionally, it was really tough.
But a few days on from that, I found that I kind of I toughened up a little bit. And that's something that I've taken from the experience, is that it helped build some resilience and a little bit of toughness in me that I might not have known I had before.
STE: I think for me, what surprised me was how much we rely on technology, how much I can see once you take all my technology off me. And then, the weird thing that surprised me was we've both been away from our friends and family for long periods of time on, like, holidays or work trips, but what really surprised me was even after the first three days, it was so weird having zero contact. Because usually if you fly to another country, you can at least text home and say, we've landed safe or whatever, and you just get that little crumbs of information.
Without giving anything away, what was your favourite part about being on the run?
STE: My favourite part was how immersive the experience was. I don't think I'll ever get to do anything like that ever again.
CHRIS: I thought it was quite the adventure. It was one epic adventure that you cannot replicate. It was a bit of a once in a lifetime experience.
Warren and Shaq Q&A
Warren (35) and Shaq (31)
Warren and Shaq live in Brixton
Relationship: Brother-in-law
Occupation: Warren and Shaq are both Builders
All information correct at time of filming
Describe your experience in three words
SHAQ: Adventurous, Spontaneous, Rememberable.
WARREN: Thrilling, Provoking, Exciting.
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
SHAQ: It was my brother-in-law that brought it to my attention. So, when he told me about it, I saw it, and I thought, it'll be a good experience and a challenge for me to push myself to see how far I can go and test my abilities.
WARREN: To test myself and my abilities.
What did you bring to your Hunted partnership?
SHAQ: I'm an analytical thinker. When I'm in a position, I like to break things down and think outside of the box. Plan stuff. So that was my biggest contribution.
WARREN: I brought wisdom and diversity of knowledge and experience of the world and people’s behaviour.
Did you think you’d approach challenges in the same direction as your partner?
SHAQ: It's a tricky one. I would say yes and no depending on the circumstances. I would say that if we were faced with a challenge, my brother-in-law is the more confident one where he would take it on straight away, where with me, I would have to build up to taking it on, where I'd have to be like, ‘okay, what are we faced with?’.
WARREN: I never expected our reactions to be the same. I did expect to learn and grow, and this would develop our relationship along our journey.
Were you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
SHAQ: No, no, no. If he wanted to do something and I was against it, it would be okay. We would ask, ‘what are your reasons and why’. We were very understanding of each other. I would challenge whatever he would say, and he would challenge whatever I would say. And then we would both see each other's point of view and be like, ‘you know what? Yeah, it makes sense’. The good thing about us is that we are very understanding of each other.
WARREN: On the run, I didn’t expect to have anything negative come into play. I knew the ways in which we knew would be different but also how our differences would work to our advantage and make us successful.
What did you do to prepare for going on the run?
SHAQ: My plan was to go to the gym, to get fit, but because of work, I was just too busy. The only thing I did do was I had a conversation with myself, and I said, ‘When I'm on the run, I'm going to give it my all. I'm not just going to go in it half hearted. I'm going to give it 100%, face my fears, challenge myself and come out of it knowing that I gave it 100% and not half hearted’.
WARREN: I feel I was prepared for the show even before I knew we were going to be on it. I have always thought outside the box and enjoy solving problems.
Were you a fan of the series before taking part? Did you adopt any tactics from previous series/contestants?
SHAQ: I didn't know about the show before my brother-in-law told me about it, but when I did find out about the show, I will say I was the number one fan because I loved it. Did I take any tips? It wasn't really a tip, but I had someone be a decoy for me, pretend to be me, that was the only thing that I had done. Other than that, everything was in the moment.
WARREN: I binge watched the show to try to learn from previous contestants, however used what I learned as things not to do.
Did you have a preconceived idea of what being on the run would be like? Was the reality similar or different to this idea?
SHAQ: It was what I expected. But everyone's journey is unique, if you understand what I mean. It's like, the hunters are actually onto you. They desperately want to catch you. It's not. Oh. If they see you, they're going to let you go. In fact, no, they're really coming after you and they're going to put everything that they've got to find you.
At one point, it all started to feel real because before that, I hadn't seen the hunters. When I first saw them and they chased me, that's when everything became real. It's like, ‘okay, this is not a joke’.
WARREN: I had no idea how it would feel. I saw it as a game that I would play as a child just on a larger scale, for the foundation. The reality was much different.
How did you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack, and no possessions?
SHAQ: It makes you value it more because not having it makes you realize how beneficial they are in our day-to-day life. Like not having a phone. And even just having money for basic needs, like to eat and stuff like that. So, I value it more now that I have it back than before I went on the run.
WARREN: The reality of the situation hit when my mobile phone was removed from me and locked away. The thought of no connection and not having that lifeline within reach, that feeling was a mix of fear and freedom. It was strangely exciting.
What home comforts did you miss?
SHAQ: Coming home every day and seeing my family.
WARREN:
How big a factor was the prize money for you?
SHAQ: Before going on the show, the conversation I had with myself was that I was going to give the experience 100%. My goal was, I'm going on the show, give it 100% and win that prize money’. The prize money meant a lot to me as a father and as a husband because I would be able to financially provide for my family and be able to invest in myself, my children and my partner.
WARREN: It wasn’t a huge motivator for me. The opportunity to express my thoughts and theories, my greatest strengths, is what motivated me.
How confident were you in your abilities before setting off?
SHAQ: 50/50? In the beginning my confidence was low, but then it grew as the journey went on, day by day, by pushing, by facing challenges and pushing myself through them.
WARREN: My mind was set to no-doubt mode.
Was there anything about the experience that surprised you?
SHAQ: Yes. How helpful people were. Not my associates, but strangers. That was the biggest surprise. I'm still even shocked by It now.
WARREN: The cameras did surprise me a bit as I didn’t think too much about this before going on the show, especially having an entourage of cameras following you around!
Without giving anything away, what was your favourite part about being on the run?
SHAQ: Being able to travel the UK and meet all the people that I did. I hold that close to my heart. I will never forget that.
Being on the run helped me grow as an individual. It gave me a different perspective on life, and it helped with my personal development, just being more confident within myself, speaking to people, appreciating life more. Everyone that I met as a stranger on the run, they taught me something about myself like spending more time with my kids, taking time out for myself or being more present in my life.
WARREN: My favourite part about being on the run was the generosity of people. This experience proved that goodwill still lives in the heart of the people.
Saffron and Dionne Q&A
Saffron (25) and Dionne (55)
Saffron and Dionne live in Southend, Essex
Relationship: Mother & Daughter
Occupation: Saffron is a Solicitor and Dionne is a Payroll & Compliance Manager
All information correct at time of filming
Describe your experience in three words.
DIONNE: Challenging. Exciting, Enlightening.
SAFFRON: Intense, Unpredictable, Exciting.
Why did you want to take part in Hunted?
DIONNE: It's a lot of different reasons, actually.She's [Saffron] moving so it was our last hurrah together. Saffron is my youngest child, and we just thought this is something that we could do and prove to ourselves that, you know, we’re not just brains. We do jobs that are very mental, and people probably wouldn't see us being very physical or thinking outside the box like that.
SAFFRON: We thought this was a great opportunity to show to everyone that we could actually do it.
What did you bring to your Hunted partnership?
DIONNE: I think strengths were that she [Saffron] was more outgoing whereas I'm very reserved. I did all the planning, the mapping, how to get from A to B to C. So, we didn’t initially know our strengths and weaknesses, but they were identified while we were on the run. Naturally.
SAFFRON: I did the approaching and those like random bits that maybe we didn't plan in the day.
DIONNE: And during the day, as things change and, you [Saffron] would be quite like, ‘I don't know what we're going to do from here’. And I'd be like, ‘no, let's just think this out clearly’. I'm very analytical in that way.
Did you think you’d approach challenges in the same direction as your partner?
DIONNE: Not all the time. There were moments in the beginning where when we were trying to find our feet, where we had discussions and, you know, would hash it out and then come to the best decision. We actually discussed every point along the way.
SAFFRON: I think in the end, though, we did always follow the same direction. I think we might say it, but there was never a point we didn’t come to an agreement. We would always come to a resolution.
Were you worried about getting into any disagreements on the run?
DIONNE: You know what? It wasn't a worry. But I think that a lot has changed in our relationship since the show. I think in a way that we didn't realize that it would. Before I would have thought we might have a disagreement, it would get all heated and we would blow each other off and then we would just have to calm down.
SAFFRON: I feel like any problems that came up, we dealt with head on. As you [Dionne] said, before the show, we would have a disagreement, would go our separate ways and maybe after a couple of days we would talk to each other. And so, it [being on the run] made us deal with the root of the problems and we got on even better after that.
DIONNE: Yeah, I feel like we had the time to think about what was actually going on at the time instead of doing our normal responses, which is to not talk for like 24 hours. I think we dealt with disagreements really, really well.
What did you do to prepare for going on the run?
SAFFRON: Prepared by vibes and jokes. That's what we did. The whole time we prepared for the run.
DIONNE: We knew we would have each other. And I think that was it. That was enough for us.
SAFFRON: I just made sure I had sushi the day before because I had to have a last meal.
Were you a fan of the series before taking part? Did you adopt any tactics from previous series/contestants?
DIONNE: We didn't watch it before. We knew of it because we saw it advertised but we never actually watched until after we knew we were going to go on the show. And then we did adopt some tactics.
SAFFRON: Yeah, we did take some tips about what people did that we were like, ‘no, I wouldn't do that’. Our main thing was that people usually do too much. And I think when we found out where we were launching from, we were like, ‘right, let's not do too much. Everyone's going to try and get far away and that's when they slip up’.
Did you have a preconceived idea of what being on the run would be like? Was the reality similar or different to this idea?
SAFFRON: We didn't have any preconceived idea whatsoever. Literally.
DIONNE: For me, everything was brand new. I mean every single experience was brand new. You cannot really prepare yourself for this. You literally cannot.
How did you feel about the prospect of setting off with no technology, no money, no backpack, and no possessions?
SAFFRON: I hated not having my own money and having to beg for food. I hated not having a phone. I hated it. I hated having to beg for a shower. All of it. Literally.
DIONNE: People look at you so differently, like you actually had nothing. And I think a small element of it is being black as well, and the rural areas that we were in, I think it made me feel like I was worthless at times.
SAFFRON: Someone put on their group chat that there were some refugees knocking on doors. I can only imagine [they] got to refugee because of the colour of our skin.
DIONNE: It wasn’t the people who we actually stayed with; it was the residents of the village that saw obviously these strangers walking around asking for help and stuff. So, they put that in the group chat, it’s opened up my eyes to a lot of things to be honest.
What home comforts did you miss?
DIONNE: I missed choice, I missed freedom.
SAFFRON: Food. I missed food. And I missed my dogs.
How big a factor was the prize money for you?
SAFFRON: I'm going to be honest. We didn't even know there was prize money until we got through the interview process, and then we were like, ‘oh, there is. Let's think of what we're going to do’. We would spend it out on a holiday. One fancy holiday.
DIONNE: It wasn't that big of a deal, really.
How confident were you in your abilities before setting off?
SAFFRON: Confident. But I don't think I was as confident as I should have been. I would say, before the run, I was less confident in my decision making. And I feel like now I don’t really care what somebody thinks about what I decide to do.
DIONNE: I was confident in us as a team. I was confident in our ability to complete it. I think I went in quite confident; to be honest with you, I did. I know we're not stupid. I know we're very adaptable. I know physically we might not be tall, but we can climb, and we can get down and dirty like the rest of them. Yeah, I think I was quite confident.
Was there anything about the experience that surprised you?
DIONNE: How nice strangers were. I never could have imagined that people would let me stay in their house. People didn’t mind helping you. We just don't have a society anymore where we talk like that with strangers.
SAFFRON: Yeah, that we came across people from different walks of life. We have these preconceived ideas about people, but in the end, everybody was willing to help us.
Without giving anything away, what was your favourite part about being on the run?
DIONNE: My favourite part of being on the run was spending those days and nights and hours with my daughter. They were the best; I will treasure that for the rest of my life. Because your kids grow and when they become adults, they are different people, and you have to respect them as a person. I got to know Saffron as an adult, not as my child. And that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
SAFFRON: The best part is what I feel like we managed to gain for our relationship. We've always been close, but it just feels different now. There's a different level of respect, different level of understanding. Like there's moments that only me and mum know about. Jokes that only me and her can laugh about.
DIONNE: We had our low moments, but we knew we had to support each other to keep up and keep each other going.