10 Things You Need to Know About the new series of Celebrity Hunted
As seven celebrities go on the run from the Hunted team, here's a taster of what you can expect
1 Channel 4’s real-life thriller Hunted is back – only this time the surveillance, cyber-security and intelligence boffins will be tracking down celebrities.
2 Trying to lie low for 14 days are Strictly champion Jay McGuiness and his fellow The Wanted bandmate Siva Kaneswaran, Made In Chelsea’s Jamie Laing and Spencer Matthews, Gogglebox boozers Steph and Dom Parker and TV host Anneka Rice.
3 Steph and Dom can’t wait to spend quality time together, while Jay says he and Siva “have been through stressful situations when we were younger, and come out the other side”. As for the Made In Chelsea boys… “I filmed with Spencer for two months in New York,” laughs Jamie. “If I’d had a knife, I’d have murdered him.”
4 Anneka is going solo, but she’s far from daunted. “I have a good knowledge of the UK from my days on Challenge Anneka,” she explains. “There aren’t many bits of the country I haven’t run through, built something on or blagged something from.”
5 Some of the stars plan to use disguises, while others have sneakier strategies. “We’re going to shave our heads,” reveals Jamie. And Jay will use distraction techniques: “If I ask all our fans to tweet randomly about seeing us, that’ll create a great smokescreen.”
6 The celebs will only have £50 for the fortnight. Unlikely as it seems, Jamie and Spencer are packing tents and sleeping bags, while Steph and Dom will hope to “sponge off the nation”. Jay and Siva plan to exploit their talents: “We could busk,” reckons Jay. “Siva can play the guitar, I’ll do a jig…”
7 They’ve all got their initial exits from central London planned. “Our getaway is going to be absolutely stunning – almost worthy of a magic show,” promises Dom. “A lot of our old touring team will help us,” adds Jay. “It’s going to be a blast from the past – almost like a farewell tour!”
8 Above all, everyone hopes to rely on charm. “I’ve seen Joan Collins work her magic on Dom, and I was simply out of the picture – although she did call him ‘Don’!” laughs Steph. Jamie is less optimistic. “People are willing to help if you’re charming, but I have Spencer Matthews on my team…” And Anneka has a secret weapon: “I might take watercolours and paper: if I’m asking a farmer to sleep in his barn, I can paint one of his cows as a thank you.”
9 Everyone is talking down their chances of winning. “I lack that killer instinct,” Anneka concedes. “At first I thought we’d nail it,” says Dom, “but now I’m thinking we won’t make it past the first day.” Jamie adds: “If we win, it’ll be down to a lot of luck.”
10 But winning isn’t the main concern, as the stars are all raising awareness for Stand Up To Cancer. “Too many friends have died of cancer,” says Anneka, while Dom’s father died last year and Steph’s mother a decade ago, both from the disease. “I’m hoping that when we tell people why we’re doing this, the whole country will be behind us,” Steph says. “It affects all of us.”
NEW! Celebrity Hunted, Tuesday, 9.15pm, Channel 4