Author Topic: Hunted (Read 6631 times)

owens_2k · « **on:** October 2, 2015, 08:55:06 am »

Anybody been watching this on channel 4? I've found it very entertaining.

What I don't understand is the statement at the start of the program

"For the purpose of this series some of the powers of the state have been replicated including CCTV and ANPR"

OK so they don't have the power of the state, but then how have they been tracking these people?

CrasherKid79 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 2, 2015, 02:20:51 pm »

Ive only seen the 1st two episodes upto now but really enjoyed them. Think its a great idea and alot more entertaining than most reality T.V.

Its a step closer to my childhood want for a real Running Man TV show

Lfsea · « **Reply #2 on:** October 2, 2015, 02:29:16 pm »

Quote from: owens_2k on October 2, 2015, 08:55:06 am

Anybody been watching this on channel 4? I've found it very entertaining.

What I don't understand is the statement at the start of the program

"For the purpose of this series some of the powers of the state have been replicated including CCTV and ANPR"

OK so they don't have the power of the state, but then how have they been tracking these people?

I've been watching this, but annoyingly there must be an issue with streaming on the C4 OD player as the playback on the 3rd episode was unwatchable.

I'm enjoying it, but I do think most of the 'surveillance' the 'experts' are doing is what we could all do given the right tools. One of the techniques was essentially breaking in to someone's house and nicking a book with their passwords written in it. It wasn't sophisticated hacking or surveillance, it was just cheating really. The other stuff was interviewing people who basically told the investigators where X or Y was going, which is half the battle.

The other stupid stuff is the idiots who can't keep off their mobiles and who obviously weren't fully invested in the show.

Ricky is brilliant though, and I think he's playing it like I'd play it. If you stay off the grid as long as possible then it's almost impossible to be found.

owens_2k · « **Reply #3 on:** October 2, 2015, 03:04:23 pm »

I'll be sure not to post spoilers then.

Just read that they don't actually have ANPR and CCTV access so the crew have to film the people using the ATM machines. Theres a production team between the hunters and the fugitves that alerts the hunters when they have passed an ANPR or a location that would have CCTV.

Still entertaining though.

planet-terror · « **Reply #4 on:** October 4, 2015, 10:07:34 pm »

I have. Couple of weeks behind though

SamAteTheRedAcid · « **Reply #5 on:** October 4, 2015, 11:48:38 pm »

Quote from: CrasherKid79 on October 2, 2015, 02:20:51 pm

Its a step closer to my childhood want for a real Running Man TV show

You do realise The Running Man is a show in a dystopia where a totalitarian government rules over a land where art, literature and communications are censored and it's proper shit

Still, give the Tories a few more years, you'll be laughing $:-\$

Started watching this tonight, enjoyed it.

Did everyone else also immediately start planning their own getaway, surely not just me?

Grobbelrevell · « **Reply #6 on:** October 14, 2015, 11:50:41 am »

Quote from: Shane Watson on October 2, 2015, 02:29:16 pm

The other stupid stuff is the idiots who can't keep off their mobiles and who obviously weren't fully invested in the show.

Idiots indeed. The infuriating part is they have all, pretty much, referenced the fact that they need to avoid using traceable electronics (social media, email, telephone and credit/debit cards) as that is the easy give to the hunters - and yet, pretty much, they've all gone and used them. It's a 28 day show FFS, if you "can't be away from" X, Y or Z for that period of time then why the fuck are you bothering in the first place? I know that's an angle that the show is trying to highlight (that fugitives are often caught because of this emotional pull), but still, if I was going on that show, that's what i'd want to be certain of first. And i'd want my family to be onboard with a zero contact policy as well. If i'm not certain on both points I just wouldn't bother.

As you say, the only way to succeed at this is to stay off the grid completely. Don't give them any easy leads.

I do think that one of the most frustrating participants (Emily), despite her ball-aching stupidity at times, has actually been quite clever as well in hitch-hiking constantly, and working for board. Minimises expenditure to the max and again, keeps you off the grid as a direct result. I expected her to get caught pretty quickly, but i'm starting to think she might go and do it, in spite of herself to some degree.

Easy Sunday afternoon watch. Interesting in part, to an extent. Frustrating in equal measure though.

Titi Camara · « **Reply #7 on:** October 14, 2015, 12:06:23 pm »

Quote from: SamAteTheRedAcid on October 4, 2015, 11:48:38 pm

Did everyone else also immediately start planning their own getaway, surely not just me?

Draw down all the cash you can, throw your cards away.

Stash your phone on some sort of public transport, preferably a train.

Buy a burner.

Buy a old banger for cash, it'll take a few days for the paperwork to go through and should show as tax'ed, mot'ed and insured long enough to get where you're going.

Stay off main highways and avoid shops/restaurants etc that have cameras.

Not particularly difficult really unless the whole police force is chasing you

redgriffin73 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 14, 2015, 12:25:07 pm »

Enjoying it too, although I missed one as my recorder decided not to work despite it being on a series link.

Emily has surprised me. Ricky was the one I really thought might do it, and then he went and blew it like an idiot, it was like he just gave up.

Like has been said above, why do people bother with these shows if they can't go for a few weeks without calling home? It's like when people go on Big Brother and then cry that they're homesick after a few days. What were you expecting ffs? You can go on a foreign holiday longer than some of these people last without crying!

SamAteTheRedAcid · « **Reply #9 on:** October 16, 2015, 04:26:26 pm »

Thought the end was a bit contrived.

Enjoyed making my own plans though. Obviously not going to post the escape route here

The annoying girl (Emily?) left a very young daughter to go on the run, don't think I could trust my Mum with my lad for 28 days to be honest

keano7 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 16, 2015, 06:44:56 pm »

The fact the Hunters knew their escape route was via an airport in Surrey they should have had a Hunter at each airport rather than chasing 2 at a time.

Really enjoyed it though and the insight in to all the detective work that goes in to finding people was facisnating.

owens_2k · « **Reply #11 on:** October 21, 2015, 11:15:43 am »

Found that when they went on Emily's friends facebook to see that she follows a college, then seen that her daughter went to that college and then used some mad triangulation theory to work out where she lived, was a bit far fetched.

I like to think I would be good at the programme but I struggle to stay off my phone checking twitter, whatsapp etc for even an hour! Can you imagine how bored you would be sitting off in a tent on your own for 28 days with no communication with the outside world?

SamAteTheRedAcid · « **Reply #12 on:** October 21, 2015, 01:14:29 pm »

Quote from: owens_2k on October 21, 2015, 11:15:43 am

I like to think I would be good at the programme but I struggle to stay off my phone checking twitter, whatsapp etc for even an hour! Can you imagine how bored you would be sitting off in a tent on your own for 28 days with no communication with the outside world?

Yeah it would seem almost impossible to put down the phone for that long. How would we check RAWK for God's sake! I think you just need to get rid of it, I couldn't believe they checked the bloody Weather app and saw they had put Powys on it and that helped the hunters...but you can't leave it at home, so perhaps you'd have to just turn it off or put it on airplane mode. Knowing me I'd be taking a shitload of books with me and camping out with a few classic novels for company.

Knowing my mates, surely one of them would realise I was on the programme and start hunting me themselves

planet-terror · « **Reply #13 on:** October 21, 2015, 01:27:31 pm »

i loved the mad guy with the orwellian style glasses,proper anarchist.

JerseyKloppite · « **Reply #14 on:** October 21, 2015, 02:35:39 pm »

Fun program.

Echo most of the comments here. Incredibly frustrating when they make stupid phonecalls etc that they know could see them caught. Emily was the worst for it, got set up with a sweet deal in a strangers' house, pretty much no way of finding her and then she makes a call and has to flee. She then tells strangers where she has to end up which enables them to pinpoint Surrey (though I suspect that this may have been contrived for TV, wouldn't have been much of a cliff-hanger ending if they'd not been able to pinpoint the airport as they did, although how long did it take to get those manifests?)

If they'd have been caught and I'd have been one of the two blokes or her mate, I'd have been really f*cked off with her.

Having seen the program it's easier to spot some of the simple traps you can fall into. Best way of organising an escape is to leave no trail - discuss everything in person rather than by text, phone or email, and if possible get a mate to do the research for you (ideally on a work computer so harder to trace).

Torn between the "wilderness" approach, which seems the most logical, and the "hiding in plain sight" approach which one couple tried as a necessity.

Once you're off the grid it's very hard for them to find you and they're usually left resorting to a poster campaign. Try and stay disguised when you go to new places and fewer people will recognise you. Head to the Highlands, the Lake District, Wales or the South-West and keep moving every couple of days. Hitchiking in this program is far easier than it would be in real life as drivers are more likely to trust people with a camera crew.

I do just like the idea of staying in mates' houses though. Not best mates, as that would be too obvious, but ask a few friends or colleagues if you can crash at theirs for a few days each, explain that they shouldn't contact anyone about you being there. Make some hand-made maps so you can get from A to B to C and just walk from one to the other.

CCTV doesn't have facial recognition - they can only use it when they know, roughly, where you are. At the start they're usually not picked up until an ATM transaction or they get in a car and drive past a camera with NPR. I'd just walk quickly to house A, stay in the spare room, and move on every 3 days, always walking and relying on mates to look after me. The ones who tried that only got caught because of an attempt to communicate.

Lfsea · « **Reply #15 on:** October 21, 2015, 03:16:51 pm »

Things I'd do if I knew I'd be going on the run imminently:

Set up 2 brand new email accounts one for me and the other person I'd agreed would help me remotely. Random numeric accounts with no obvious naming conventions and a complex password for each. We would pick a system for checking the emails and a particular time to check them, changing each day.

Upload all my salient documents - encrypted - to an unidentifiable Dropbox.

Set up a safety deposit box in the middle of the City. Put in that £5k cash, my passports and a pre-loaded MasterCard that tourists can buy so they don't have to use cash.

Pack a rucksack with an elite tent and sleeping bag, along with enough dry rations to last about a week. On top of this, I'd pack a load of different caps, hats and pairs of glasses and sunglasses.

I would make sure that once I knew I was under surveillance I wouldnt shave my face or cut my hair. That would allow me the be fairly flexible with how I looked post-escape.

Communicate with home only via Skype from a public location. Maybe get a non-cellular tablet and a portable WiFi device on PAYG. Would organise some kind of proxy for the IP address.

Then as long as you don't book anything online and don't use anything that reveals your rough location, I can't imagine for a moment that you'd be easily found. And you would have to be very, very boring.

And that wouldn't make great TV, which is why I suspect a lot of hunted was manipulated - which is a shame.

Elmo! · « **Reply #16 on:** October 21, 2015, 08:00:30 pm »

Quote from: Shane Watson on October 21, 2015, 03:16:51 pm

Things I'd do if I knew I'd be going on the run imminently:

Set up 2 brand new email accounts one for me and the other person I'd agreed would help me remotely. Random numeric accounts with no obvious naming conventions and a complex password for each. We would pick a system for checking the emails and a particular time to check them, changing each day.

Upload all my salient documents - encrypted - to an unidentifiable Dropbox.

Set up a safety deposit box in the middle of the City. Put in that £5k cash, my passports and a pre-loaded MasterCard that tourists can buy so they don't have to use cash.

Pack a rucksack with an elite tent and sleeping bag, along with enough dry rations to last about a week. On top of this, I'd pack a load of different caps, hats and pairs of glasses and sunglasses.

I would make sure that once I knew I was under surveillance I wouldnt shave my face or cut my hair. That would allow me the be fairly flexible with how I looked post-escape.

Communicate with home only via Skype from a public location. Maybe get a non-cellular tablet and a portable WiFi device on PAYG. Would organise some kind of proxy for the IP address.

Then as long as you don't book anything online and don't use anything that reveals your rough location, I can't imagine for a moment that you'd be easily found. And you would have to be very, very boring.

And that wouldn't make great TV, which is why I suspect a lot of hunted was manipulated - which is a shame.

I suspect there were a lot of rules we weren't told about on what the contestants were allowed to do. As they aren't actually police, the contestants could have just gone to a mates and told their mate not to let anyone in, and there's nothing they could have done. They also wouldn't be allowed to use your idea of pre-paid credit cards. Remember there is a camera crew there the whole time to enforce these 'rules'.

Bunter · « **Reply #17 on:** October 22, 2015, 09:50:30 am »

Enjoyed the show so far as I haven't watched the last episode yet but some of the alleged ways they've tracked people has been suspect. The camp fella on his own who gave his debit card to that mate of his to use elsewhere and almost instantaneously the hunters were like "nah it's a decoy" yet when Ricky Allen did the same with that women, they sent teams up there en masse to look for him. Which is a bit wank if the show has been manipulated or fixed in some way.

Lfsea · « **Reply #18 on:** October 22, 2015, 10:00:43 am »

Quote from: elmo_swatloski on October 21, 2015, 08:00:30 pm

I suspect there were a lot of rules we weren't told about on what the contestants were allowed to do. As they aren't actually police, the contestants could have just gone to a mates and told their mate not to let anyone in, and there's nothing they could have done. They also wouldn't be allowed to use your idea of pre-paid credit cards. Remember there is a camera crew there the whole time to enforce these 'rules'.

Sorry, I was a bit vague there; I more meant that's what I'd try and do in a perfect world. You're quite right, I'm sure they were fairly constrained about what they could and couldn't do during the filming.

Quote from: Bunter on October 22, 2015, 09:50:30 am

Enjoyed the show so far as I haven't watched the last episode yet but some of the alleged ways they've tracked people has been suspect. The camp fella on his own who gave his debit card to that mate of his to use elsewhere and almost instantaneously the hunters were like "nah it's a decoy" yet when Ricky Allen did the same with that women, they sent teams up there en masse to look for him. Which is a bit wank if the show has been manipulated or fixed in some way.

I got the impression from the whole show that most of the people doing the tracking were more in the 'private detective' mould, rather than the 'MI5/special branch mould'. Presumably only people with very specific high-level access can (legally) access ATM CCTV, ANPR and the other national surveillance network and they don't hand out that access willy-nilly.

The one that particularly galled me was breaking into one of the girls' houses to nick her passwords from a diary. That's nothing to do with the surveillance state.

The other thing is, what would be the issue (apart from the obvious moral boundaries) of smacking the people that try and 'arrest' the hunted? When the two women who were travelling by bus in the first episode got caught, they - presumably - could have just chinned the relatively slight girl that caught them and done one? Or are we meant to assume they are some kind of official force?

Agent99 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 22, 2016, 10:14:55 pm »

Good start to the new series. People still making the same stupid mistakes though.

Ziltoid · « **Reply #20 on:** September 22, 2016, 10:18:01 pm »

Is this suitable for kids, or is it full of swearing?

ShrewKop · « **Reply #21 on:** September 22, 2016, 10:23:51 pm »

Quote from: Ziltoid on September 22, 2016, 10:18:01 pm

Is this suitable for kids, or is it full of swearing?

Some swearing but nothing offensive, if it was out in the cinema it'd probably be a 12a.

ShrewKop · « **Reply #22 on:** September 22, 2016, 10:26:31 pm »

Quote from: Agent99 on September 22, 2016, 10:14:55 pm

Good start to the new series. People still making the same stupid mistakes though.

I like that they all left from the same place this series instead of from their respective homes. Gave it a bit more of a break out feel. The bloke that stayed in Birmingham on his bike seems a bit dopey though, it was only his lack of direction that saved him from being caught...

Roy Cropper · « **Reply #23 on:** October 10, 2016, 03:52:21 pm »

I downloaded the 1st series the other night and now onto series 2.

Obviously the person with the fugitives is alerting the hunters when they go past a camera, contact home or use an ATM etc.

The voice over at the start also said that the fugitives have to keep mobile and have to contact friends/family (or words to that effect) - something I don't remember being told in the 1st series.

I presume this is to avoid the fugitives from just sleeping in a field for a month - especially as £100k is up for grabs now.

Mavis Cruet · « **Reply #24 on:** October 10, 2016, 07:49:43 pm »

Quote from: mgalllfc on October 10, 2016, 03:52:21 pm

I downloaded the 1st series the other night and now onto series 2.

Obviously the person wit the fugitives is alerting the hunters when hey go past a camera, contact home us an ATM etc.

The voice over at the start also said that the fugitives have to keep mobile and have to contact friends/family (or words to that effect) - something I don't remember being told in the 1st series.

I presume this is to avoid the fugitives from just sleeping in a field for a month - especially as £100k is up for grabs now.

You are right, this is from the programs website.

Quote

Going on the run and staying underground is a tough thing to do in a nation where the average person is caught on CCTV up to 70 times a day. To stand a chance of winning a share of the prize money the fugitives had to evade detection and capture for up to 28 days and follow a few simple rules of the game. They must not break the law. During active hours of hunting they must keep on the move and change location regularly – no hiding in the sewer for the entire time. Like many of the most successful real life fugitives, they must attempt to throw the hunters off their scent – and do their best to decoy them. And again like real life fugitives, they need to make use of a support network and they must make contact with family and friends.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hunted/articles/all/series-2-guide/4836

Roy Cropper · « **Reply #25 on:** October 14, 2016, 06:38:26 pm »

After last nights episode all i have to say is - STAGED

Lfsea · « **Reply #26 on:** October 14, 2016, 09:07:44 pm »

Starting the first episode of the second series tonight. Made my thoughts known about the first series earlier in the thread - I hope a) people aren't as dippy as they were last time and b) that the trackers don't as obviously cheat.

I know it's going to wind me up massively.

Lfsea · « **Reply #27 on:** October 14, 2016, 09:20:16 pm »

10 Minutes in and it's already winding me up. As if they get immediate access to bank cctv. And a 30 minute window to start an escape is absolutely ridiculous. Anyone in this thread would have a good chance of tracking someone down if they only had 30 minutes headstart and all the right CCTV pointing in the right direction.

keano7 · « **Reply #28 on:** January 18, 2018, 10:12:50 pm »

Best episode of the series so far tonight!

Nobby Reserve · « **Reply #29 on:** January 18, 2019, 02:33:29 pm »

Is anyone still watching this?

My eldest daughter's got me hooked, from the last series onwards.

RedSince86 · « **Reply #30 on:** January 18, 2019, 02:34:32 pm »

Quote from: Nobby Reserve on January 18, 2019, 02:33:29 pm

Is anyone still watching this?

My eldest daughter's got me hooked, from the last series onwards.

Yeah love that show.

redgriffin73 · « **Reply #31 on:** January 18, 2019, 03:19:26 pm »

Yeah, I love it, although need to catch up on the new series over the weekend.

LovelyCushionedHeader · « **Reply #32 on:** January 18, 2019, 04:31:06 pm »

Seems incredibly staged to me.

Would also be less ridiculous if they were open about what the contestants have to do throughout the show. Some of the things that make you think they are being stupid are actually a stipulation of the rules when they sign up.

Some examples:

- They have to contact home at least once
- They cannot stay in one location for more than 48 hours
- They cannot return to a location after leaving
- They have to use an ATM

One contestant also came out and said the producers made up rules on the spot such as you have to get in contact with this person now or you have to put something on social media. When questioned they were told they would tell the hunters where they were if they didn't do it.

keano7 · « **Reply #33 on:** January 18, 2019, 11:45:02 pm »

Quote from: LovelyCushionedHeader on January 18, 2019, 04:31:06 pm

Seems incredibly staged to me.

Would also be less ridiculous if they were open about what the contestants have to do throughout the show. Some of the things that make you think they are being stupid are actually a stipulation of the rules when they sign up.

Some examples:

- They have to contact home at least once
- They cannot stay in one location for more than 48 hours
- They cannot return to a location after leaving
- They have to use an ATM

One contestant also came out and said the producers made up rules on the spot such as you have to get in contact with this person now or you have to put something on social media. When questioned they were told they would tell the hunters where they were if they didn't do it.

Understandable though otherwise you’d simply head to the hills and be off grid for the entire show. No one has ever been caught in the dark either!

Still, one of the shows I look forward to most each week alongside SAS.

LallanaInPyjamas · « **Reply #34 on:** January 21, 2019, 11:20:27 am »

Quote from: LovelyCushionedHeader on January 18, 2019, 04:31:06 pm

Seems incredibly staged to me.

Would also be less ridiculous if they were open about what the contestants have to do throughout the show. Some of the things that make you think they are being stupid are actually a stipulation of the rules when they sign up.

Some examples:

- They have to contact home at least once
- They cannot stay in one location for more than 48 hours
- They cannot return to a location after leaving
- They have to use an ATM

One contestant also came out and said the producers made up rules on the spot such as you have to get in contact with this person now or you have to put something on social media. When questioned they were told they would tell the hunters where they were if they didn't do it.

The thing that gets me is how many tip-offs they receive. In last week's episode, for example, the guy asking for a lift in the hotel might have seemed a bit suspicious, but I'm not calling the police over something as small as a stranger asking for a lift somewhere.

I assume they are prompted by a producer or something?

Craig S · « **Reply #35 on:** January 21, 2019, 11:47:50 am »

Quote from: LallanaInPyjamas on January 21, 2019, 11:20:27 am

The thing that gets me is how many tip-offs they receive. In last week's episode, for example, the guy asking for a lift in the hotel might have seemed a bit suspicious, but I'm not calling the police over something as small as a stranger asking for a lift somewhere.

I assume they are prompted by a producer or something?

They don't ring the police they ring the show. Having a camera man following the guy around in a small pub in a tiny village may cause some suspicion though! Anyone that has watched the show would have a decent idea they were on it. He may have even told them himself at some point. I would imagine they also have to ask permission to film in the bar too, that may tip them off to anyone working in the bar.

owens_2k · « **Reply #36 on:** January 21, 2019, 09:56:39 pm »

Thing that got me about the first episode of the latest series was the two guys who sent decoys to the train station. The hunters zoom in on their shoes...their conclusion is "different shoes, must be decoys!"

The ex military fella completely changes his outfit and they simply say "hes changed attire" no question as to wether its a decoy is even mentioned!

Nobby Reserve · « **Reply #37 on:** January 22, 2019, 03:22:00 pm »

Quote from: owens_2k on January 21, 2019, 09:56:39 pm

Thing that got me about the first episode of the latest series was the two guys who sent decoys to the train station. The hunters zoom in on their shoes...their conclusion is "different shoes, must be decoys!"

The ex military fella completely changes his outfit and they simply say "hes changed attire" no question as to wether its a decoy is even mentioned!

Shurrup, spoiling it.

LovelyCushionedHeader · « **Reply #38 on:** January 22, 2019, 09:11:21 pm »

Quote from: keano7 on January 18, 2019, 11:45:02 pm

Understandable though otherwise you’d simply head to the hills and be off grid for the entire show. No one has ever been caught in the dark either!

Still, one of the shows I look forward to most each week alongside SAS.

Yeah I’m perfectly fine with it being the case. My issue is that they don’t tell the viewer that. So unless you know about it, you just think the contestants are being stupid when they make certain decisions, when in reality they have to do it.

They just need to set out the exact rules at the start.

OneTouchFooty · « **Reply #39 on:** January 22, 2019, 10:42:10 pm »

I enjoyed the show at first but some of the hunches by the hunters that always turn out correct made me suspicious that the show is being manipulated a lot, makes sense now that producers are actively telling them to stupid stuff to get caught and make better TV.

Reminds me of the Top Gear challenges, the first ones had the natural feel to them, that it was done in a freewheeling spirit until it got to the point of feeling like one set piece after another and completely contrived.