Nobody watching the Hunted?

[elisenbrunnen]

I started watching this on the last episode of the last series (which was a Celeb version I think?) and started watching this one.
It's annoying me tho - they seem to either have some sort of 'sixth sense' about where their hunted are going to go, or they are tipped off? Last night the Hunters were 'tipped off' by a neighbour who had seem a 'suspicious tent' pitched in next doors garden - even though the householder had let the Hunted fugitives sleep in her guest room? Why pitch the tents then?
And then the Hunters PHONE the householder to ask if she had guests? What the hell?

Why didn't they just turn up (like they had with every other household)?

Unless of course they are stringing it out - and us along?

It's all so fake I can't stand it. DH loves it.

I agree its so fake. They dont have the authority to do all the tracking they do so its all made up. It makes me irrationally really annoyed.

It’s all a load of bollocks. There’s a camera crew following the fugitives, they’ll easily get spotted/grassed up 🙄

I used to love it, however it's become much more obviously scripted and fake so we don't watch it any more.

Similar but I am annoyed to find I get sucked in and watch again.
But you are right it is just unrealistic with what the hunters are supposed to be able to do.
I read that the camera person who follows the contestants will tip off the hunters if they do something that could be tracked in real life, like using a cash point or a telephone.
Also I am sure there must be something contractually that each of them has to do something at some point to get in contact with family.
But that business about them being tipped off about suspicious campers on the "hot line", what hotline? Where the hell is this hot line supposed to be?
No I watch but do get annoyed at the fakery and the fact the hunted are obviously made to do things they probably wouldn't if they were genuinely on the run

So 'loosely scripted' now, I don't bother anymore. Plus, real-time access to CCTV etc...rubbish!

Well I got drawn into the 'sting' - I really thought that they'd phoned the householder to ask if she had 'guests'. i should have realised that it was a trap - I would have been caught too.
But it is beginning to annoy me that the Hunted 'suddenly' realise that they'd used someone's phone (to check insta, or phone a family member - police can't catch that unless one of the phones is bugged) and they suddenly get up and run off minutes ahead of the Hunters turning up. So much tension ramped up for dramatic effect. it's getting silly now.

I much preferred the format of the first series when one contestant got a phone call giving an hour or so's notice and they just had to run. They'd had a chance to put some arrangements in place beforehand.

DH and I would walk this current format (and I bet most of you believe you would too, all of us from the safety of our sofas).

I didn't realise it was back on! Used to love this. What channel please?

It's rubbish now, completely fake.

Channel 4 (and +1) Sunday and Monday, 9/10pm. Also on 4seven the same night.
They were in my adjacent village last week's episode.
I wish someone needed my help, and the Chasers came. I would love to send them off in the wrong direction!

Another here who though the first series was the best. Unfortunately those two blokes who bought cheap bikes and spent the time cycling the towpaths and camping probably weren't considered 'good' viewing so they introduced some rules like having to visit a cashpoint, or not staying in one place more than one night or having to call/.visit a family member.

The latest series that I saw was so fixed. I had no problem with the Hunters being allowed access to the fugitives personal laptop etc as those in the early eps did leave trails as they didn't realise you can never truly delete information. Many people also didn't realise about CCTV on public transport so it was a huge eyeopener! But now its so heavily weighted in the favour of the Hunters and why on earth do they all have to be so aggressive and swear so much?

I agree @blobby10 , I find the deaf couple very aggressive and rude. The 'mooning' picture, the one-finger up at everything, the 'fucking' this and that...
I hope they don't win, just for that.
I think (and hope) the ex-military lone woman will win.

Agree it's become annoying and scripted to the point of predictability. Which entirely negates the hook of a programme like this.

Loved the first two series but it's like a parody walk through now.

The first season was fun but its gone way too contrived since. There's no way the average CCTV camera picks up that much detail. Plus I assume part of the selection process must be having family members and friends who are gullible/easily intimidated enough to play along with the hunters to an extent that they get information the police would never have access to or the resources to follow up on.

I mean, I can imagine the police turning up to the homes of some of their local 'frequent fliers' - as soon as they raided the first house all computers, phones etc would magically disappear from all their family and friends' houses, any enquiries would be met with 'dunno' (or 'fuck off'), and threats of prosecuting them for witholding evidence would be roundly mocked (and would get stuck in the system for 18 months before being dropped for lack of evidence...).

And if they've found their way to anywhere rural they could break into someone's house, steal all their cash, cook themselves a fry-up and have a nice long bath before being in any danger of the actual police turning up so the idea that the hunters would just happen to be up a tree in next door's garden waiting for them or five minutes down the road is completely insane.

I used to love this show but I've gone right off it this series and I'm not sure why. I think I miss a couple of the original Hunters from the first few seasons. They seemed coolly professional but these new hunter leaders seem super aggressive and sweary.

I think I'm not enjoying the way some of the eps have ended with a fugitive nearly being caught then only in the next episode do you see the capture conclude. It kills the tension.

I watched it for the deaf guys. It’s great that they are showing deaf people. And the barriers to language.
infound it really sad that some hearing people wouldn’t help them. Think they are direct rather than aggressive:

Completely unreal, always easy to pick holes in (no ANPR, gov CCTV etc. always got a car in the area which 'happens to spot them', "hotlines" full of people dying to dob them in, easy access into everyone's house who seem prepared to tell the truth rather than saying "sorry you are not coming in, and no, sorry I don't know anything". That said, despite saying "Oh FFS" every 5 minutes, I still quite like watching it, and have actually discussed "tactics" with my adult kids. Must be a right laugh to be on it. Strangely addictive light entertainment.

I agree. I felt really sad for them when they were trying to ask passers by for help and people were saying "Sorry, no" but some of the other competitors got loads of help from total strangers.

I suppose to a certain extent you can understand that a woman on her own with a confident friendly smile might have more success than two young men who were probably looking a bit dishevelled after so long camping out.

In the last one it was so nice when that man did give James (Nathan?) a lift and then gave him some money and his own warm waterproof coat and he said how he never expected so much help from a hearing person

I know - that bit got me too. I was so glad he made it the helicopter.

i thought that too about a woman being more likely to get help but they were consistently told no

I’ve had to stop watching. The geordie boss woman sounds like a right knob. The previous man boss was the same. Too much shouting and overacting.

DH is a detective and he did used to get a bit pissed off that the hunters get instant, accurate CCTV footage of the exact moment the hunted walk past. In reality, he has to arrange to go and sit in the back office of whichever petrol station/shop/pub, the people who work there don't know how to operate the system properly, he has to scroll through hours of grainy footage to find what he's looking for, if it's there at all. He's come to terms with a bit now. Better now that a completely average former colleague isn't a hunter any more.