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Celebrity Hunted 2026 line-up: Meet the famous fugitives

Your guide to the line-up of Celebrity Hunted.

Pictured (L-R): Lucy Conley, Brian Conley, Chris Taylor, Toby Aromolaran, Stuart Douglas, Scarlette Douglas, Carlos Gu, Amy Dowden, JJ Chalmers, Sophie Morgan, Laura Smyth and Jen Brister in a composite image as they all run in different directions on a London skyline.

Colin Hutton / Channel 4 / Shine TV

Published: Monday, 3 August 2026 at 9:00 am

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Celebrity Hunted is back with a new group of famous fugitives this year as they attempt to evade the hunters. Back on Channel 4 in aid of Stand Up To Cancer, the series sends six pairs of celebrities on the run across mainland Britain, where they must vanish for 14 days without leaving a trail.

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As ever, each duo cuts themselves off from the fame and social networks they usually rely on, as they try to stay hidden while chief hunter Ray Howard and his elite team of hunters, drawn from policing, military and intelligence backgrounds, chase them down using CCTV, ANPR, facial recognition, helicopters, drones, tracker dogs and nationwide publicity campaigns.

This year's line-up mixes Strictly professionals, Love Island favourites, an EastEnders icon and a group of comedians and presenters, with a father-and-daughter pairing and two sets of siblings among them.

Want to know more about this year's contestants? Read on to learn more about the cast of Celebrity Hunted 2026.

Celebrity Hunted at a glance

Chief hunter: Ray Howard Contestants: 12 (six pairs) Platform: Channel 4 Launch date: 3 August 2026

Celebrity Hunted 2026 line-up

Scroll down to learn more about each celebrity duo.

Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu

Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu stood next to each other looking seriously ahead.

Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu. Colin Hutton / Channel 4 / Shine TV

Strictly Come Dancing professionals Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu reunite outside of the ballroom for Celebrity Hunted.

Amy Dowden became Strictly's first Welsh professional when she joined in 2017, and is a former British National Champion and World Championship semi-finalist. She has spoken openly about her breast cancer diagnosis in 2023 and was appointed an MBE in the 2024 Birthday Honours for services to fundraising and raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease.

Carlos Gu, a Chinese-born Latin and ballroom specialist and former Chinese National Champion, joined Strictly in 2022 and won the 2025 series with Karen Carney, becoming the first Asian man in Strictly Come Dancing history to lift the Glitterball trophy.

Brian Conley and Lucy Conley

Lucy Conley and Brian Conley.

Lucy Conley and Brian Conley. Colin Hutton / Channel 4 / Shine TV

Father and daughter duo Brian and Lucy Conley are teaming up once again but this time, they're swapping the stage and attempting to evade the hunters.

Brian Conley is a veteran comedian, singer and actor who became a household name fronting The Brian Conley Show in the 1990s and has enjoyed a long West End career. More recently he portrayed Tom 'Rocky' Cotton in EastEnders from 2021 to 2023.

His daughter Lucy Conley is an emerging comedian, actor and singer who trained at the Oxford School of Drama and has built a pantomime career, often appearing alongside her father.

Chris Taylor and Toby Aromolaran

Chris Taylor and Toby Aromolaran.

Chris Taylor and Toby Aromolaran. Colin Hutton / Channel 4 / Shine TV

Chris Taylor first rose to fame following his appearance on Love Island in 2019, and quickly became popular amongst fans. He has since landed a cameo as a Ken in the 2023 film Barbie, returned for Love Island All Stars in 2024 and competed on Dancing on Ice in 2025.

Toby Aromolaran reached the final of Love Island 2021 as runner-up, went on to appear in Love Island Games and All Stars, and combines his media career with playing semi-professional football.

JJ Chalmers and Sophie Morgan

Sophie Morgan in a wheelchair next to JJ Chalmers who is running.

Sophie Morgan and JJ Chalmers. Colin Hutton / Channel 4 / Shine TV

JJ Chalmers is a former Royal Marine and Invictus Games medallist who was seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2011. He then moved into presenting, anchoring BBC coverage of the Invictus Games and competing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020.

Sophie Morgan is a presenter and disability rights advocate who has been a wheelchair user since a road accident in 2003, and has fronted Paralympic coverage in both the UK and US as well as appearing on Loose Women.

The pair previously co-hosted Channel 4's coverage of the Rio 2016 Paralympics, though this reunion will be different to what they're used to.

Scarlette Douglas and Stuart Douglas

Scarlette Douglas and Stuart Douglas stood next to each other looking seriously ahead.

Scarlette Douglas and Stuart Douglas. Colin Hutton / Channel 4 / Shine TV

Scarlette Douglas is best known as a presenter and property expert on Channel 4's A Place in the Sun from 2015 to 2022, and later appeared on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. Her older brother Stuart Douglas is a retired professional footballer turned presenter and property developer.

Together, the siblings front Channel 4 property shows including Worst House on the Street and George Clarke's Flipping Fast and in recent years, competed on The Great Celebrity Bake Off.

Jen Brister and Laura Smyth

Jen Brister and Laura Smyth.

Jen Brister and Laura Smyth. Colin Hutton / Channel 4 / Shine TV

Jen Brister is a comedian, writer and actor whose television credits include Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week and QI. She also wrote the 2019 memoir The Other Mother.

Laura Smyth is a former English teacher who won the Funny Women Award in 2019 and has since appeared on Live at the Apollo and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. She also won a Gold ARIAS award for her Radio 4 show I Don't Know What to Say.

Celebrity Hunted returns to Channel 4 on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 August at 9pm.

Add Celebrity Hunted to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Katelyn Mensah, smiling against a lime green background.

Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer

Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.

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