I was prey in Channel 4’s new reality series The Hunt – here’s how I survived

It’s not every day you find yourself in the middle of a Bulgarian forest, running around and slipping in the mud, but that’s exactly what I (and this year’s cast of The Hunt: Prey vs Predator) got up to last year.

The series, which debuts on Channel 4 tonight, introduces audiences to 10 players from all walks of life and regions of the UK, who come together in a contest of stamina and strategy – all hoping to win up to £100,000.

As the sun shone in northern Bulgaria last summer, I was quickly equipped with the clothing and gadgets necessary to survive The Hunt. In particular, I was given a "gauntlet" attached to my arm, that would reveal a map and my status in the game, tracked via Bluetooth. For the players, this also shows how much money they have banked.

"It was such a massive undertaking," said Lee McMurray, commissioning editor at Channel 4, of the Bluetooth devices. "It was really complex, it was quite groundbreaking. You can see the players were given gauntlets, that was loaded with a bespoke app specially designed for the show that allowed the players to navigate around the forest [and] see where the challenges were."

It probably didn’t help I can’t read a map, despite my 10 long years as a girl guide, but thankfully I quickly remembered: I wasn’t really in the game!

Throughout the series, the players are pitted against one another as prey versus predator, and each day the prey must hunt for cash while the predators hunt the prey, until just one could be left standing to claim the entire cash prize.

As viewers will see tonight, the first set of prey and predators are chosen, but as per the rules of the game, someone's status in the game can be changed at any moment.

But while the prey run around the forest, hoping to avoid capture, they can take part in missions to bank money, and one mission audiences will see a little later in the game is 'The Drop'.

The Drop may remind you of the hand speed/catching stick challenge families often play at Christmas, but this was far more advanced and honestly, it’s harder than you may think!

Unfortunately for me, the prize money wasn’t included, because based on my pace in catching falling sticks from the air, I’d like to think I would have got quite far in the competition (should it only be missions based).

Running away from the predators trying to take my prize money? Well, we can all see the mud on my trousers.

But it's not just in the forest where the games take place, with the real strategising happening at the base camp. When the day is done, the players return to the camp where the cull takes place.

It’s there where the prey can choose which of the predators should be voted off. We didn’t get into the nitty gritty of thwarting alliances — otherwise, it would have been a rather long journey home — but the base camp set offered a fresh, futuristic feel which was intentional from the show’s creators.

McMurray explained: "I am a huge sci-fi fan, so there’s lots of different inspirations you can see in the mix. There’s a bit of Dune in there, a bit of Hunger Games. George Lucas talked about the used futures, the aesthetic in Star Wars, where it looks very modern but it’s sort of lived in and worn."

With muddy trousers and new Hunger Games-style headshots, it was time to watch the game unfold in real time as one of the hunts began. You’ll get no spoilers from me, but it'll be a series you don’t want to miss.

The Hunt: Prey vs Predator begins on Sunday 22 March at 9pm on Channel 4.

Add The Hunt: Prey vs Predator to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.