Banijay’s Hunted Heads Into The Wild

28 February, 2022

Banijay today announces Dutch production label, SimpelZodiak has created a new spin-off of reality thriller Hunted. Already producing both the civilian and celebrity versions, SimpelZodiak will now bring Hunted into the wild to NPO 3.

 

The stakes are higher than ever on Hunted into the wild as ordinary people must hide in an inhospitable landscape to evade capture. From the moment of the dramatic launch, the ‘fugitives’ are at the mercy of the wilderness as they try to remain undetected. Who can brave the heat, rain, and cold as professional hunters use their experience to track them down? Despite this new setting meaning the hunters can’t use surveillance cameras, the formidable team will stop at nothing to complete their task. Will one wrong move result in capture or will these Dutch participants be able to utilise the landscape to outsmart Marcel van de Ven and his team?

 

Originally created by Shine TV for UK broadcaster Channel 4, Hunted has since been commissioned in 11 countries. Hunted continues its strong run in the Netherlands with the latest VIP series currently on-air and SimpelZodiak’s sixth season having achieved the best ratings to date.

 

2021 was a successful year for the format with Endemol Shine Australia announcing they will produce an adaptation for Channel 10 and Belgium’s first season being the most-watched weekly show on Play4 that season. In the UK the format continues to be ratings hit, with the most recent series more than doubling the slot for younger viewers. In total, the number of series which aired was double that of 2020 including Italian, French and German versions for Amazon Prime Video.

 

Justine Huffmeijer, Managing Director of SimpelZodiak says: “Hunted into the wild will have viewers on the edge of their seat as the drama surpasses anything we’ve seen before. We know how much Dutch audiences are captivated by the VIP and civilian versions so we can’t wait for audiences to see this fresh take.”

 

Lucas Green, Head of Content Operations of Banijay adds: “Hunted is factual entertainment at its best. This new spin-off highlights the expanding potential for Hunted’s thrilling social experiment, as anonymity becomes increasingly harder in modern life. SimpelZodiak always produces high-quality programming, and we are sure this new series in the ‘escape genre’ will be no different. Having already established such a strong following for this format in the Netherlands, we know they are a safe pair of hands to further develop this new chapter of Hunted.”

 

This new twist on the global brand adds to the award-winning Dutch production company’s burgeoning catalogue. Priding itself on creating high-quality content for both linear TV, streamers, and online platforms some of SimpelZodiak’s key credits include SAS: Who Dares Wins, Temptation Island, Your Home Made Perfect, Table for Two, and Survivor.