Joe's on the Hunt for £100,000 prize

Joe Appleton is a TV fugitive '“ and he hopes his stint in the national spotlight will run and run.
Joe Appleton (right) and Dan Murphy on the Channel 4 TV show HuntedJoe Appleton (right) and Dan Murphy on the Channel 4 TV show Hunted
Joe Appleton (right) and Dan Murphy on the Channel 4 TV show Hunted

The 30-year-old from St Annes, who works as a milkman as well as being renowned locally as an amateur theatre director and singing tutor, is among eight remaining ‘fugitives’ looking to avoid capture in Channel 4’s primetime game show Hunted, the second episode of which airs tonight.

The show, in its third series, features three duos, including Joe and his partner on the show Dan Murphy, and three single people, one of whom was captured in last week’s opening episode, bidding to evade a team of former police and intelligence professionals, using advance surveillance systems, for 25 days.

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The fugitives are chasing a £100,000 prize – which would come in very handy indeed for Joe, as wife Amy is expecting the couple’s first child any day now.

Joe is sworn to secrecy about his fate on the show – but is delighted to be involved after applying at the end of the previous series ‘as a bit of a joke’.

Joe said: “Eventually, after various stages, I got accepted on the show. Apparently 30,000 people applied and nine of us went on the run.”

Joe and Dan, who works at a primary school teacher in Preston as well as working alongside Joe as a milkman in Fylde, sing together as a duo called Brothers of Swing, and were last seen in the opening episode of the TV show in a taxi heading out of Manchester.

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Filming was in May and Joe added: “It was a great experience but really tough.

“It was actually very emotional – and even more emotional when I found out Amy was pregnant the day I got back from filming!”

Hunted is on Channel 4 on Thursdays at 9pm.