Peter Bleksley, the original Chief Hunter on Channel 4's Hunted, left the show in 2019 after achieving a clean sweep. He now tours with a one-man true crime show and has authored several books.
Bleksley's exit from Hunted
Bleksley, a former Metropolitan Police officer and founding member of Scotland Yard's undercover unit, served as the Chief Hunter for six years. In 2019, he and his team captured all fugitives in the civilian version, a feat he described as 'impossible' to top.
In a statement, Bleksley said: “Finally after six challenging series, we achieved our long held ambition for a clean sweep. What an unforgettable day that was! I feel it would be impossible for me to top that achievement so now is the right time for me to move on.”
Some viewers, however, questioned the outcome, with one tweeting: “Invested six hours of my life on this year’s #Hunted for a security guard to give away the extraction location and make it impossible for anyone to win.” Another echoed: “Isn’t it cheating if you literally just sit at the extraction point… like what are the contestants supposed to do?”
What Bleksley does now
Bleksley now presents a one-man show, The Makings of a Murderer, touring the UK in 2026. His website describes it as “an unforgettable evening of true crime as Peter Bleksley reveals the harrowing reality behind solving murders and battling the criminal underworld. This is crime-fighting as you’ve never seen it before.”
He has also written several crime books and works as a consultant to documentary filmmakers. Bleksley has been married to Sarah, a medical practitioner, since the late 1990s, and they have at least one son.
Celebrity Hunted premieres tonight, Monday, August 3, at 9pm on Channel 4.
