''Hunting Chris Ryan'' is a documentary produced by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in 2003. It comprised three hour-long episodes, each pitting SAS veteran

Chris Ryan Colin Armstrong, (born 1961), usually known by the pen-name Chris Ryan, is a British author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant. After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNab's '' Brav ...

against a four-man "Hunter Force" whilst he completed a set objective, his mission being evasion and ultimately extraction once the objective was complete. The series was re-released in the United States as ''Special Forces: Manhunt'', broadcast on

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

The Military Channel American Heroes Channel (formerly Military Channel and originally Discovery Wings Channel) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. The network carries pr ...

The Hunter Force

The four men trailing Ryan are an elite squad of soldiers, they were given as the following; * C/Sgt Ken Waterhouse – Retired

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

Colour Sergeant Colour sergeant (CSgt or C/Sgt) is a rank of non-commissioned officer found in several armies and marine corps. Australia In the Australian Army, the rank of colour sergeant has only existed in the Corps of Staff Cadets at the Royal Military ...

and weapons expert * Cpl Simon Harris – Retired

Pathfinder Platoon The Pathfinder Platoon is a Pathfinders (military), pathfinder unit of the British Army, and an integral part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team. The Pathfinder Platoon acts as the brigade's advance force and reconnaissa ...

Team Commander and expert tracker * SMCS Kenny Taylor – Retired

United States Navy SEAL The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...

* HMC Nick Teta – Retired United States Navy SEAL and

counter-terrorist Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to com ...

expert

Episodes

Each of the missions was devised by Chris Plyming, a retired

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the Parachute Regiment. Plyming serves as radio contact for both parties, giving instructions and objectives to Chris Ryan and the Hunter Force.

Notes

Ryan completed his first mission by running across a beach to his rendezvous point, a boat. The beach was patrolled both on land and sea by the Hunter Force but Ryan still escaped. Ryan used his only successful

booby trap A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or an animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap may b ...

smoke grenade A smoke grenade is a canister-type grenade used as a signaling device, target or landing zone marking device, or as a screening device for unit movements. Smoke grenades are generally more complex and emit a far larger amount of smoke than sm ...

on a

tripwire A tripwire is a passive triggering mechanism. Typically, a wire or cord is attached to a device for detecting or reacting to physical movement. Military applications Such tripwires may be attached to one or more mines⁠especially fragme ...

in front of the cache which the hunter force missed and set off). During Ryan's second mission, he suffered from

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

whilst alone in the arctic wastelands. His failure to report his position or to make a contact with the film crew led to a search party being sent to Ryan's last known position. During a video recorded by Ryan himself from within his sleeping bag, he explained that his hands were too cold to operate either his radio or his stove. The search party eventually found him 3 kilometers from his rendezvous point and was treated that evening. The next day he returned to his position and continued with the mission. As in the first mission, Ryan made his escape with seconds to spare after two members of the hunter force arrive on

Ski-doo Ski-Doo is a brand name of snowmobile manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products (originally Bombardier Inc. before the spin-off). The Ski-Doo personal snowmobile brand is so iconic, especially in Canada, that it was listed in 17th pla ...

s as his helicopter takes off. In the final mission, the Hunter Force gathered extra help from a unit of a local

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

, as well as numerous vehicles including

jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

quad bike An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat ...

s, boats and a helicopter. These reinforcements played a significant part in Ryan's failure of the mission as the increased enemy numbers around the downed pilot forced him to abort his mission, and the helicopter surveillance informed the Hunter Force on the location of the microlight escape. Ryan also stole a horse from a rancher during night fall to get ahead of the Hunter Force, a piece of information they may not have understood or even received without the militia present. Ryan did get the microlight into the air but is "shot down" by Taylor.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0426720 BBC television documentaries