Hunting Chris Ryan

"Hunting Chris Ryan" is a documentary produced by the BBC in 2003. It comprised three hour-long episodes, each pitting SAS veteran Chris Ryan 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's The Military Channel.

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 Colour Sergeant and Weapons expert.

Cpl Simon Harris. Retired Pathfinder Platoon Team Commander and expert tracker.

SMCS Kenny Taylor. Retired United States Navy SEAL.

HMC Nick Teta. Retired United States Navy SEAL and anti-terrorist expert.

Episodes/Missions

Each of the missions was devised by Chris Plyming, a retired Captain of the Parachute Regiment. Plyming serves as radio contact for both parties, giving instructions and objectives to Chris Ryan and the Hunter Force.

Locale: Jungle.

Location: Mosquito Coast, Honduras.

Mission: Retrieve classified Special Forces equipment buried in a secret supply dump.

Status: Mission completed successfully

Locale: Arctic

Location: near the Siberian village of Khatanga, Russia

Mission: Locate a British spy satellite that's crashed 650 km inside the Arctic Circle and destroy any remains.

Status: Mission failed. However, despite failing to locate or destroy the satellite, Ryan was able to successfully escape capture. Also Ryan experienced life threatening hypothermia.

Locale: Desert.

Location: Tsodilo Hills, Botswana.

Mission: Rescue a fighter pilot shot down over the Kalahari Desert and escape using a microlight.

Status: Mission failed.

Notes

• Chris completes his first mission by running across a beach to his rendezvous point, a boat. The beach is patrolled both on land and sea by the Hunter Force but Ryan still escapes. It is worthy to note that Chris used his only successful Booby trap (a smoke grenade on a tripwire in front of the cache which the hunter force missed and set off).

• During Chris's second mission, he succumbs to hypothermia whilst alone in the arctic wastelands. His failure to report his position or to make a contact with the film crew means a search party is sent to Ryan's last known position. During a video recorded by Chris himself from within his sleeping bag, he says his hands are too cold to operate either his radio or his stove. The search party eventually finds him 3 kilometers from his rendezvous point and he is treated that evening. The next day he returns to his position and continues with the mission. As in the first mission, Chris makes his escape with seconds to spare after two members of the hunter force arrive on ski-doos as his helicopter takes off.

• In the final mission, the Hunter Force gathers extra help from a unit of a local militia, as well as numerous vehicles including jeeps, quad bikes, boats and a helicopter. These reinforcements play a significant part in Chris Ryan's failure of this mission as increased enemy numbers around the downed pilot force Chris to abort his mission, and the helicopter surveillance inform the Hunter Force on the location of the microlight escape. Ryan also steals 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 does get the microlight into the air but is 'shot down' by Taylor.