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Celebrity Hunted: Shrewsbury vehicle hire firm helped stars escape

Channel 4 Celebrity Hunted promo pictureChannel 4
Celebrities aim to evade capture for two weeks in the Channel 4 programme

Since setting up shop in 1983, Pritchards of Shrewsbury is more used to calls about vehicle hire than escaping the law.

But on Tuesday, the used car dealership featured in Channel 4's Celebrity Hunted helping stars on the run.

As part of a Stand Up To Cancer special, six famous faces escaped from Shrewsbury's former prison.

Once in the town, they turned to local businesses to help further their escape from elite hunters.

The famous fugitives featured in Tuesday's programme included comedians James Acaster and Ed Gamble, Strictly star Katya Jones and Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller.

Teammates Jones and Fuller made a beeline for Meole Brace after their escape from the prison, riding a red motor scooter.

Before long, they made it to vehicle hire shop Pritchards of Shrewsbury, pursued by a helicopter.

Channel 4 Laurene Pritchard in the programme helping Aimee Fuller and Katya Jones escapeChannel 4
Laurene Pritchard was asked to help Aimee Fuller and Katya Jones escape

They had enlisted the help of owner Laurene Pritchard to help them make their escape.

"They came in one morning and asked if we would participate," Ms Pritchard told the BBC.

"There wasn't that much planning but we worked out how we were going to get them away."

She explained: "We used three vans parked inside the garage as decoys and then they escaped in a car - my car."

In the programme, Jones and Fuller make a narrow escape before the hunters arrive at the shop searching for them.

"It was really like it was the police," Ms Pritchard said.

"Although I knew they were coming, it was still very real. I was quite worried really."

Channel 4 Aimee Fuller and Katya Jones escaping in a carChannel 4
Jones and Fuller escaped in Ms Pritchard's car after decoy vans left the dealership

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Jones and Fuller said their bid to evade hunters for two weeks "really became about strategy".

"The best plan, we found, was no plan," Fuller said. "We totally relied on strangers and the public."

Meanwhile, Acaster and Gamble were seen on the programme enjoying a fine dining experience at The Walrus in Shrewsbury.

Celebrity Hunted is available to stream on All 4 and episodes will be broadcast weekly on Channel 4 on Tuesdays at 21:00 BST.

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