Anneka Rice

Shows

Celebrity Hunted (participant)

Challenge Anneka

Combat

Hell's Kitchen (participant)

Names and Games

Passport

Strictly Come Dancing (participant)

Treasure Hunt

Biography

Born in the Vale of Glamorgan in 1958, Anneka worked briefly for the World Service before moving to Hong Kong where she worked simultaneously as a PR agent, newsreader and dubber of kung-fu films. After a short spell on children's television and hosting a BBC2 series entitled 'Sporting Chance', back in the UK she rose to fame as the Skyrunner on Treasure Hunt. Her outgoing, bubbly personality ensured that she would become the most famous figure in the early years of Channel 4, as she spent most days jumping into rivers, being rescued by seals, or climbing up ladders.

Anneka left Treasure Hunt after the 1988 series, to make the Challenge Anneka series for the BBC. She also made travel series Passport for the Beeb, and early Army reality show Combat for ITV.

She retired from television in the mid-90s, to spend more time with her family and study at the Chelsea College of Art.

In 2006, she fully came out of retirement to host a cookery show on Sunday mornings with Andi Peters against the BBC's Sunday Brunch. Challenge Anneka also returned to our screens, even with Dave the sound man intact.

Trivia

She was voted Rear of the Year 1986, in honour of the standard Treasure Hunt shot. "Interestingly" she was awarded the title jointly with Michael Barrymore.

Rice revealed on Celebrity Mastermind that she had virtually no experience of helicopters when she came to do Treasure Hunt - she was pretty much placed inside the chopper and made to get on with it - talk about having to learn the hard way.

She appeared on an edition of the BBC's 'Paul Daniels Magic Show', taking an audience-member in a helicopter to find something or someone important, Treasure Hunt-style, albeit far less manic.