LAST night he was crowned champion of Channel 4’s Hunted, but today he is back fixing boilers. 

That’s the reality for Ben Arrowsmith, a plumber from Pangbourne, after his success on the popular ‘escape the hunters’ show was revealed last night. 

READ MORE: All the latest coronavirus updates

The 25-year-old managed to evade a team of highly-skilled ‘hunters’ for more than three weeks after hitchhiking across the UK last year with best mate Rob Ellington, who is also 25 and from Wokingham.

Speaking exclusively to the Chronicle about his win, Ben said: “It’s pretty weird really. I woke up this morning and went straight back to work.

Reading Chronicle:

“Boilers break so I just need to get out.

“It’s been brilliant. 

“Everyone’s so proud of us. It’s nice to know at age 25 you’re still making your parents proud.”

Ben and Rob will take home a share of £100,000 after they reached a final target site in Anglesey along with two other ‘fugitives’, who from a group of ten were tasked with staying away from some of the UK’s top surveillance experts. 

READ MORE: Here's why camera crews turned up in Reading

Their journey to the island started in Bristol and the Berkshire duo spent the first four nights on-the-run sleeping rough.

They tried to get to Merseyside to catch a glimpse of the parade held in honour of Liverpool FC winning the Champions League before meeting up with one of Rob’s friends, but that plan fell through.

The 25-year-olds instead came back to Reading to pick up a couple of bikes which they did by getting in touch with Ben’s brother using Xbox Live -- a communication tool only gamers can use. 

Reading Chronicle: Ben (left) and Rob (right)Ben (left) and Rob (right)

Ben said he had planned to use this method before going on the show-- instead of using traceable mobile phones to talk to his family -- as he “knew it hadn’t been done before.”

He added: “We always thought it wouldn’t be possible for the hunters to be able to listen to the conversation. We tried being as street-wise as possible.

“They took my brother and my friend Jonny into questioning after that because they couldn’t get the conversation. 

READ MORE: Major queues outside Asda

“It was brilliant. We had the bikes lined up so we knew if we travelled light, quick and kept moving every day we would have a chance. 

“Every day there was a target and we knew how far the previous winners had got, so we kept thinking ‘oh we’ve got further than him’, ‘we’ve got further than them’, so we had goals like that to keep us going.”

Reading Chronicle: Rob (left) and Ben (right)Rob (left) and Ben (right)

Successfully evading the hunters, the boys were equipped with bikes and cycled 170 miles over the following four days to get to Coventry.

They eventually gave these up after realising the hunters knew they were cycling.

Ben found it tough trying to keep upbeat throughout the trek, he told the Chronicle.

“That was one of the hardest parts. 

“Trying to always be upbeat, even when something is going wrong, just trying to be upbeat and trying to make it into a positive.

“At times I struggled with that, and that’s where Rob really came into his own being positive.”

READ MORE: Latest updates from PC Andrew Harper trial

Hitchhiking became the new plan in the final few days of their journey, but Ben and Rob decided to split up to confuse the hunters as they headed to the final destination in Anglesey. 

Ben said: “It was tough to split. But we knew it was the right thing because we knew the hunters were on our arse, getting closer and closer. 

“When we split I was planning to go up north and be the decoy to get Rob over the line, it wasn’t originally about us both getting over the line.”

The final stretch of the journey saw Ben hideout in the boot of a car before he jumped into the water to reach a boat which would take the ‘fugitives’ away.

Reading Chronicle: Ben (left) and Rob (right)Ben (left) and Rob (right)

Ben got there before Rob did, however. 

He said: “When I saw him I was in shock more than anything!

“I was so happy to see Rob. I was really emotional at that point. The thought of winning the money went out the window. 

“It was a great feeling. I knew as soon as I had touched the water, ‘I’ve done it’”.

Ben and Rob have had to keep their success a secret since May 2019, something Ben said has been very “tricky”.

READ MORE: The Reading Chronicle is #therewithyou during coronavirus pandemic

The duo, lovingly described as “mummy’s boys” by the show’s head hunter, came on to the show with points to prove.

The Pangbourne plumber added: “We’re age 25 and we’re still young and dumb. We’re just regular young guys.

“I don’t think academically at school Rob and I were perfect, so this just proved you can go to university and everything like that, but it’s still possible for a regular person to achieve something like this.”

Reading Chronicle:

He added: “You’ve got to be in it to win it. 

“We applied but we didn’t think we’d even be on the show. 

“It’s like going to Wembley Stadium and being picked out from the crowd. 

“It’s unbelievable. I would recommend anyone to give it a shot.”