SURVIVAL EXPERT CALLS IN THE ENGINEERS
side of it – people realise the situation they’re in, the magnitude of the build and at the end it’s sort of one big celebration of engineering.”
In each episode, four new cast members will find themselves in a different terrain.
The first show recreates a jumbo jet crash in the middle of the Mexican desert. Other contestants will find themselves surrounded by snow, jungle, mountains or water.
Middleton said: “You chuck all these spanners in the works and they either go into fight or flight mode.
“That’s what’s so interesting, because you’ve got five different environments with five different situations and five different teams.
“Every episode is like a mini documentary in itself, it’s so different.
“I thought, when I went in, the jungle was going to be the hard one, because jungle is absolutely horrendous.
“But then when I got to the desert, the heat just saps the energy out of you, and then when I got to the mountains it was the wind and the rain and the overexposure – so all of them were challenging.”
Despite this, Middleton added: “I don’t really class this as a survival programme.
“The survival bit is the easy part. It’s about the engineering.
“This is a battle of the wills; this is a psychological battle.
“Can these guys still function and ignore the environment around them? That’s what’s so brilliant about it, that’s what’s fascinated me.
“I can’t build anything, I’m not an engineer. I’m putting my life in their hands, so I really have to get the best out of them, which is fascinating.”
But that’s not to say Middleton isn’t fully emmersed in the experience.
He explained: “I’m their sort of ‘leader’. I deal with the bigger picture.
“Put it this way – my puzzle is to find out where their strengths are, how they tick, and get them to work the most efficiently as a team. And their puzzle is to build something to escape.
“So as I’m working out my puzzle, they’re working out their puzzle, when ultimately we’re all in it for the same goal, which is to get the hell out of there!”
Middleton certainly has good reason to get back home safely, as he has a young brood of four at home with his wife Emily.
He recently revealed that she was six months pregnant when he left to film Mutiny.
Reflecting on spending lengthy periods away from home, the ex-Marine said: “There’s not much change from the military. But then I was away six months at a time, whereas Mutiny was two months … and I’m not getting shot at.
“But it’s difficult, because I’ve become more emotionally attached to my family not being in the military now.
“It’s all for the bigger picture and they know that you’re making these small sacrifices.”
His passion for his new-found calling is clear.
Middleton said: “I’d like to make authentic programmes to give the viewer as authentic an experience as possible.
“Hopefully I can carry on doing it for the next five or 10 years. I’m just really putting my head into it, really concentrating on the media stuff and just enjoying it. It’s a different buzz, but it’s a nice buzz.”
He’s taking his “role model” tag seriously, too.
He said: “I get a lot of inspirational messages – the younger generation want to join the military, and stuff like that.
“Though I don’t look at it as a celebrity lifestyle, I look at it as a responsibility. But the celebrity life, that stuff is there because I get noticed everywhere and people want to take selfies.
“People are genuinely interested in my life – I’m not just a face on TV, you know. I’ve got a story behind me, which a lot of people can relate to, and it’s great. I’m enjoying it.” ● Escape starts on Channel 4 on Sunday at 8pm.
I can’t build anything. I’m not an engineer. I’m putting my life in their hands, so I really have to get the best out of them ANT MIDDLETON