The global treasure hunt entertainment series continues. Presented by Jamie Theakston, The Search follows a group of bright contestants as they battle against each other to crack fiendish codes and unravel ancient mysteries around the world. The contestants are battling it out to win the grand prize at the end of the series: £50,000 in buried treasure.

Having eliminated one of their fellow contestants last week in France, the seven remaining contestants continue on their quest in Rajasthan, India. They explore the magnificence of the Taj Mahal, where they must seek out the elusive pink spy to solve the mystery of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj as a mausoleum for his wife. The Emperor was deposed by his son and imprisoned in the next location, the impregnable Agra Fort.

The Search contestants then travel south to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, where they must learn the ways of eastern astrology at the Jantar Mantar, the biggest observatory in the world. Eventually they reach the opulent Lake Palace in Udaipur, where the focus shifts to religion and the 300 million Hindu Gods. The Search explorers are the first people to be allowed to film at the Holy Temples of Eklingi, which date back to the eighth century. Here the group must understand how Hinduism was conceived if they are to crack the final code and win the race for the symbol.

The winning team survive for another week but the losers must play the Poisoned Chalice and eliminate one of their own.

The third episode of The Search airs on Channel 4 at 8pm on 21/01/2007

The Search is a new seven-part global treasure hunt entertainment series. Presented by Jamie Theakston, The Search follows ten bright contestants as they battle against each other to crack fiendish codes and unravel ancient mysteries around the world.

The contestants are battling it out to win the grand prize at the end of the series: £50,000 in buried treasure. From Renaissance Italy to the wild jungles of Central America; from the Taj Mahal in India to ancient Egyptian tombs that have never been filmed before, each show takes viewers to stunning and surprising locations across Italy, France, India, Egypt, Peru and Mexico.

Having eliminated one of their fellow contestants last week in Italy, the nine contestants continue on their quest in France. Religion is the theme of the journey as the group begin at Notre Dame de Paris where Jacques de Molay – the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar – was burnt at the stake.

The journey continues to Notre Dame de Chartres, which houses the biggest crypt in France, and onto the Citadel of Carcassonne where the contestants learn about the Cathars, who were also persecuted by the Catholics. The winning team of the French leg of The Search will survive for another week but the losers must play the Poisoned Chalice and eliminate one of their own.

Episode Two Of the Search Will Air At 8pm on Channel 4, 14/01/2007

The Search is a new seven-part global treasure hunt entertainment series. Presented by Jamie Theakston, the series will follow ten bright contestants as they battle against each other to crack fiendish codes and unravel ancient mysteries around the world.

The Search contestants are:

Adrian, 64, from Lincolnshire, now lives in London
Adrian has been a vicar for 40 years, and is currently vicar of All Saints Church where Lady Thatcher is sometimes in attendance. He has a degree in Theology and English from Oxford, and writes “Thoughts of the Day” for Teletext. He is married and has two children.

Alan, 58, from Manchester
Alan has studied Egyptology and ancient history for over 30 years and is literate in hieroglyphics. He specialises in Egypt’s Old Kingdom period, with a particular interest in pyramid sites, and has lectured on his specialist subjects in the UK for over 20 years.

Alexandra, 27, from London
One of six children, Alexandra was brought up in both Greece and the UK. She is now working as an architectural interior designer.

Kristian, 27, from Cambridge, now lives in London
Kristian has a BA in Medieval Languages from Oxford, and did a post-graduate degree in Law. He now practices as a solicitor. Kristian loves sport, in particular football and rugby.

Mairianne, 24, from Devon, now lives in London
Mairianne is currently a city headhunter, but it was her singing skills that got her into university. She received a choral scholarship to Oxford where she did a BA in music, and while at Oxford she was also captain of her boxing team.

Monica, 51, from London
Monica has a BA in Arabic from Oxford, and got an MA in Medieval History from UCL as a mature student. She is a freelance editor and single mum with a 19-year-old son. Monica wanted to be an actress but gave up after four years of no success.

Nat, 25, from Birmingham, now lives in London
Nat graduated from Oxford University with an Honours degree in Classics, and then went on to Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris where he studied Political Philosophy. He has directed and produced a number of plays for the Oxford University Classical Drama Society.

Saskia, 24, from London Saskia is a PHD student studying Bioinformatics (maths) at Oxford University. She grew up in Germany where her dad is a Professor of Genetics, and is fluent in German, French and Spanish, as well as having good Latin and basic Ancient Greek. Saskia thinks she could look at any European language and understand it.

Simon, 32, from Manchester, now lives in London
Simon is an art history lecturer and art critic, and has an MA in Contemporary Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Suzy, 29, from Hartlepool Suzy is a corporate fundraiser and artist, but also a self-confessed treasure hunting enthusiast. She has an MA in Tourism Management and a BA in Business Administration, and is married with two daughters.

For more information on the show and it’s locations click here

The Search is a new seven-part global treasure hunt entertainment series. Presented by Jamie Theakston, the series will follow ten bright contestants as they battle against each other to crack fiendish codes and unravel ancient mysteries around the world.

From Renaissance Italy to the wild jungles of Central America; from the Taj Mahal in India to ancient Egyptian tombs that have never been filmed before; each show takes viewers to stunning and surprising locations across Italy, France, India, Egypt, Peru and Mexico.

On their quest the intrepid treasure hunters will uncover the Grail Trail, the hiding places of medieval heretics, the secret of the lost Inca gold and the legacy of Egyptian Kings. In each new location the contestants will decipher exciting codes and puzzles, from the Fibonacci code to the hieroglyphics on Ramese III’s cartouche.

The Search contestants include experts in the fields of art, art history, science and architecture, but are they up to this challenge and who will win? In each show one of The Search contestants is eliminated from the adventure. It’s up to their fellow contestants to decide who will go home, by the handing round of a “poison chalice”. The remaining four contestants complete their journey back in the UK for the final show of the series, as they battle it out to win the grand prize: £50,000 in buried gold.

The Search locations are Italy (show 1), France (show 2), India (show 3), Egypt (show 4), Guatemala (show 5), Peru (show 6) and the United Kingdom (show 7).

Friday the 17th of March will see Channel Four launching the fourth series of their hit show ‘The Games’.

The main show on Channel Four will be presented by Jamie Theakston and former ‘The Games’ contestant, Kirsty Gallacher and will be followed by an E4 spin off show with backstage interviews etc. This show will be called ‘Trackside’ and will be presented by Justin Lee Collins and Caroline Flack.

This years contestants are as follows

Amanda Lamb,
Julia Goldsworthy,
Bernie Nolan,
Javine,
Michelle Gayle,

Peter Duncan,
Goldie
MC Plat’num aka Marcel Somerville
Jade Jones,
JK (Jason King),