"The Maddest 72 Hours I've Ever Had," Says Brighton Woman After Filming Naked TV Show

Lilly Crick, 39, who lives in Brighton, has spoken to More Radio about her experiences on Channel 4's Naked, Alone and Racing To Get Home, currently available on All4.

The premise of the show, now in its second series and available as a box set on Channel 4, pits two teams of two against each other as they start off in a remote location and have to fight for survival at the same time as racing towards the finish line to collect £5k.

Lilly, originally from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, was supposed to go on the show with a friend, however the friend had to pull out due to personal reasons, so Lilly was placed with Australian, aspiring model Liam, who she'd never met before.

Oh, and they start the race naked, with no food, transport, money or shelter. What could possibly go wrong?

What were your biggest concerns about doing the show before you recorded it?

Before I recorded the show my biggest concern was my professional career. I was worried about how it would reflect on me, not only currently but moving forward as well. Obviously we know how social media and the internet works, so once I’d been on TV naked, there’s no, kind of, 'hold' I would have over my image and how I was portrayed, so my biggest concern was definitely work.

But I spoke to them about it and they were actually really lovely. They were kind of shocked and surprised but they really backed me because they understood that this was predominantly a survival challenge programme - the naked thing was not for titillation. They know me, so I had good support from work in terms of how I could protect myself in the company. It was really funny actually because when I first found out that I'd got into the competition, I spoke to two colleagues, who I knew and trusted, about doing it. One of them said 'absolutely not, career suicide,' and the other one said 'go for it,' so I went for it and it worked out well.

What kind of support did you get from the production team in terms of mental / physical health?

The production team were really great - there’s been so much in media about supporting people in reality programmes and what the outcomes are and, as we all know, some of them have been really negative for people who have been a long time in the game, let alone for people like myself who did it for the experience and are not particularly looking for a career in social media. I had a meeting with a psychologist and with the production team and every single step of the way I was able to say, “I don’t want top talk about this" or "I don’t want this to be addressed”. The team are the hardest-working people I know - two camera women, a safety guy and a runner, who’s a really young, fit guy who carries all the production team’s kit.

Everyone has background checks to ensure it's a really safe place. The naked thing really quickly goes out the window - they’re just there to help you and survive. After filming we had another chat about the types of things that can happen on the internet. I couldn’t have gone through this process if I hadn’t passed the very strict criteria - about how I felt about being naked, about my work, about how I would feel if someone on the street commented. I felt really really supported. They made a massive effort to make sure I was fully aware of what I was going into, fully aware of what the programme was like and that I would be supported if there were any problems. Physical health-wise, there was a really good team. I never felt unsafe or that I was going to be left on my own. 

Were you worried about the reaction on social media? How was that dealt with and have you had much negativity?

I’ve been very lucky actually. I’m doing a podcast for a friend and I've been on Lorraine Kelly on ITV. In terms of social media, I’ve not had much of a response and I’m quite pleased about that in a way, because I didn’t go into this to be an influencer or create a kind of media persona for myself. I’m just happy to see where things go. I was also advised by Channel 4 Productions as to how to protect myself a few weeks before and a few weeks after the show.

Since filming, I've kept in touch with the girl I did the Lorraine interview with and I’m in touch with Beau and Claire who I raced against. Everyone seems to be doing really well. I suppose it depends on what you make of it. I remember seeing the pilot and I remember some of the people wanted to boost their media career, but for me, I’ve not had any issues and I feel quite confident about how I’ve managed my social media. All I’ve had are comments from good friends and even some who’ve popped up from school days - but it’s all been quite positive. 

What was the hardest part of the challenge?

The hardest part of the challenge was when things were getting tough. I was really conscious about being a kind person. I didn’t know my team mate Liam very well and I didn't know what he was going to be like in a stressful situation, or a good situation and I also didn’t want to come across as aggressive. There were times when I did say to him, “Look I know what to do, so I’m going to tell you what to do and just let me lead,” but I’m not a perfect person, I was in no way an expert and neither was he. But we were a team and his map-reading and orientation skills were really amazing. It was about managing how to help this person who was really struggling without being aggressive or coming across in a negative way and also 'how do I bring someone up when they’re feeling bad?' because that’s what I would have wanted someone to do for me, so its was about ‘how can I help my team mate’ overall.

Has the challenge changed the way you feel about life in any way? Do you feel especially empowered?

It’s been really nice. My parents went to University in Scotland, so we always used to go up there and look at the Glens and look at those beautiful acres of Scottish wildlife and I'd imagine what it would be like to run though it, so it’s really been a lovely experience to have done that.

I also feel that it’s really been a mirror - a reflection of me - how do I help someone when I’m frustrated with them? How do I help myself when I’m frustrated with someone? How do we celebrate a good experience even if it’s something really little? I’ve watched the programme back a few times. Not because “I want to see how good I look” but "how do I look when the chips are down?" So that was a really interesting experience and something that I’m really proud to have had the chance to do.

I’ve always been a bit of an outdoorsy person, a 'let’s get it done' type person. But empowered? Yes.

I’ve got a phobia of spiders and there were things crawling all over us and I realised, ‘they’re not hanging out because they want to attack you, they’re just there!' It’s definitely helped me with that.

It’s also helped me with being more proactive than reactive. I’ve always thought I was really pragmatic but it really did put me to the test. When my partner left I thought "Oh my god, I can’t do this," but that was one of the most empowering things. I always thought I could get through it, and I'm really proud that I did. I learnt a lot about myself - trust your instincts, trust your guts, just go for it. So that was a really amazing feeling.

The other thing it helped me with was my self image. I have plaque psoriasis and I have a lot of scars along my body. About two years ago it really manifested itself and I’m now on an injectable drug, but it was horrible. It was summer, I wouldn’t wear shorts, I had to take time off work, I was bleeding, it was awful. I always thought I had quite nice skin but to have these big lesions... well, it was really quite a dark time for me. There was a point where I thought, "Yeah I’ve got naked and I’m proud of my skin and I’m proud of my scars and my stretch marks and I’m proud of whatever I look like".

When friends of mine said they’d heard of this programme and they thought it would be about titillation they very quickly realised that the naked element goes out the window and they’re just looking at what the participants can do. So, yes, for me, that was massively empowering, just being able to show my skin and my arms and not being afraid of the scars and the marks that I’ve got. They don’t define me, they’re just who I am.

Did it become a whole lot harder having to face the challenge on your own after your partner dropped out? 

When my partner dropped out I honestly really tried to help him stay and, again, it was an interesting point because I wanted him to stay with me. He had good map-reading skills. We were in the Scottish Highlands. It’s scary! I wanted someone with me. But I also understand that “no “ is a complete answer and so when he said "no" I thought, "Ok, you’ve come as far as you can come and I respect that".

So when he left and got taken off to the medics van, I thought, “Oh my god, I’m so alone,” but then I just had this moment where I thought, "Ok, I’m alone, but I’ve got some squirrel, I’ve built my shelter, I know how to build a fire”. It was sad to see him go but after that I had no doubt that I wanted to carry on. I had midge bites everywhere and lice, I was scratched up and I’d been through so much, but I had to keep on. He was a great team mate. 

How did your family react when you told them what you were doing?

My family were the same as me. They were just like, “Is your career going to be ok? Are you going to be safe? Is it going to be titillating? How are they presenting you on this programme?” But they always knew that I was going to do it. The people that I know and love, know and love me. They just voiced the same concerns that I’d voiced to the production team. By the time it was on, they were behind me and they have been ever since. I’ve had no negativity from friends and family and the people that matter to me at all. 

Any regrets?

My experience was just beautiful. It was something really different. It was the maddest 72 hours I’ve ever had. It was beautiful surroundings, Claire and Beau were lovely. It was just such a great experience. Money couldn’t pay for it - well apparently it could because you can win five grand! - but it was something so crazy. I do not regret it and I would do it again - the same or harder. I’ve been asked to go on a few shows and talk about this naked, but I said no because the naked thing is not the main point of the programme. It’s about whether you can survive and it showed me I really can, so I absolutely loved it. I still look back and smile. It was just a beautiful, beautiful, amazing experience.