A team of two contestants in the studio had to use a library of maps and reference materials to solve up to five clues, and communicate instructions via a radio link to a skyrunner who had the use of a helicopter.

The contestants actually realised they were wrong and the correct location was a horse farm in Speen just before Rice landed, but she wasn't listening to them and got out of the helicopter before being sent back.

This was arranged by the production team with the local constabularies beforehand to ensure the safety of the helicopter and keep members of the public away, as its rotors would still run whilst Rice was finding the clue.

According to a "making of Treasure Hunt" programme, Anneka Rice was confined to the hotel on the day that the camera operator, video and sound recordist; and helicopter pilot undertook a rehearsal and flew the course with the production team (typically the day before the programme was recorded), so she had no advance knowledge of the locations.

This did not stop her carrying out research about the general area in order to have a stock of facts to fill in any silences that might arise while the contestants were thinking.

In the original version, the presenter was former BBC newsreader Kenneth Kendall and the "skyrunner" was broadcaster Anneka Rice.

In the first series, Kendall was joined briefly in the studio for the handover of the first clue by the original clue-setter, Ann Meo.

From the second series onwards, this role was expanded, another studio-based person acted as adjudicator, giving the contestants tips on how they were doing against the scheduled time, and providing additional information about the locations visited.

In this series, the set was revamped due to a move to Thames Television's facilities (the original studios were at Trilion in Soho, London, and then Limehouse Studios on Canary Wharf in Docklands, East London which was later earmarked for demolition to make way for One Canada Square), and Willis was promoted to sharing main billing with Kendall.

There was always a "chase" helicopter which relayed radio signals back to London and, although this could never be used tactically by the contestants, it was not hidden from the viewers.

The 1982–1989 series were repeated on terrestrial television several times, and during the 1990s appeared on the Challenge satellite and cable channel, as well as Sky Travel.

For all the UK series, the programme was a Chatsworth Television independent production in association with Tele Union Paris.

Andy Gelder was in the studio and varying assistants in the radio car help two contestants to solve clues over the three-hour period.

[3][4][5] On London's talk station LBC, presenter James O'Brien hosted The Treasure Hunt on Wednesday lunchtimes as part of his weekday show.

Although otherwise unrelated to the original concept, the programme opened with the Treasure Hunt television series theme tune, and in August 2007, Anneka Rice recorded a voice-over lead-in for it.

From the start of the first lockdown until Ryan's departure from the station in March 2023, the quiz operated as a virtual tour with the answers providing locations both in the county and worldwide.