Meticulously researched, splendidly told, immensely entertaining and often very moving (John le Carré on 'Agent Zigzag')

From the secret SAS archives and bestselling author Ben Macintyre: The first ever authorized history of the SAS. Television shows based on real events can ignite hours of internet searching - about the events themselves, and the people behind the action. Steven Knight’s historical drama SAS: Rogue Heroes, is no different. Based on a book of the same name by Ben Macintyre, the show has caused a surge of interest in the founding members of the SAS and their lives outside of the regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne is one of the real life characters under focus in the series. The British Army officer had many talents, and was one of the British Army's most highly decorated soldiers. He was also followed by controversy - read on to find out who Paddy Mayne was, and what happened to him when he left the SAS.

In the summer of 1941, at the height of the war in the Western Desert, a bored and eccentric young officer, David Stirling, came up with a plan that was radical and entirely against the rules: a small undercover unit that would inflict mayhem behind enemy lines. Bloodlands season 2 ending explained: What happened in the finale of the James Nesbitt police drama? Sheridan, Danielle (7 December 2022). "SAS hero is 'turned into someone he wasn't' in new BBC series, family says". The Telegraph. London . Retrieved 7 December 2022.

I had a great time, though I missed out on the 50 degrees of the desert unfortunately! I was in minus 4 where we were. It’s a wonderful part, with wonderful scenes. Unlike the main trio of Stirling, Mayne, and Lewes, the character of Eve Mansour is fictional. However, Sofia Boutella, who plays the character, points out that her character is influenced by real-life female spies such as Noor Inayat Khan and Virginia Hall. [17] a b "First full-length trailer and new pictures released for SAS Rogue Heroes, coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer". BBC Media Centre. 30 September 2022.I would like to think that SAS Rogue Heroes is a great yarn about the spirit of the people that invented this extraordinary unit of guys in World War II, who in a way changed the nature of warfare. But if that sounds a bit dry or a bit grim, it actually isn’t because what makes SAS Rogue Heroes so exciting is the rebel spirit of these men. And then we had to find David Stirling and I count myself quite fortunate that I was included in part of that process and was able to read with one or two actors for the role. When you saw Connor’s take there was no removing him from what you were hoping the project would end up being. Working with him has been one of the highlights of the job, just to see him step up to the mark and take it all in his stride. What he does when the cameras are on is spell-binding. Paddy Mayne died in a car crash on Tuesday December 13, 1955. When the war came to an end, he returned to his hometown of Newtownards and resumed his work as a solicitor. He also became Secretary of the Law Society of Northern Ireland. Now, 75 years later, the SAS has finally decided to tell its astonishing story. It has opened its secret archives for the first time, granting historian Ben Macintyre full access to a treasure trove of unseen reports, memos, diaries, letters, maps and photographs, as well as free rein to interview surviving Originals and those who knew them.

SAS Rogue Heroes is distributed internationally by Banijay Rights, which has sold the series to multiple global broadcasters and streaming services including MGM+ in the US, HBO Max in Europe, Prime Video in Canada, SBS in Australia, STARZPLAY in the Middle East, Paramount+ in Germany and Canal+ in France. Here we have a group of men who were by no means ordinary, yet never expected the ‘superhero’ treatment. They came from all corners of the UK and from every class, working together with an unforced swagger that tells us they have no point to prove, simply a job to do and a strong belief at their core that they can deliver. All this whilst surrounded by the most extraordinary and perilous circumstances. The SAS came of age in the campaign in Italy, where it was used as a more conventional raiding party, the Special Raiding Service, under the command of Paddy Mayne following Stirling’s capture in Tunisia in late 1942. The Italian campaign was a particularly grisly one, and the SRS (with its core of SAS men) found collaboration with the partisans and rivalry with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) a challenge (unlike the SAS, the SOE always linked up with local resistance). Macintyre spares none of the details; the SAS fought a dirty war against an enemy they regarded as every bit as dirty. Prisoners were rare, but in return Hitler condemned irregular commando units to death if they were caught. Not all were killed by any means, but many were, just as the Germans killed all the other irregular, partisan forces ranged against them.

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I had a great voice coach - Brendan Gunn - who I have worked with for a few years. He is from Northern Ireland. Despite intense opposition, Winston Churchill personally gave Stirling permission to recruit the toughest, brightest and most ruthless soldiers he could find. So began the most celebrated and mysterious military organisation in the world: the SAS. Rich with action and set-pieces, SAS Rogue Heroes is the exhilarating story of renegade men taking monumental risks in extraordinary circumstances.