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SAS Rogue Heroes has returned to the BBC for a second season, charting the formation of the elite British military force.
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit in the British Army, which was first formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of World War Two.
It was founded as a regiment by Sir David Stirling, played bySex Education’s Connor Swindells, but was disbanded following the war in 1945 and then reinstated two years later.
The deep-penetration commando unit still exists today although its exact operations are strictly confidential.
However, it is involved in counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, direct action and covert reconnaissance.
Who were the real SAS Rogue Heroes?
The SAS was formed in World War Two (Picture: Robert Viglasky/Banijay Rights/BBC/PA Wire)
SAS Rogue Heroes is based on the true story of how the SAS formed during the Second World War.
The founding members of the SAS are depicted in the series – David Stirling, a Scottish officer in the army and a mountaineer; Paddy Mayne, a British Army officer who was also an amateur boxer and a lawyer; and Jock Lewes, who was the founding principal training officer and invented the Lewes bomb.
Stirling was the founder and creator of the regiment, which came into being in 1941.
How was the SAS formed?
It was created by Sir David Stirling, played by Connor Swindells (Picture: BBC/Kudos/Rory Mulvey)
Stirling’s army career started after he began training to climb Mount Everest – with the ambition to be the first man to do so. However, the Second World War broke out so he volunteered for a commando unit in the Middle East.
While recovering from serious spinal and leg injuries after a botched experimental parachute jump, Stirling, along with close comrade Lieutenant ‘Jock’ Lewes, hatched the idea to use small teams of expert soldiers to undertake acts of sabotage behind enemy lines.
Stirling used his social connections and charm to get his ideas endorsed by Middle East Headquarters, taking on 67 recruits from the Commandos of the recently defunct Layforce.
The new unit, designated ‘L Detachment Special Air Service Brigade’, was set up in the North African desert as a new way to hit back at German and Italian forces.
Stirling’s SAS still exists today but its exact operations are confidential (Picture: Wayne Hutchinson/Farm Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The SAS would operate deep behind enemy lines, destroying aircraft and supply links before safely getting away – before their opponents had time to respond.
The now-famous unit had a disastrous first mission. It was tasked with parachuting behind the lines in Libya to destroy enemy aircraft on the ground in support of a forthcoming British offensive.
Launching into an unrelenting storm, the mission proved fatal, with only 21 of the 55 men who took part returning.
But the crack team of soldiers didn’t give up, and worked hard to prove their worth.
The all-star cast of SAS Rogue Heroes includes Dominic West (Picture: Robert Viglasky/Banijay Rights/BBC/PA Wire)
They showed their metal in December 1941 by raiding a German airfield in Libya and blowing up 24 enemy aircraft.
In just over a year, the SAS destroyed hundreds of enemy vehicles and more than 250 aircraft, as well as countless supply dumps, railways, and telecommunications networks.
And in September 1942, the SAS achieved regimental status.
Its ethos was encapsulated in its motto, ‘Who Dares Wins’, personally chosen by Stirling. The motto is used by a Channel 4 reality TV show ‘SAS: Who Dares Wins’ which sees members of the public test their limits by undertaking intensive SAS training.
How accurate is SAS Rogue Heroes?
Gwilym Lee has joined the second season as Stirling’s brother Bill (Picture: BBC/Banijay UK/Robert Viglasky)
While speaking at a screening of the first season of the drama, creator Steven Knight – who also created Peaky Blinders – emphasised that he strove to maintain the ‘real story’ of these men and the formation of the SAS.
‘What I didn’t want to do is make it fit fiction, I wanted to try to keep it real,’ he said.
‘In the forthcoming episodes, there’s lots of failure and disaster and characters who, as a dramatist, you would love to keep going but they don’t. So I’ve chosen that when that character dies and it’s a shock, and hopefully, it will be quite effective.’
One scene in season one was taken from true life but had never been written down.
Steven Knight wrote BBC drama SAS Rogue Heroes (Picture: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage)
‘I met Mike Sadler, who was the last surviving member of the original SAS is now 102, he was 99 when I met him,’ Knight said.
‘He told me the story that he and Stirling were in a bar in Paris, and somebody said, “You can’t use this table,” and the hand grenade was a real hand grenade so to make it realistic I turned it into a dummy hand grenade.
‘They literally had to leave and run because they were beyond reason.’
Producer Karne Wilson added that it’s ‘really important’ that viewers remember they’re watching the stories of real people.
‘We have taken that very seriously. We have been in touch with all surviving members and families. We have tried to do everything as authentically as possible,’ she said.
The drama charts the creation of the SAS unit (Picture: Dino Sertovic/Banijay Rights/BBC/PA Wire)
‘We sought the advice of the SAS Regimental Association, which supported through the process.
‘I think we can only do what is in our gift with the information that we’ve got, but I think with Ben’s book, with the research that Steve’s done with the team, the way they approached authenticity.’
She expressed her hope that audiences are aware that the makers of the series have ‘taken the authenticity really seriously’.
‘It’s with such affection [for] these people and I hope this conversation highlights the fact that we really respect what they did, how they were as people and we just want the audience to know about it. And I hope that comes across.’
Who’s in the SAS Rogue Heroes cast?
The cast is populated with British acting stars including Jack O’Connell (Picture: Robert Viglasky/Banijay Rights/BBC/PA Wire)
Sex Education star Connor stars as David Stirling, Gwilym Lee plays David’s brother Bill Stirling and Skins actor Jack is Paddy Mayne. Dominic West also plays Dudley Clarke.
Sofia Boutella plays Eve, Theo Barklem-Biggs is Reg Seekings and Jack Barton portrays John Tonkin.
Elsewhere, Bill Fraser is played by Stuart Campbell is Bill Fraser, while Jacob Ifan is Pat Riley.
Other members of the cast include Jacob McCarthy, Mark Rowley, Bobby Schofield, Corin Silva and Stuart Thompson.
They are joined by Anna Manuelli, Matteo Franco, Con O’Neill and Edward Bennett.
A version of this article was first published October 29, 2022.
SAS Rogue Heroes seasons one and two are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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