Told with deceptive brilliance . . . one the finest books of its kind' Evening Standard Read more Details

This is a book for readers of second world war history who like the Boy’s Own version of the conflict. The cast of characters could have stepped straight from a comic strip story. Yet the men of the SAS were real flesh and blood, “rogue heroes” as the title suggests. The organisation now famous for its derring-do, and as famously secretive, has opened its archive to the historian and journalist Ben Macintyre, so that he can produce the first authorised history of what the SAS did in the war. Rogue Heroes: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022 . Retrieved 16 November 2022. Billy Foley, writing in The Irish News, was somewhat more critical of the artistic license employed, particularly in the depiction of Paddy Mayne. Far from being "a brutish, rough man who was looked down on by the aristocracy of his native Newtownards and despised the toff officer class of the British army", Foley pointed out that the ostensibly working class Mayne was in fact born to a landed family, went to grammar school, played rugby for the British & Irish Lions, and studied at Queen's University Belfast before qualifying as a solicitor. [18] Historian Damien Lewis also said it was "nonsense" to portray Mayne as a "thug and drunken lout", when he "cared passionately for those men he commanded". [19] a b Nicholson, Rebecca (30 October 2022). "SAS: Rogue Heroes review – is the follow up to Peaky Blinders fun? Does Arthur Shelby like a drink?". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 31 October 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.Even though the front line wasn’t that far away, Cairo was very much a party city and it was famous for its nightlife, its nightclubs. There were lots of great descriptions. There were a lot of interesting writers who turned up in Cairo at that point. Obviously a lot of soldiers were there from all over the ally powers. There were Czechs, Indians, Brits, Aussies. There was this kind of vibrant community there, various communities rubbing along during war 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. The A Word: Ending explained and everything you need to know about the BBC drama ahead of spin-off Ralph and Katie release

According to Den of Geek, there is speculation Mayne’s reputation as a troublemaker could be to blame - he was prone to regular outbursts of violence, especially after drinking. Other sources have argued that downgrading a Victoria Cross to a fourth DSO was standard practice, and Mayne was not the only soldier this happened to.

Even if Eve is a fictional character in comparison to David Stirling or Paddy Mayne, she is very much a character that existed at the time. There were spies like Noor Inayat Khan or Virginia Hall. So many incredible women who were a part of the liberation during the Second World War. Eve, like a lot of them, used methods that were born within her instinct and her intelligence.

Rich with action and set-pieces, SAS Rogue Heroes is the exhilarating story of renegade men taking monumental risks in extraordinary circumstances. The first episode was watched 5,526,000 times on iPlayer alone during 2022, making it the fifth most viewed individual programme on the platform that year. [12] Reception [ edit ]Foley, Billy (12 November 2022). "TV review: SAS Rogue Heroes is not to be relied on but it's great fun". The Irish News. Belfast . Retrieved 25 November 2022.

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. 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. We’ve got his pictures and I’ve been made to look like him. But to be honest I don’t, because he looked much better in a dress than me. I just don’t look good in a dress. We had a fortnight of bootcamp type training led by our military advisor, a fellow called Bags. He is an ex-serviceman and knows of what he speaks. It was good. He was a good training officer. We did a fair bit of physical type stuff and tried to feel a little fitter anyway. When we moved to Morocco we had another two weeks of warm weather training. We got up early and did various types of punishment. And some days we would have a morning off and played around together in the sand dunes. That was good for morale, team building, that type of thing.I play Eve Mansour - a spy, an intelligence officer, who is the Deputy Head of French intelligence in Cairo under General de Gaulle’s command. From the secret SAS archives, and acclaimed author Ben Macintyre: the first ever authorized history of the SAS