SAS Rogue Heroes

SAS Rogue Heroes is a historical six-part drama based on the book of the same name by Ben Macintyre. It tells the story of how the Special Forces Unit (SAS) was formed during World War II through an adaptation brought to screen by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, who then combines the elements of adventure, drama and history to recount these monumental moments.

It’s 1941 in the scorching desert, and British soldiers roll in convoy to Tunka, Libya, to stop the relentless bombing under German assault headed up by General Rommel. Tensions are high and made no easier when plans go awry and the trucks run out of petrol. Shot in Morocco for the sheer breadth of the desert, the cinematography delivers a gorgeous landscape of sun-kissed sand dunes and the pyramids in Cairo, brutally paired against the explosive impact of aerial bombings.

The SAS begins when three stand-out soldiers, who are fearless and happy to “take matters into their own hands”, form their own group of “disciplined men”. Connor Swindells is brilliant in his role as David Shillings: sharp, witty and fearless, he drives the story from the start and brings on board Paddy Mayne (Jack O’Connell) and Jock Lewis (Alfie Allen) to then form this trio. Recruiting as they go, the squad become a team of “men who refuse to stand down”.

The music is a tour de force as the story moves along. Wartime classics combine with heavy rock, and sultry chords swirl out of a nightclub in Cairo where the story takes us to meet the spy Eve (played in Bond girl style by Sophia Boutella).

The show SAS Rogue Heroes feels authentic and sensitively portrayed but with moments of comedy and modernisation. It’s an engaging story, shaped through a brilliant cast and all-out action, that captures the fearless moments of the SAS soldiers as they moved forward with reckless abandon.

Ezelle Alblas

SAS Rogue Heroes begins at 9pm on 30^th October 2022 on BBC One, with all episodes then available on BBC iPlayer.

Watch the trailer for SAS Rogue Heroes here: