Why Jack’s going rogue with the SAS
JACK O’CONNELL will star in a mammoth new BBC series about the fearless fighters who were the founding members of the Special Air Service, better known as the SAS.
The drama — SAS: Rogue Heroes — written by Steven Knight, who created Peaky Blinders, is based on Ben Macintyre’s 2016 book of the same name. It told how the force was set up during WWII when Winston Churchill called for a unit prepared to use ‘butcher and bolt’ tactics, while carrying out undercover work.
The SAS escapades were described by Macintyre as The Dirty Dozen meets The Great Escape.
O’Connell will portray one of the original members, Paddy Mayne, whose exploits on and off the field of battle alone are worthy of a television series.
However, Rogue Heroes will focus on the band of brothers who were turned into an elite commando unit that unleashed havoc on the enemy.
They operated behind German lines, sabotaging ships, planes, tanks and fuel depots. In one raid, Mayne was credited with destroying 47 aircraft.
The series is still being cast, but so far those joining O’Connell in combat include Alfie Allen, who played Theon Greyjoy in Game Of Thrones; Connor Swindells, best known as Adam Groff in Netflix series Sex Education; and up-and-coming young actor Jacob McCarthy. Rogue Heroes will be directed by Tom Shankland, who made episodes of The Serpent, the BBC crime mini-series starring Tahar Rahim, Billy Howle, Jenna Coleman and Ellie Bamber, which has become a huge hit on BBC iPlayer.
(Rahim is in the running for a Golden Globe on Sunday, for his scorching performance in feature film The Mauritanian.)
O’Connell is a good fit to play Mayne. The 30-year-old has a ruggedness that will help him capture the soldier’s air of danger. The Derby-born actor has already filmed another mini-series, The North Water, based on Ian McGuire’s gripping novel, set in the 1850s, about a brutal sixmonth voyage on a whaling ship. In addition to battling the elements, those on board must also deal with a psychopathic killer in their midst.
The series was made by SeeSaw Films and the BBC, and cast and crew endured harsh climate conditions during filming in the Arctic.
The six-part Rogue Heroes will begin shooting next month.