‘I don’t want to own a home – a legacy of the SBS’
Jason Fox tells Angela Wintle how luck and a need for cash turned him into a TV star
Jason Fox, known as “Foxy”, 46, is a former Royal Marine Commando and sergeant in the elite Special Boat Service. He served in the Armed Forces for 20 years before being medically discharged with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He has since become a mental health advocate.
He is best known as one of the directing staff on the award-winning Channel 4 show SAS: Who Dares Wins. He lives in London.
DID YOU HAVE A GOOD START IN LIFE?
I was born prematurely with a collapsed lung and died twice in my first few days. My mum, who had been in the Wrens [Women’s Royal Naval Service], says it was a very stressful time.
We relocated a lot when I was a child because my dad moved from job to job when he left the Royal Marines. Eventually we moved to Yorkshire, where he set up a business converting vehicles to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
It was doing well, but then his business partner did a runner with a load of cash and the firm went into liquidation. We’d been living in a large house in Skipton but had to downsize. Dad was so hard up he had to work on a farm. The farm owners couldn’t afford to pay him in cash, so he’d work for slaughtered chickens and pigs instead.
When I was three he landed a security job in Luton, Bedfordshire, and we moved to a council house in the town. We had little cash and my brothers were saddled with clothes I’d worn the year before, but I have happy childhood memories. Dad was adventurous, which made up for not having much money.
WHY DID YOU JOIN THE FORCES?
I hated school and left with low grades. I enjoyed being outdoors and keeping fit. I was also easily influenced and sensed that I would probably get into trouble if I stayed in Luton.
My dad influenced me, too. He’d taught us practical skills like map reading and I loved listening to his stories about his time in the Marines.
WHAT WERE YOU PAID WHEN YOU SIGNED UP?
Once on the Potential Royal Marine Course, we had to pass vigorous gym tests before running around in a muddy field for hours to prove we were up to what the Royal Navy described as “elite amphibious fighters”. Only the recruits still standing at the end were able to move into Commando training.
The 32-week course is one of the toughest in the British forces, but I made it through. I was paid something like £100 a week, which I thought was awesome at the age of 16.
DID YOU SEE MUCH ACTION?
I progressed to the rank of lance corporal, but didn’t see much operational service. The British Army experienced a lengthy period of peace during my years in the Marines. Even the troubles in Northern Ireland had calmed down a bit.
After nine years I wanted to experience combat at a senior level, so in 2001 I applied to join the Special Forces. When I passed the selection process I was asked whether I wanted to join the Special Boat Service (SBS) in Poole or the Special Air Service (SAS) in Herefordshire. I chose Poole because it had a nice beach. I started on about £30,000, but that came with an unbelievable level of responsibility.
WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE SBS?
I acted as a counter-terrorism and demolition expert, responsible for planning and leading operations. I was also a combat swimmer and involved in many counter-narcotic and hostage rescue missions.
My most frightening experience was during a mission to rescue a civilian in Afghanistan. I was lying in a ditch during a horrific gunfight, surrounded by 400 insurgents. One of my squadron had just been killed and I remember wondering if I’d get out alive. For about two or three seconds I wanted to be back home as a 10-year-old boy.
That’s when my mental health problems began, although they were the culmination of many events.
HAVE YOU EVER STRUGGLED TO PAY THE BILLS?
After 10 years in the SBS I was medically discharged in 2012 having been diagnosed with PTSD, depression and chronic burnout. That’s when I lost my way and contemplated killing myself.
I had a small military pension but I struggled to find employment. My military career lent itself to security or personal protection work, but my mental health issues precluded me from getting those jobs. I ended up pulling pints in a bar and sleeping on mates’ sofas.
WHAT WAS THE TURNING POINT?
I found a brilliant therapist. Then a mate mentioned a bloke who recruited ex-military types.
He offered me a job as a project manager at a company called Sodexo, which delivered facilities management within the Forces sector. Somehow I landed a £40,000 salary with sick pay, holiday leave and a company car, but I hated it and quit.
HOW DID YOU BREAK INTO TELEVISION?
In 2015 a friend asked me to cover for him. He was part of a team of divers who were supporting a TV production crew filming a documentary about
the recovery of Captain Kidd’s lost treasure off the coast of Madagascar. I was paid a decent wage to act as team medic and dive buddy to the underwater cameraman.
As luck would have it, Channel 4 was scouting around for Special Forces guys for a new TV show called SAS: Who Dares Wins, which aimed to put a group of lay recruits through the Special Air Service’s screening process. They asked if I wanted to be involved.
It was too good an offer to refuse. Besides, I was flat broke. We weren’t paid that much – I didn’t even have an agent at that point – but I saw it as a stepping stone to other things. I’ve since filmed 17 series – eight regular and five celebrity versions, three Australian spin-offs and one for the US, which hasn’t gone out yet.
HAS THE SUCCESS OF THE SHOW GENERATED ANY EXTRA INCOME?
I’ve made two Channel 4 docu-series, which were later licensed to Netflix. In 2018 I spent time within drug cartels in Mexico, Columbia and Peru for Meet the Drug Lords: Inside the Real Narcos, and in 2019 returned to Afghanistan for Foxy’s War: Return to Afghanistan.
I’ve also written two books. My autobiography, Battle Scars, in which I explored my mental health struggle, topped the Sunday Times bestseller list. Aside from my television work, half my income is generated through corporate speaking engagements about resilience and mental health.
HAVE YOU BEEN THE VICTIM OF FINANCIAL FRAUD?
Yes. I received a text, purportedly from the Royal Mail, informing me that there was a parcel waiting for me and I had to pay £2 to release it. I was in a rush and supplied my bank details, only later realising it was a scam. I lost £100 in the process. Fraudsters often use pressure tactics to dupe people, so it pays to pause and think before you act.
DO YOU OWN ANY PROPERTY?
No, I rent in Clapham, south London. I don’t want to own any property. I like to be able to move around quickly, no doubt a legacy of my Special Forces training.
Jason Fox’s Life At The Limit UK speaking tour runs from Jan 21; jasonfoxofficial.com. He has also formed a partnership with the online bank Marcus by Goldman Sachs to raise awareness of financial fraud. Visit marcus.co.uk for his tips on beating the scammers