Documentaries
New instructor Melvyn Downes joins the teamon on SAS: Who Dares Wins
Including the return of SAS: Who Dares Wins
NEW REALITY
SAS: Who Dares Wins
Sunday, C4 HD, 9pm
SINCE IT FIRST aired on C4 six years ago, SAS: Who Dares Wins has become well known for its brutal beastings and daredevil challenges, as well as lead instructor Ant Middleton’s expletive-ridden rants.
This year’s much-anticipated sixth series sees a new batch of 20 civilians take part in the condensed version of the SAS selection process – with recruits subjected to a 130ft abseil from an oil rig, a night-vision task in the pitch black, and a shock exposure to CS gas.
It’s also Middleton’s last appearance – the series was filmed before he was dropped from the show for his personal conduct off camera – and the debut for new
instructor
Melvyn Downes, who has 30 years of military experience under his belt.
‘This series is really tough and so authentic,’ says Downes, who fought operationally with the special forces in more than 50 countries. ‘It brought back memories of my selection – and nightmares, too.
TOUGH TEST
‘The gas attack is amazing, because it takes a lot of people by surprise and it’s all about panic,’ Downes continues. ‘If they panic, they’ll lose it. It’s a terrible thing to be exposed to gas – it feels like you’ve got a really strong shampoo in your eyes, and your face stings.
‘But if you’re calm, you can get through it, and we were really surprised by the people who handled it – and those who couldn’t.’
The series once again takes place on the remote Scottish island of Raasay, and kicks off with the balaclava-clad Downes hijacking the train the recruits are arriving on, before making them race up a 4,000ft-high mountain carrying 40lb packs, causing two recruits to drop out and one to collapse.
‘It’s a really challenging opener,’ says Downes. ‘The shock and the reality of the situation hit some of the recruits really hard, and they went to jelly. Adrenaline can zap you and take a lot of fitness out of your body.’
As for the recruits, there’s a diverse group, including Connor, a professional Irish dancer, Ricky, a firefighter who tackled the blaze at London’s Grenfell Tower, and trans recruit Holly, all of whom have tough life stories to tell.
‘Some of them have lost loved ones, or they’ve been discriminated against, and hearing their stories can be emotional even for a tough SAS guy like me,’ says Downes. ‘But they all end up getting something out of this process and reach some kind of closure. It’s inspiring.’