The creator of the Shelbys, Steven Knight, has created a large, boisterous, humorous, and energetic show on the creation of the SAS.
Steven Knight's first appearance on the BBC since the conclusion of Peaky Blinders is SAS: Rogue Heroes (BBC One), a big and brazen adventure drama about the creation of the SAS in 1941. The title might make it sound like a documentary, yet it is clever, quick-witted, self-assured, and, occasionally, extremely violent.
The show draws heavily on a number of modern TV drama touchstones, including the blaring out of metal and rock music over action scenes and the well-known cheeky disclaimer about its truthfulness. We are told that it is "based on a true story" that is "largely true" (as described in Ben MacIntyre's book of the same name). In interviews, Knight has stated that he had to tone down some of the details so as not to strain the spectators' imaginations.
A convoy of trucks leaves Cairo in an attempt to travel to the important port city of Tobruk, but things don't quite go as planned. After that, there is a brief catch-up on the status of the Second World War at this time. It is blunt in its language. It appears that the allies are "fucked" until a significant change in strategy occurs. This is not your typical military series, what with the profanity, the stencil-stamped title cards, and the electric guitars.
This series centres on the trio of actors playing rebel soldiers—Connor Swindells from Sex Education, Jack O'Connell from The North Water, and Alfie Allen from Game of Thrones—who all share a death wish and utter contempt for any form of hierarchy or authority. Swindells is Lt. Archibald David Stirling, who enjoys provoking Australians at bars after winning at the races and has drinking and father issues. O'Connell is Lt. Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne, a poet and "mental case," in the opinion of the military police who want to lock him up. Allen is Lt. John Steele "Jock" Lewes, who doesn't even move an inch when bombs are dropped just feet away from him.
Due to their potential, these young guys are careless. The freedom to act like "the creatures that we are," in a stirring but drunken statement, has been granted to them by the war. You can understand why Knight would be so captivated by the tale. He enjoys a self-made outsider just as much as a gory brawl.
Jock has an idea for "a small experiment" as the fascists advance in North Africa. Instead of attacking the Nazi supply lines from the sea, where the allied forces can be seen approaching, what if they developed a parachute regiment that was "answerable to no one"? The absence of parachutes and parachute training is the only issue. Additionally, there aren't enough volunteers who are as enraged as Stirling claims to be.
The three men pursue a shared goal while back-talking their superiors, breaking out of prison, stealing their supplies as they skulk around Cairo or Tobruk, getting into scrapes, and giving the finger to everyone who tries to restrain them. Eve is a French intelligence operative played by Sofia Boutella who plans to send men to their probable deaths while smoking and chugging champagne.
In episode two, Dominic West makes an appearance, which significantly changes the tone from frenzied action to the mystery. This part was the one that hooked me the most despite all the bombs and combat. It's amazing and very well explained how the SAS managed to obtain the authorization necessary for its existence.
SAS: Rogue Heroes was fantastic. Although this still retains a lot of the vigour of its predecessor, Peaky Blinders, which dragged itself into the gloom for its final series, it is funnier. It's a fun, and bracing way to spend a Sunday evening.
Performance | 4.4/5 |
Enjoyment | 4.6/5 |
Overall Rating | 4.4/5 |