Steven Knight's new drama SAS Rogue Heroes is here. The six-part series is an adaptation of historian Ben Macintyre's book and charts the creation of the SAS, which was formed during WW2 in North Africa.
The BBC series, which is created, written and executive produced by the Peaky Blinders creator and directed by Tom Shankland, has a star-studded cast list, including Sex Education's Connor Swindells, who plays the unit's founder David Stirling. Other key cast members include Jack O'Connell, Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen, Sofia Boutella, and The Crown's Dominic West.
A synopsis from the BBC reads: "Cairo, 1941. David Stirling - an eccentric young officer, hospitalised after a training exercise went wrong - is bored. Convinced that traditional commando units don't work, he creates a radical plan that flies in the face of all accepted rules of modern warfare.
Read more: BBC's The Pact: What happened in series one and how is it linked to series two?
"He fights for permission to recruit the toughest, boldest and brightest soldiers for a small undercover unit that will create mayhem behind enemy lines. More rebels than soldiers, Stirling’s team are every bit as complicated, flawed and reckless as they are astonishingly brave and heroic.
"Rich with action and set-pieces, SAS Rogue Heroes is the exhilarating story of renegade men taking monumental risks in extraordinary circumstances."
Here's everything you need to know about the new drama, which was mainly filmed in Morocco, from the full cast list to whether the series is based on a true story.
SAS Rogue Heroes full cast list
Connor Swindells – David Stirling
Jack O’Connell – Paddy Mayne
Alfie Allen – Jock Lewes
Sofia Boutella – Eve Mansour
Dominic West – Dudley Clarke
Theo Barklem-Biggs – Reg Seekings
Tom Glynn-Carney – Mike Sadler
Corin Silva – Jim Almonds
Jacob Ifan – Pat Riley
Jacob McCarthy – Johnny Cooper
Stuart Campbell – Bill Fraser
Bobby Schofield – Dave Kershaw
Dónal Finn – Eoin McGonigal
Amir El-Masry – Dr Gamal
Virgile Bramly – George Berge
César Domboy – Augustin Jordan
Is BBC's SAS Rogue Heroes based on a true story?
The drama is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Ben Macintyre and is a dramatised account of how the SAS was formed under extraordinary circumstances.
Writer Steven said: "To create a drama from this amazing story I had to sculpt a world where things are a little bit heightened, much like how war and the absurdity of it heightens every emotion.
"Bringing characters to life to inhabit this world, especially ones that are not archetypical heroes, was made so much easier by leaning on the facts and the truths. A more conventional approach would have been to simply focus on success upon success, but these are real men with real flaws who made mistakes along their paths to victories."
He added: "SAS Rogue Heroes tells the true story of war... the chaos, the comedy, the tragedy, all in one moment."
The real-life founding members of the SAS are depicted in the series, including David Stirling, Paddy Mayne and Jock Lewes.
How many episodes of BBC's SAS Rogue Heroes are there?
The drama is a six-part series and starts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, October 30. Viewers can tune into the first episode from 9pm on the channel.
The episodes will air weekly with the second instalment broadcasting on Sunday, November 6 at the same time. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
READ NEXT:
- The Voice UK 2022 winner: Anthonia Edwards on team Sir Tom Jones crowned champion
- Strictly's Tony Adams issues live apology to judge Shirley Ballas after 'go home' comment
- The One Show's Alex Jones shares 'unforgettable experience' with family on top of Snowdon
- Love Island's Paige Thorne turns up at Maya Jama's star-studded Halloween party in camo bodysuit
- I'm A Celebrity 2022 start date and time confirmed as stars land in Australia
