It is 1943, and Maj Paddy Mayne is about to find himself in charge of the Special Air Services, soon to be renamed the Special Raiding Squadron, as they push on to Europe. But first, he must smash up a hotel bar in Cairo. Then instigate a massive brawl with the officers sent to subdue him. Then go to prison – all to the soundtrack of Rip It Up by American punk band The Adolescents, a song which came out in 1979. Welcome to series two of SAS Rogue Heroes, where the drink is flowing, the music is loud, and the chaos of the second world war is about to explode on to the shores of Sicily.
Now that Connor Swindell’s Lt Col David Stirling is a prisoner of war, it’s time for the headstrong, bloodthirsty, Blake-quoting, art-loving Mayne – played by Jack O’Connell – to rise to the top. What does O’Connell make of his character’s leadership qualities? “It’s quite an interesting predicament, in that he’s not … a bureaucrat,” says the actor, who plays Mayne with an intensity which makes Cocaine Bear look like Winnie the Pooh. “He’s a leader with respect to his actions on the battlefield, but his behaviour, on a more personal scale, would be quite questionable. If you were to employ him, you know – it’d be a difficult appointment to make.” As he says this, O’Connell sounds undeniably fond.
