the British series is inspired by an extraordinary true story

TV SERIES – Soldiers who are afraid of nothing, rock and explosions. Here is the pitch of Rogue Heroes Season 2 of which has been available on Canal+ since January 2. In 2022, screenwriter Steven Knight (to whom we also owe Peaky Blinders) adapts the book SAS Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre and in fact a series inspired by a true story, as you can see in the video at the top of the article.

Even if it is a slightly fictionalized version of reality, each beginning of an episode reminds us that “the events described, which seem implausible… are for the most part true”. The series recounts the creation during the Second World War and the first missions of the Special Air Service, a British special forces unit, also known by the acronym SAS. In Egypt, in 1941, the British army lost ground against Erwin Rommel’s German troops. So to try to regain the advantage, a Scottish officer named David Stirling fights with his hierarchy to found a small squadron of elite soldiers who has carte blanche to achieve his ends.

First missions of the SAS

Accompanied by Jock Lewes and Paddy Mayne, two other soldiers as daredevil as him, David Stirling leads this commando unit of a few dozen men. Their objective is to infiltrate behind enemy lines to ransack strategic points or to recover information.

After a catastrophic first mission, only a third of the soldiers return to base. The others are either dead or captured. But the SAS managed to prove themselves during the following operations. For example, on their second expedition, they destroyed around sixty enemy planes without suffering any losses. Once their work in North Africa was completed, they participated in Benito Mussolini’s invasion of Italy in 1943, where they were the first to land. It is also on these operations of the Special Air Service that season 2 of Rogue Heroes concentrates.

In the cast of this season 2, Connor Swindells (Sex Education) keeps the costume of David Stirling, and Jack O’Connell (Skins) to that of Paddy Mayne. Dominic West (The Affair) still plays Dudley Clarke, a British army officer who helped create the SAS, and the fictional character of Eve Mansour is still played by Franco-Algerian actress Sofia Boutella (Rebel Moon).

Tone down reality to make it appear believable

The extraordinary prowess and behavior of the soldiers of this unit are so improbable that Steven Knight had to moderate the facts to keep it all plausible in the eyes of viewers. For example, in real life, David Stirling told Paddy Mayne that he blew up 20 planes single-handedly. But as his comrade did not believe him, they returned to enemy territory to count the plane wrecks. During this trip, they were attacked, giving them the opportunity to destroy even more planes.

When the screenwriter told this anecdote during a round table, the director saw fit to modify it. “I started writing this and I told myself that no one would believe it”reports The Telegraph. So for his series, he made sure that the two hotheads went “separately blow up airstrips and planes” before returning to their base in the morning and doing the accounts. The only way for him to make the exploits and audacity of the SAS credible in the eyes of viewers.

Also see on HuffPost :