The second series of much-anticipated SAS Rogue Heroes recently hit screens on . Based on the book of the same name by Ben Macintyre, it continues the story of the Special Air Service’s formation and its role in the Second World War.
Series two saw the returns of cast members including as Paddy Mayne and Connor Swindells as David Stirling. Joining them are military intelligence chief Dudley Clarke (Dominic West) and fictional French intelligence operative, Eve Mansour (Sofia Boutella).
The second season sees the troops being sent to mainland Europe, as the focus of the shifts. Now the regiment must turn its attention to other parts of the world but, as GHQ have their reservations, the regiment’s future is in question, but the creation of a new unit and a surprise arrival makes things even more difficult.
An opening statement on each episode admits that while the show is inspired by true events viewers should “be aware… this is NOT a history lesson”.
So that leaves fans wondering just how much SAS Rogue Heroes is based on real British history? Express.co.uk take a look at what is fact and what is fiction.
SAS Rogue Heroes returned for a second series (Image: BBC)
Are the characters in SAS Rogue Heroes real people?
Yes, the majority of the characters in SAS Rogue Heroes are based on real people. The characters of Paddy Mayne, David Stirling, Bill Stirling, Reg Seekings, John Tonkin, Dudley Clarke are all writted with real people in mind.
With that in mind, Steven Knight has said that he had to “tone down” some of the accounts of the SAS because they were so unbelievable.
One character that is completely fiction, however, is Eve Mansour, the Deputy Head of French intelligence in Cairo played by Sofia Boutella. Speaking of the role, the actress said: “Even if Eve is a fictional character in comparison to David Stirling or Paddy Mayne, she is very much a character that existed at the time. There were spies like Noor Inayat Khan or Virginia Hall.
“So many incredible women who were a part of the liberation during the Second World War. Eve, like a lot of them, used methods that were born within her instinct and her intelligence.”
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The BBC drama is based on real events (Image: BBC)
Which storylines didn’t really happen?
There are a number of things in the series that were purely made up and simply didn’t happen in real life. This includes the SAS crossing the mafia.
The series sees Mayne upsetting a local priest and exchanging fire with the Cosa Nostra, aka the Sicilian Mafia. However, this never happened in reality.
Another scene was also dramatised, as the show saw a bloody battle in the Italian town of Termoli. During the conflict, Seekings (Theo Barklem-Biggs) bonds with a local boy who reminds him of his nieces and nephew.
In reality the soldier didn’t bond with the boy – these was added for extra emotion. However, the little boy was actually shot in a mercy killing.
The real Seekings previously explained what happened, saying: “Terrible sight. There was absolutely no hope for him, and you couldn’t let anybody suffer like that. So I caught him, and I shot him.”
How did the writers fact check for the series?
The team behind SAS Rogue Heroes has stressed that they have tried, where possible, to stick to the reality of what happened.
Executive producer Karen Wilson told the press: “We have taken that very seriously. We have been in touch with all the surviving members of the families and we have tried to do everything as authentically as possible.
“We sought the advice of the SAS Regimental Association, who were super supportive throughout the process. We can only use the information that we’ve got, but I think with Ben’s book, with the research that Steve’s done with the team, and the way they approached authenticity, just the costumes, they were, as much as possible, authentic World War II costumes.”
While writing his book, Macintyre gained access to never-seen-before footage, confidential files and interviews with the founding members of the specialist service. All this intel helped the author create a heavily detailed account of the events, which in turn allowed Knight to shape a powerful retelling for the screen.