SAS Who Dares Wins New Series Promises To Be The Toughest Yet

Credit: Channel 4

WARNING: This article contains spoilers

SAS Who Dares Wins is back and promising to be the toughest, most unforgiving Special Forces selection course in the six-year history of the hit Channel 4 show.

The previous series have been brutal, highlighting the extreme way Special Forces are selected. This year the only significant change is the exit of Directing Staff (DS) Ollie Ollerton and Jay Morton and the arrival of new DS Melvyn Downes.

The 56-year-old former SAS operative spent 24 years serving in the British Military, including 11 years in the SAS. Melvyn has fought operationally in more than 50 countries on missions against war criminals and terrorists.

In a plot twist that has shocked recruits in previous series, it is revealed at the end of the first episode that one of the recruits is secretly an undercover DS gathering intel.

Who Is Melvyn Downes?

Credit: Channel 4

Chief Instructor Ant Middleton, who Channel 4 announced they will no longer work with following discussions with the star over his "personal conduct" is back with his DS of Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox and Billy Billingham and new DS Melvyn.

Former SBS soldier Ant courted controversy in 2020 after making comments on social media about Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The first episode focuses on testing resilience by pushing the recruits beyond their limits to see who will crack first and VW (voluntarily withdraw).

VW, TQ, DS, GTTEOI: What do the terms mean in SAS Who Dares Wins? 

• VW is Voluntary Withdrawal  
• DS is Directing Staff 
• TQ is Tactical Questioning  
• GTTEOI is Get To The End Of It

The series returns to the birthplace of the Special Forces, Scotland. Some of the Special Forces' most challenging training takes place here and is where the founder of the Special Air Service, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, was born. With reduced rations and no comforts, the series is raw and stripped back from the start. 

The recruits arrive on a train which gets ambushed by the DS wearing masks. After being shouted at and hooded, the recruits are taken by foot and vehicle to base camp, a derelict farm on the edge of the Hebridian Island of Raasay. 

Ant prepares the recruits for just how no-nonsense the selection process is by saying: 

“It’s going to be painful; you’re going to suffer. 

“You’re going to bring your characteristics and attributes to the forefront and you’re going to find out who you are." 

To welcome the recruits to what looks like a week of hell, the DS decide to shower them down, fully clothed, with a hosepipe. 

Credit: Channel 4

Ricky

The first recruit we are introduced to is firefighter Ricky, 39, whose game plan seems simple enough - take one part of the course at a time, do the best he can and hope that is enough to make it to the end. In an essay he wrote to get on the show Ricky said: 

“I’m a firefighter. Three years ago my life changed overnight.

"I lost my relationship, my home and worst of all, my mind.” 

Later on in the episode, the DS question Ricky to find out what triggered that. Ricky said: 

“I was one of the firefighters at the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

"There was one particular incident where we tried to rescue someone and we had to turn back literally outside the guys front door and that guy died and it really haunted me for a long time.

“You always want to rescue everybody you know? You want everyone to survive and on that night 72 people didn’t. 

“It’s f****** heartbreaking. 

"Firefighters leave incidents and incidents don’t leave firefighters. When things don’t work out how you want them to it hurts.” 

Using his own heartbreaking experience from life and death situations during his service, Jason Fox encourages Ricky to focus on the future, saying: 

“Once you’ve gone through that s*** bit, the bit where you feel horrendous and you’re s*** with everyone else around you then you need to start focusing on the future because ultimately time ain’t stopping still for no f*****.” 

Holly

Before arriving on the course, each recruit was instructed to write an essay and include some personal items to give the DS some insight into their background and character. Recruit 13, Holly wrote: 

“I’m someone starting to see the light at the end of a long battle with myself. Having to deal with being different my whole life has taught me to be resilient and never give up.” 

During the first challenge which sees the recruits racing to an RV point two kilometres up the face of a steep mountain with 40lbs on their backs, Holly collapses due to not drinking enough water. This prompts the DS to give her “a rude awakening” so she is hooded, cuffed and sat down in front of Ant and Melvyn. 

Holly defends herself when Ant says she spun his head during the challenge. In response she says: 

“I might not be the fastest, I might not be the strongest, but I’ll never give up until my body stops me.”

Ant says Holly needs to toughen up and asks what life was like growing up. She said: 

“Growing up was s*** to be honest.

"I wasn’t really one of the boys, I wasn’t really one of the girls. 

“If I was to tell the world who I was, I was going to let my family down and so I didn’t come out, I just let this thing build and build and I hated myself for it. 

“And that didn’t really change until I came out as trans. 

“I’m a fighter and I’ll keep fighting, it’s what I’ve done my whole life and I’m not going to stop now.” 

SAS Who Dares Wins has always strongly advocated for talking openly about mental health and newcomer Melvyn does not disappoint when he shows compassion to Holly, who is near tears as she speaks. He said: 

“You’ve done the brave thing. You’ve come here, that shows courage and we’re looking for that. 

“Remember, in our world, it doesn’t matter how rich, how poor, what religion – if you pass selection, you’re in.”

Ant and Melvyn agree that Holly deserves a second chance to prove herself and that she needs "a little bit of f****** motivation because everyone’s been f******* against her all her life.” 

Speaking to Holly about her struggle with being accepted prompts Melvyn to talk about his life before joining the military, saying: 

“For a long time, I didn’t think people like me, being black, could join the SAS. 

“Growing up, I wasn’t accepted. 

“By joining the Army it made me tougher, made me more resilient and it made me make sure I treat everybody how I expect to be treated because I’ve been the other side of it, it’s not nice.” 

Oil Rig Abseil 

Recruits afraid of heights are forced to confront their fear when they come face to face with one of the most dangerous operations undertaken by the Special Forces – extraction from an oil rig. 

DS Billy Billingham explains just how important it is for Special Forces to learn these skills, saying: 

“Across the globe, wars are fought to protect our economic assets. 

“The oil rig is designed to test our recruits’ bottle, their ability to operate at height, to work at speed and precision and also to be able to follow orders. 

“In the Special Forces, if you can’t do all those things you’ll be flying home from an operation in a coffin.”

The recruits are tasked with a 150ft abseil from an oil rig which, in turn, means they have to climb 150ft. This does not amuse recruit two, John. He said: 

“One of my biggest fears is heights. I can’t stand heights and deep open water. 

“I think it’s watching Jaws when I was younger, I’m not sure.” 

The recruits must take no more than 15 seconds to abseil 130ft as quickly as possible before unhooking themselves and dropping the final 20ft into near-freezing water. 

Billy explains that in a conflict situation there is no time to think and hang about, saying: 

“It’s all about speed, aggression and surprise.” 

The DS are impressed by Holly as she completes the abseil in 12 seconds. She credits her passion for aerial dancing for helping her feel more at ease with heights and giving her a focus in life to keep going. Ricky achieves the fastest time out of the whole group by completing the abseil in five seconds.

Later that night, the recruits are asked to line up on the parade square in the wet clothes they were wearing on the oil rig. However, a lack of attention to detail by the recruits means they come out in dry clothes and, as punishment, are beasted until someone VWs. 

At this point, the cameras cut to Ricky admitting to having “a bit of a saviour complex”. He said: 

“Let’s face it, with the fire brigade my life generally is about trying to help people. 

“I think that how you react to situations is a very clear definition of who you are as a person. 

“If the team is better without a team member for any reason then that team member goes.” 

In a twist of events sure to shock TV viewers, Ricky VWs to make the beasting end for his fellow recruits much to the relief of them all.