SAS: Who Dares Wins returns to Channel 4 in January with its most savage selection course yet.
For 2023, the team will be taking a new group of recruits into the deepest, darkest, most unforgiving jungle in the world, in Thung Ui, North Vietnam.
Leading the Directing Staff (DS) this series will be Billy (Mark Billingham), who spent half his decorated military career serving in the jungle. He will be joined by returning DS, Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes and brand new member of the DS team, Chris Oliver, a former Special Forces Operator.
The new series will see 20 ordinary men and women through the punishing jungle phase of SAS selection – one of the toughest environments faced by Special Forces operatives. Testing their mental and physical ability, by the end of the series, the recruits will discover who has what it takes to pass this unique SAS selection course.
On taking on the new SAS: Who Dares Wins Chief Instructor role, Billy said: “Having been a DS on actual military SAS selection and Chief Instructor at the British Army Jungle Warfare Training School in Brunei, there is nobody better placed than myself to lead the recruits through this treacherous environment.
“I’m looking forward to challenging and encouraging the new recruits. However, I will not be accepting any excuses – this will be the toughest course to date!”
Newbie Chris added: “I will bring a hard-hitting intensity to the SAS: Who Dares Wins DS, being a fiery character with a very passionate approach to military training, with respect being at the forefront of everything I do. The values I intend to instil in the recruits, as part of the DS, have been forged on operations where we have lost good operators, so they had better be under no illusions – anyone who doesn’t play by the rules will pay the price.”
Returning member Foxy said of the new challenge: “Taking the course into the jungle, which is one of the most intimidating environments in the world, will make this one of the most intense and challenging courses yet.”
He added: “We’ve got Billy as Chief Instructor, which makes total sense, for this course, as he has the most experience leading military operations and training in the jungle. I’d happily follow him into any situation. It’s also great to have Chris on board as a brand new DS. A man who I respect, having served with him before, he will bring an extra edge to an already very sharp blade. And as always, Rudy and I will be there to pack an already powerful punch.”
And Rudy said: “Going to Vietnam for the first time, to film SAS: Who Dares Wins, was an emotional homecoming for me. My father was a US Marine who did multiple tours of duty in the Vietnam War and because of those scars inside and out I never knew him while he was alive. But I was born with his passion and energy to be a Warrior and to go to the edge to find out if I have what it takes. It was an honor to work with the gracious Vietnamese people to bring the best SAS: Who Dares Wins series yet. And a humble honour to tread the harsh but beautiful jungles and rivers that my father, did, and in a sense meeting him in a warrior way, spiritually.”
The eighth series of SAS: Who Dares Wins will air on Channel 4 in 2023.
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