Ben Macintyre’s best-selling book SAS: Rogue Heroes is to be adapted for TV.
Acclaimed screenwriter Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Taboo, A Christmas Carol) will pen a major new drama for BBC One based on the book, which tells the incredible story of how the world’s most renowned and ruthless Special Forces unit, the SAS, came to exist.
The BBC tease: “Celebrating the glory, action and camaraderie at the heart of this story, the series will delve into the psychology of the flawed, reckless but astonishingly brave group of maverick officers and men who formed the SAS in the darkest days of World War Two.”
Steven Knight, said: “This will be a secret history telling the story of exceptional soldiers who decided battles and won wars only to then disappear back into the shadows. We will shine a light on remarkable true events informed by the people who shaped them.”
Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, added: “It is an honour to be working once again with the great Steve Knight. SAS: Rogue Heroes will lift the lid on the origins of one of Britain’s most iconic institutions and explore the characters, courage and flaws of the men involved with all of the honesty and swagger we have come to expect from Steve.”
The series will be produced by Kudos (part of Endemol Shine UK) whose credits include Broadchurch (ITV), The Tunnel (Sky Atlantic) and Humans (Channel 4).
Karen Wilson, joint Managing Director for Kudos, said: “The fact that this project has moved so swiftly from development to commission is testament to the power of this story and Steven’s unique ability to draw the extraordinary, complex men at its heart.
“Imagine them being drawn with the same colour, character and compassion as the iconic characters which feature across Steven’s work and you get a sense of the huge potential of this project.”
Martin Haines, joint Managing Director for Kudos, added: “We are thrilled to be working with Steven on this epic project for the BBC. It’s a remarkable story which in Steven’s hands has boundless scope and is an indication of Kudos’s strategy to bring premium returning drama to our screens.”
You can get the book from Amazon here.
The series will span six episodes.
An air date and casting will be announced in due course.