By Hannah Corcoran, First Year English
Series 2 is formed of old and new cast members with varying degrees of historical accuracy, as a disclaimer at the start of each episode warns: ‘this is NOT a history lesson’. Historian James Holland picks apart some of the inaccuracies in his podcast. While just as action-packed as series one, series two offers a more character driven experience. David Stirling (Connor Swindells)- founding member of the SAS is now in an Italian POW camp. In interview, Connor Swindells humorously complains that he couldn’t join the other cast members who filmed series 2 along the picturesque Croatian coastline. Bill Stirling (Gwilym Lee)- David’s older brother and his replacement. He is the big cheese that Paddy grates against. But as the series progresses, Bill’s loyalty to the SAS proves he isn’t so flaky.
Eve Mansour- (Sofia Boutella) journalist and Free-French spy, unlike the other characters she is not based on one person, but instead represents the women of the SOE like Noor Inayat Khan and Virginia Hall. In interview, Sofia Boutella explains how Eve is underestimated in a male-dominated military world. (She is also the only major character who is a woman of colour in the series.) In one scene, after much difficulty, Eve persuades General Montgomery to discuss military strategy with her. Bill Stirling questions what she hopes to achieve with her persistence, to which Eve replies: ‘To not be lied to by the French because I am Algerian; to not be lied to by the British because I am French’ (Ep.5). Despite these challenges, Eve uses her charm as a weapon to draw out information. In a relationship with David Stirling, Eve has a close connection to the SAS, traces their route, and stops at nothing to be at the front line and find out as much information as possible about Allied battle plans.
Colonel Dudley Wrangel Clarke (Dominic West)- a British spy, and founding member of the SAS, Dudley Clarke was arrested in Madrid in 1941 for cross-dressing, and was ordered to leave Spain within 48 hours. No stranger to disregard for convention, according to prominent Field Marshal Harold Alexander (who led ground forces at D-Day and in Italy), Dudley Clarke ‘did as much to win the war as any other single officer’, although West’s character features little in series 2.
Robert Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne- Jack O’Connell’s depiction of the character is compelling, albeit one of the more contentious aspects of the series. According to historian James Holland, real-life Paddy could be ‘shy’, didn’t like swearing, and was from a landowning family. In contrast, O’Connell plays Paddy as aggressive, high-energy, and anti-authoritarian, but also a sensitive character who, as newly appointed commander SRS (Special Raiding Squadron), is the focus of series 2. A proud Irishman and poet, Paddy describes himself in a moment of reflection as being on a carousel: spinning ever faster, but also stationary, and unable to get off. This hint to a post-war Pad serves as a reminder, as O’Connell says, that there was ‘no space for these men in peacetime’.
Series two picks up from spring 1943, as the North Africa campaign is drawing to a close. David Stirling in a POW camp in Italy- watchers of Sex Education will witness as Adam Groff’s frustration reaches a new peak. Meanwhile, the powers that be have denied Paddy’s request for leave for his father’s funeral. The opening scene: a fancy Cairo restaurant + a seething Paddy = five men knocked out. The following morning, a pacing and swollen-faced Paddy is visited in his cell by Bill Stirling, who is the stoic and ‘more patient’ older brother of David. He is also Paddy’s superior in rank. He presents Paddy with an ultimatum: become commander of the 1st SAS- under the new name of the SRS (Special Raiding Squadron)- and spearhead the Allied invasion of pro-Nazi Italy- or the SAS will be disbanded. In a scene in a dingy prison toilet, Bill hands Paddy a paper copy of the mission: Paddy literally wipes his arse with it- and accepts the mission. Bill says that his brother, David, was the ‘midwife’ of the SAS so he refuses to be its ‘coroner’. But his role becomes something in between: a nanny. Dominic West’s character, Colonel Dudley Clarke, who created the SAS, later asserts himself as a parent (albeit an absent one: removed from the frontline, when seen he has whisky in hand and frequents the Ritz). In this dysfunctional family, Paddy plays a boundary-pushing son, forced to take on a new responsibility.
In command for the first time, Paddy is exasperated by, but soon earns the respect of the unruly SRS- a cast of old and new faces- who assemble in North Africa before setting off for Europe. After landing in Sicily, they have run-ins with each other (a punch-up is always imminent), Allied Command, the Sicilian Mafia, even an inebriated priest, and, of course, crates of pilfered Italian beer. There are montages of the regiment driving armoured vehicles, aviator-clad, and whipping up dust to some excellent hits from the likes of the Clash, the Cult and AC/DC. My favourite track from last series was the Cure’s ‘World War’. It’s a colossal soundtrack. But just as the action threatens to slip into farce, the thrill fades and horror lands.
One of many harrowing moments portrayed include the order Paddy gives to his men as they approach the Sicilian coast to avoid alerting the enemy: the SRS must ignore the screams of drowning Allied glider pilots. The SRS combined with the Special Boat Service (SBS) to become the SAS brigade in June 1944. Although the SAS has been disbanded, re-established, and has developed much since the end of World War Two, the organisation continues to this day to be under scrutiny for carrying out acts of inhumanity. The BBC reports that the SAS are under investigation for murdering civilians while on Night Raids in Afghanistan after being deployed there in 2009. The Guardian further reports of allegations of misconduct and excessive force used in undercover missions in Syria, Libya, and elsewhere around the world.
Series 2 also doesn’t shy away from the effects of what is now called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While Paddy attempts to find solace from the horrors of war in poetry, one of the men in particular, Sergeant Reginald ‘Reg’ Seekings (Theo Barklem-Biggs) suffers from sleepless nights. Biggs’ performance is exceptional. He portrays a man who at one moment is inconsolable with rage, while at another he is immobile and speechless from grief. The series confronts these unbearable encounters with trauma and hauntings, with credit due to a fantastic script written by Steven Knight, also creator of Peaky Blinders, that balances thrill and humour, as well as horror. The show is brought to life by a talented cast that pays its respects to the courage, commitment, and daring of those who fought Nazism from behind enemy lines.
Did you catch Season 2 of SAS Rogue Heroes?
