‘Peaky Blinders’ creator’s new SAS drama set in World War 2 reveals cast

A brilliant cast has been announced for the BBC’s upcoming SAS: Rogue Heroes drama.

Written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, the action-packed six-part series will tell how the world’s most renowned and ruthless Special Forces unit, the SAS, came to exist.

SAS: Rogue Heroes is set during darkest days of World War Two and is based on Ben Macintyre’s best-selling book Rogue Heroes.

The show is described as “the exhilarating story of renegade men taking monumental risks in extraordinary circumstances” and will be “rich with action and set-pieces.”

Connor Swindells (Sex Education) will play David Stirling, alongside Jack O’Connell (Skins) as Paddy Mayne, Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones) as Jock Lewes, and Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde) as Eve.

Swindells commented: “I feel tremendously honoured to be joining this series with such a talented group of people. Portraying such an interesting man is incredibly exciting and I feel very lucky to be able to do so. It’s going to be an amazing ride.”

O’Connell added: “I’m excited to be working on Steven Knight’s bold and ambitious new project with a brilliant director and fellow cast members. Playing the legend Paddy Mayne is an honour. I can’t wait to get stuck into the challenge of telling this story.”

The cast also includes Dominic West (The Wire) as Lieutenant Colonel Wrangel Clarke, with Miles Jupp (The Durrells), Amir El Masry (Industry), Theo Barklem-Biggs (Carnival Row), Corin Silva (The Bay), Jacob Ifan (The Accident), Dónal Finn (Cursed), Jacob McCarthy (The Last Summer), Michael Schaeffer (Chernobyl).

The official synopsis reads: “Cairo, 1941. David Stirling – an eccentric young officer, hospitalised after a training exercise went wrong – is bored.

“Convinced that traditional commando units don’t work, he creates a radical plan that flies in the face of all accepted rules of modern warfare. He fights for permission to recruit the toughest, boldest and brightest soldiers for a small undercover unit that will create mayhem behind enemy lines.

“More rebels than soldiers, Stirling’s team are every bit as complicated, flawed and reckless as they are astonishingly brave and heroic.”

SAS: Rogue Heroes is expected to air later this year on BBC One in the UK.

Directed by Tom Shankland (The Serpent, The Missing) and produced by Stephen Smallwood (Patrick Melrose, The Serpent), the series is filming right now.

A sixth season of Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders is also currently in production, although the future of Taboo is less certain.

Ben Macintyre’s book Rogue Heroes is available on Amazon.