This programme contains strong language
During these uncertain times
what we're looking for is those that have the courage...
...to take the leap into the unknown.
In this series, an elite team of ex-special forces soldiers...
...are putting 21 men and women...
Come on, they're gonna kill the hostage.
...through the most gruelling stages of SAS selection.
SCREAMING
Whatever's happening in the world, we need to switch on.
Cos the enemy are not gonna stop if you're scared or exhausted.
We need to know that you've got the inner strength to keep fighting.
Each task based on the real process...
...the recruits must go beyond the physical...
Get in there, now!
...to come face-to-face...
What would you do? Kill staff.
...with their true self.
No other test asks as much...
Holly, wake up.
...or means as much...
Every single task seems like they're trying to kill us.
...to the few who make it through.
It's mad. I didn't need a piss.
As soon as I come here I just piss.
Everything's just cold, isn't it?
I'm never gonna complain it's too hot in my house ever again.
Please, Lord, let the sun shine on us.
Number 19, staff.
Number 14, staff.
Number 19, staff.
OK, everyone just gather round, just everyone gather round.
It's a tough decision everyone had to make.
We have to make them decisions. No-one take it personal.
We have to go with someone.
I do trust you.
That's fine. Yeah.
Yeah, I'm good. You had to go with someone.
Like, yeah.
It makes me now just want to up my game, you get me?
Yeah, so that's it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm not an open book as a person.
I tend to be more mysterious,
I don't like giving too much away.
I like to get to know someone first
before I start giving them my life story.
I mightjust drip-feed people things about me.
I certainly won't drip-feed my weaknesses.
All good? Yeah. All good, all good.
You got two minutes to take the fleeces off
and get your fucking respirators on, gas masks.
Go. Hurry up.
Everything has pretty much been an individual effort.
Starting from now, you will be doing things in pairs.
Good.
We will lead the way, and you, as a pair, will stick together
and be there for each other. OK?
ALL: Yes, staff.
Right, that way, face.
Drive the legs.
To make it to their first task,
the recruits must run 2km.
Good effort, you two at the front.
Number 7. Good effort, you two.
Good effort.
Number 19, Adam and his partner,
number 7, Lauren,
are in the lead.
My level of competitiveness is probably off the scale.
Leave the masks on!
Anything I do, it needs to be to the top standard.
So, I can't comprehend when people don't pull their weight.
Catch up at the back!
Number 20, Hannah, and number 16, Connon
are trailing at the back.
Control your fucking breathing.
This course is going to be an eye-opener for me.
Being stripped down to physically your weakest.
It's going to teach me a lot about myself.
No!
SHE GASPS
Yes, staff.
It's the right thing to do.
Thank you.
Number 20, Hannah, becomes the tenth recruit to leave the course.
11 remain.
Take your respirators off.
Before I brief you,
I need you to get in NBC suits.
NBC stands for nuclear, biological and chemical warfare suits.
Do it quickly. In your pairs.
Work as a team.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
How does it go, like that?
It's all right. Let go, let go.
That's it. Punch through the bottom and then through the sleeves. Yeah, yeah.
It's very important that you, as an SAS operator,
you feel the effects of what the gas does to you.
Has anybody been gassed before?
Yeah. You have? Yeah. Where, in a riot?
By the police. By the police?
Yeah. Oh, my life.
It's not very nice, to tell you the truth. OK?
So, all we're going to do today, and you're having a taste of tear gas.
Have faith in your partners.
Do not panic.
Once you're masked up, you're all ready, I'm gonna send you over to the DS. Listen in
to his instruction, all right? Thank you, staff. The first pair in
are number 14, Jamie, and number 21, Phoebe.
Relax.
Do not touch your fucking eyes when you come out the other end.
When I was at school, I was a bit of a loner.
I would neverjoin in with anything
because I was very shy.
Make your way over to the DS, leave your bergens there.
Enjoy.
At school, I captained, I think,
literally every sports team.
I liked to see my team mates succeed.
I've always been a team player.
BOTH:
Phoebe Black, 21.
Right, over here, to me.
Over here. Good effort.
Right, kneel down.
There, on your knees, next to him.
Breathe.
Heads up. Kneel up.
Take a minute to compose yourself.
Get some fresh air in your lungs.
Slowly open your eyes. Do not touch your face.
Looking good.
The reason we operate and train in a gas environment
is because we have to be able to fight ourselves in that environment
in case that happens to us.
Reanne Francis.
THROUGH COUGHS: Sean, number...
COUGHING AND SCREAMING
The next pair to go are number 19, Adam,
and number 7, Lauren.
Take a second. Yeah.
A big fucking breath.
Get it on.
And then...
Cos I ain't fucking speaking to you in there. Yeah, me too.
I think I'm quite good with stressful environments.
I just get on with it.
We have to go down now.
When I was growing up,
my dad wasn't my hero to be honest.
It was probably my mum, because I was always with my mum.
And she's shown me how to be independent.
Like, I'm the only person who can push myself forwards.
There's no-one else that's gonna carry me.
I've got to carry myself.
COUGHING
No, stop.
19, Adam.
Seven, Lauren.
Let me out.
COUGHING
Oh, fuck!
It's in there, staff.
No, staff.
PANTING
Good effort.
It's fucking horrible. It's not designed to be nice.
It's designed for you to realise what you're worth.
Thanks, staff. Number 19. Staff.
Let's just say, that you owe me.
Yes, staff.
CLUCKING
This might hurt a little bit, as you put it in.
Just gotta do that, OK? Yeah. All right? There you go. Right,
this might hurt again a little bit.
Is anybody else's face still tingling?
My chest feels a bit tight.
You just don't expect that they're gonna use
this kind of shit on us, you know?
The worst part is once you get out of there,
on your knees, like. Like, convulsing.
I blame my missus for this. She's like,
"Oh, babe, just do it!"
Mate, this is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.
Number 14,
he was with number 21.
Yep.
They were impressive. I'd say they were the best pair...
Yeah. ..as in communications together. Number seven,
and she was with number 19.
These two were about
the worst. This is where...
LAUGHTER To say the least!
You know, staying in control and staying focused, that's her problem.
She just can't do it.
Yeah, she just wanted out of there.
No. And she's like,
"Fuck you, I'm off."
Number 19, let's try and get him
into a position where he gets a chance
to shine.
Seven!
19!
HE CLAPS
I get it,
number seven, you wanna be fuckin'
BUtOFIOITIOUS, FUH BFOUHd on YOUF OWFI,
give it the fuckin' big one. Shut the world off. I get that.
Doesn't fuckin' work in our world. No, Staff.
Number seven, do you have confidence in number 19? Obviously,
he did leave his equipment behind, but he sort of took charge
for me when I just went to shit, basically. 19?
Yeah, I have confidence. She got me through the run
and she made sure I kept pace.
BOTH: Yes, Staff.
Yes, Staff.
Single-minded. Look at me, look how good I am.
Fuckin'... Yeah.
Was it a debrief?
No, a fuckin' tear-down is what it is.
It's all right, just, you know,
you're shit at everything that you do.
Ugh! To lift you up.
I wouldn't say that I trust people easily.
Coming out as gay, as a later teenager,
was a really difficult time for me.
I'm from a working-class town.
It sounds awful, but I had to swallow my pride to come out as gay.
Not everybody accepts it.
People treat you differently. People treat me differently now.
Everyone outside, now!
Move it, move it!
Push up, 21, push up.
ENGINE ROARS
A fast boat pick-up
is a method of extracting from a
dangerous area, in a timely fashion.
It's testing people's strength...
...trust...
...and loyalty, to either
pull yourself onto the boat
or drag your oppo into it.
ALL: Yes, Staff.
Yes, Staff.
The first pair to face the task are number 18, Tyler,
and number 12, Reanne.
I would say I have a high
pain threshold
in the gym...
...but when it comes to what might break me,
the one thing it might be
is, erm, the cold,
or the extreme cold.
Get your arms down. Agh! Get over.
Ugh! Arms down, arms down.
SHE TAKES A DEEP BREATH
Number nine, confidence, upper-body strength. Yes, sir.
Come on!
Hold your arm. Sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep!
Come on! Pull, pull, pull!
Next to go is number seven, Lauren, whose partner, Adam,
is 30 kilos heavier than her.
Keep eyes on, keep that nice and low in the water.
Some people would be shocked, to be
honest, about some of the stuff I've done.
I'll show my friends and family I can
complete this course, so they can be proud of something good I've done.
Right, let's get back, get back! Get his belt up.
Go on, pull him up. Keep going!
Go on! Come on! Agh!
Keep going! Agh! Agh! Agh!
Thank you. Staff. Means a lot. Yes, it does.
Yes, Staff.
You get one end, I'll get the other. Yeah.
And then we'lljust twist.
Ooh, shit. Fuckin' hell.
THEY LAUGH
Oh...
Fuckin'...fuckin' good grip of it.
Bone dry, them. Fuckin' bone...ready to go back on.
Ah mate, yeah. You've got the rest of your life to worry about.
Yeah.
Suffering with an injury, Number 21, Phoebe has requested to see the DS.
Staff!
I'm OK, thank you, Staff.
I've just reached a really good place, but I feel like
I wouldn't get anything more, especially on a fucked ankle.
And...
I will...
Thanks for having me.
To hand in my number to the DS would be disappointing,
but I'd still be happy, because, I still would've gone through
all different things in my life that I've never experienced before.
I'd like to think that my friends and family would still be proud
of me, of the fact that I still went and did it and still gave it a try.
Phoebe becomes the 11th recruit to leave the course.
Ten remain.
THUNDER RUMBLES
You got all... Oh, cold.
Has everyone got their compasses?
RECRUITS: Yep.
Are we in pairs? Yes.
RECRUITS: Yes, staff.
BOTH: Yes, staff.
For the next task,
the recruits face a gruelling test of their partnerships -
milling.
Paired up are 6 ft 4 DJ and 6 ft 1 Sean.
In tight.
Is it in? Push.
Growing up, it was always taught to me that you, know,
when someone was on the floor, you let 'em get back up.
Onto the target, there's the fuckin' target in there.
You fuckin' want it, don't you? Take it.
That's how I used to approach my fights.
Growing up, I was always the 6 ft plus tall guy.
So I always had short guys with short man syndrome
wanting to challenge me.
I never wanted to fight, I've never enjoyed fighting,
it's just something that always come to me.
Hit him! Fuckin' take him out!
You have him now, take him out!
Fight!
Fuck! SHOUTING
All right? Yes, sir.
Stand there. Yeah, good, mate.
Some blows there. You all right?
Milling is another way of testing someone's courage in battle...
...because, when you're on a mission, all emotions are put to one side.
It's about knowing when to ramp it up to a stage
that you've overpowered the enemy,
but then being able to switch it back down to keep control.
Yes, staff.
Yeah.
Yes, staff. Yeah.
WHISPERED: Thanks, staff.
I can.
Next to face each other, Number 7, Lauren,
and her 30 kilo heavier partner, Number 19, Adam.
My obsessiveness to be perfect is probably the one thing
that I dislike about myself.
Can't let it go.
Stay in control. Stay in control of that.
Aggression going forward. Get your arms going like fuckin' bees' wings.
All over his face, OK?
Like, I am ashamed if I don't perform.
Of myself.
I'm quite streetwise, so I use that to my advantage.
I've done things I'm not proud of,
but I believe in second chances.
I want to show I've developed, I've changed as a person.
That when I need to step up, I will, 100%.
Because I don't like to lose.
Get him!
Throw some punches, throw some punches.
There you go! Get in!
Forward punches.
Good girl.
Take him, 7. Go on, fight.
Go on, now, fight!
Stand up.
Seven, come here.
All right? Yeah. I've got to say, 19 played that fuckin' well.
Yeah, he did.
Fuckin' surprised me.
He's one to watch. He's good.
He got me straight in the back of the head and I was like, "Booph!"
Like, that made my brain jiggle. That is an illegal shot.
That was an illegal shot, yeah.
That is a sneaky shot, mate. I still stood...
There's no rules. "straight back up.
ANT:
Impressed with her performance in milling,
the DS bring in Number 7, Lauren.
All right.
Yeah, I feel like today was a good day.
Like, it was just...
It was like an absolute kick in the dick
when you're not hitting your potential.
Mm-hm.
Yeah, yeah.
SHE SNIFFS
SHE EXHALES
Probably being alone.
I've been never alone in the sense of
family, friends, all that, but...
...l just don't know...oh...
...if I had a chance of that other side.
What, as in a relationship?
Yeah, just that...
Yeah, a relationship.
Where do you reckon that comes from?
Me dad. My parents divorced at three, four.
My dad didn't take the divorce too well.
So you're afraid of being like your dad. Yeah.
You don't want to make the same mistakes
and end up at that dead end? Yeah. Right.
Do you know what? It's like...
"probably the first time that I've, like...
...spoke honestly about that.
Guard!
DOOR OPENS
I wouldn't say that I trust people easily, in any way.
I enjoy being in control of, like, my life, my surroundings,
what's going on, what's next.
I feel like I never really get close to some people because of it.
Doing this course, that's the start towards breaking the mould...
Have you been in it? Yes, I have. Why?
Trying to get to know me.
...and I have accepted that.
If you knew this is how it'd be, would you come with?
THEY LAUGH
Mentally, I'm fine.
Yeah, mentally, I'm good.
Physically...l'm broken.
HE SCOFFS
ANT: Today, we flipped the pairs into milling.
They weren't expecting that.
They weren't expecting to stand toe-to-toe, only to beat
the hell out of each other.
Now, nearing the end of the phase,
the DS gather to discuss each pair's performance.
So, this was, like, the heavy weight bout.
Number nine and number four.
To be fair, they both went for it.
They dialled it straight back off, as well, both of them.
As soon as it finished, moved over, they were fuckin' finished.
Pushed it off, which was good.
Number 19 and number seven.
Now that was an interesting one.
He gave her some good whacks. Good hits. And number seven...
She took it like a champ. Wow, she took it like a champ.
He could've absolutely leathered number seven, which...
Which he did, but with control.
He did, but control. He did, yeah.
He's growing on me, number 19.
He's one of these slow burners.
He's fuckin' boring, isn't he?
Yeah.
Do you know what, you're right.
19 needs to come in.
Done.
Number 19!
Hurry up! Move!
CHAIR SCRAPES ALONG FLOOR
You're paired with number seven, aren't ya?
And how d'ya get on there? How's that going?
She's funny? You like workin' with her?
Supporting each other? It's going well?
What the fuck did you beat her up for, then?
That's nice of ya.
You was controlled, but you still put some meat behind
them fuckin' punches.
Controlled aggression yeah, you proved it.
We're glad to still 'ave you 'ere, but we don't know you.
There's something there.
You've got, like, a nervousy, twitchy smile, like...
Ah, ah, ah, ah! I'm talkin' - one singer, one fuckin' song.
And right now, I'm Pavarotti.
What are you scared of?
Have you ever failed?
What have you failed in?
It's fuckin' obvious you went off the rails somewhere.
Where did that start going wrong?
The ladder of scum?
There's your fuckin' biggest failure I've seen so far.
Money, took priority over fuckin' lives.
Not your lives, other people's lives, didn't it?
Did, didn't it?
How do you fuckin' feel about that?
Bad? Remorseful?
Regret it?
Tell me the rest of the story.
You think you're some sort of Pablo fuckin' Escobar,
or someone like that, were ya?
You got...
And you've kept your nose clean, literally kept your fuckin'
nose clean, kept away from all this trouble?
Well, I fuckin' hope you do become a good role model.
You're fuckin' being watched closely, all right?
Guard!
ANT: Take in what the DS have said there.
Prove to them that you've fuckin' changed and that you're positive.
Do you understand me?
Stand by. Let you go.
Stop splashing around!
Fuckin' move!
There's no room for weak links in the special forces.
Push yourself further than you've pushed yourself before!
So, it's ourjob as DS to push each and every one of them
to their limits.
Get in there now!
Subtitles by Red Bee Media