# SAS Rogue Heroes (2022)

> A dramatised account of how the SAS was forged in the desperate early years of World War Two, as a band of unorthodox officers defies convention to fight behind enemy lines.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/79392

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: drama, war, action
- Created by: Steven Knight
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Alfie Allen, Connor Swindells, Jack O'Connell, Sofia Boutella, Dominic West, Corin Silva, Theo Barklem-Biggs, Tom Glynn-Carney
- TMDB rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10405370/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: graphic
- Tone: swaggering, irreverent, gritty, patriotic, tense

## What critics say

Viewers broadly praise the vivid dramatisation of the SAS's wartime origins and its swagger, while acknowledging a flippant tone and revisionist liberties with history.

## Synopsis

SAS Rogue Heroes (2022-2025) is a British historical war drama series created by Steven Knight for BBC One, adapted from the book about the founding of the Special Air Service. Connor Swindells plays David Stirling, an ambitious officer who wants to build a new kind of fighting force, while Jack O'Connell plays the hard-drinking Paddy Mayne and Sofia Boutella plays Eve Mansour, all working against a rigid military establishment. Jacob Ifan and Alfie Allen also feature among the principal cast. The engine of the show is the struggle to get an unorthodox unit off the ground, as the men plan audacious raids, navigate long-range desert routes and clash with superiors who doubt them. Each episode is built around a mission, a personal rivalry or a bid for official approval, and the two seasons follow the unit's growing reputation across North African campaigns. The tone is swaggering and irreverent, with bravado, banter and cheeky patriotism balanced against brutal combat, grief and the cost of war. Set in 1940s North Africa during the Second World War, the series has a sweeping, cinematic feel and sits in the tradition of Band of Brothers and other war dramas about elite soldiers. Fans of Band of Brothers and wartime ensemble dramas will find resonance here.

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