About this episode

This episode challenges the misconceptions about Paddy Mayne and explores the true history of the SAS and modern British defense issues.

Think you know the true story behind the birth of the SAS? Think again. In this extraordinary live episode, recorded on location at the Imperial War Museum History Festival , host Paul Bavill fires up the blue touch paper with best-selling military historian and filmmaker Damien Lewis. Together, they take dead aim at the cheap Hollywood tropes and television distortions that have rewritten the legacy of Britain's most decorated wartime icons. Damien unleashes a masterclass of historical rage against the BBC’s SAS Rogue Heroes portrayal of Lieutenant Colonel Paddy Mayne. Far from the foul-mouthed, unhinged, drunken stereotype broadcast to millions, the real Paddy Mayne was a qualified solicitor, an Irish rugby international, a devotee of poetry, and the elite unit's hand-picked Discipline Officer who led his men through fraternal brotherhood and transformational command. You will discover the breathtaking truth behind his four Distinguished Service Orders (DSOs), his unmatched record of destroying enemy warplanes on the ground, and the clerical errors that unjustly denied him the Victoria Cross. But the rage doesn't stop in 1945. Damien connects history directly to the modern day…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Bavill

Guest: Damien Lewis

Topics covered

• SAS history
• military history
• British defense
• Paddy Mayne
• historical accuracy
• media representation

Keywords

• SAS
• Paddy Mayne
• Damien Lewis
• military history
• historical rage
• British defense funding
• Imperial War Museum
• BBC portrayal

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC, Imperial War Museum, SAS

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