| Genre: | Reality television |
| Producer: | Phil Turner Freddie Foss-Smith |
| Editor: | Joss Maines |
| Narrated: | Shaun Dooley |
| Starring: | Ant Middleton (2015–21) Jason Fox (2015–) Matthew Ollerton (2015–20) Mark Billingham (2016–) Jay Morton (2020) Colin Maclachlan (2015) Melvyn Downes (2021) Anthony Stazicker (2021) Rudy Reyes (2022–) Remi Adeleke (2022) Chris Oliver (2023–) |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes |
| Company: | Minnow Films |
| Network: | Channel 4 |
| Last Aired2: | present |
| Num Series: | 8 (regular) 5 (celebrity) |
| Num Episodes: | 45 (regular) 31 (celebrity) |
SAS: Who Dares Wins is a reality quasi-military training television programme broadcast by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom since 19 October 2015.[1] There have been eight main series and five celebrity spin-off series.[1]
The show pits contestants against harsh environments all around the world in a shortened two-week long training course that is designed to replicate a number of elements of the actual United Kingdom Special Forces selection course; a notoriously difficult programme that has been known to claim the lives of those who take it on, although the training has been modified to prevent fatalities.[2] The show's Directing Staff take the recruits through hostile and unforgiving warfare environments, while testing their mental and physical ability through a series of tests. Unlike many reality competition series, there are no formal elimination points; instead, contestants may be culled by the DS, voluntarily withdraw, or be medically withdrawn at any point prior to completion.[2]
The fourth series which aired in early 2019 allowed female recruits to take part for the first time, in line with the Ministry of Defence's announcement that Special Forces selection would be open to women.[3] The fifth series proper aired in January and February 2020.[4]
The original Chief Instructor was Ant Middleton, who is an ex-United Kingdom Special Forces operator serving in the Special Boat Service.[5] He was dismissed from the show by Channel 4 in 2021 over his 'personal conduct'.[6] In October 2021, former United States Recon Marine Rudy Reyes was announced as the series's new Chief Instructor.[7] The other Directing Staff (DS) instructors are: Jason 'Foxy' Fox, a former SBS operator;[8] Mark 'Billy' Billingham, an ex-SAS Sergeant Major;[9] and veteran Navy SEAL Senior Chief Remi Adeleke - who left in 2022, after appearing in that year's civilian and celebrity series.[10] [11]
Series 8 saw the contestants tested in the jungle of Thung Ui, north Vietnam, and Mark 'Billy' Billingham as the Chief Instructor because of his extensive jungle warfare training. Joining the Directing Staff is Chris Oliver, a former Royal Marine Mountain Leader and ex-Special Boat Service operator.[12]
| Name | Position | Civilian | Celebrity | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (2015) | 2 (2016) | 3 (2018) | 4 (2019) | 5 (2020) | 6 (2021) | 7 (2022) | 8 (2023) | 1 (2019) | 2 (2020) | 3 (2021) | 4 (2022) | 5 (2023) | |||||
| Jason Fox | Directing Staff (1-) | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Mark Billingham | Directing Staff (2–7) Chief Instructor (8–) | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Remi Adeleke | Directing Staff (7) | colspan="1" | |||||||||||||||
| Rudy Reyes | Chief Instructor (7) Directing Staff (8–) | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Ant Middleton | Chief Instructor (1-6) | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Matthew Ollerton | Directing Staff (1-5) | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Colin Maclachlan | Directing Staff (1) | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Jay Morton | Directing Staff | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| Melvyn Downes | Directing Staff (6) | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Anthony Stazicker | Directing Staff | colspan="2" | |||||||||||||||
| Chris Oliver | Directing Staff (8-) | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| “The Umpire” | Lead interrogator (1-) | colspan="5" | |||||||||||||||
| Ian “Dilksy” Dilkes | Interrogator (5-) | colspan="4" | |||||||||||||||
| Debs | Interrogator (6-) | colspan="3" | |||||||||||||||
| John | Interrogator (6-) | ||||||||||||||||
The original series, featuring regular civilians, was airing from 2015 to 2023. After the eighth series concluded, it was reported that the regular series was 'shelved' indefinitely, because Channel 4 wanted to focus more to the Celebrity version.[13]
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 October 2015 | 16 November 2015 | 5 | Wales | |
| 2 | 17 October 2016 | 14 November 2016 | 5 | Ecuador | |
| 3 | 7 January 2018 | 4 February 2018 | 5 | Morocco | |
| 4 | 6 January 2019 | 10 February 2019 | 6 | Chile | |
| 5 | 5 January 2020 | 9 February 2020 | 6 | Scotland | |
| 6 | 9 May 2021 | 14 June 2021 | 6 | Scotland | |
| 7 | 10 April 2022 | 15 May 2022 | 6 | Jordan | |
| 8 | 23 January 2023 | 21 February 2023 | 6 | Vietnam |
| Series | Winners | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freddie Iron and Ryan Roddy[14] | |
| 2 | Moses Adeyemi[15] | |
| 3 | Jonathan Davis and Matt Sallis | |
| 4 | Mark Peart, Louise McCullough and Milo Mackin | |
| 5 | James Priestley and Chris O[16] [17] | |
| 6 | Connor Smyth and Kieran Lang | |
| 7 | Shylla Duhaney and Paige Zima[18] | |
| 8 | Grant, Hilary and Joshua[19] |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 April 2019 | 5 May 2019 | 5 | Chile | |
| 2 | 20 April 2020 | 25 May 2020 | 6 | Scotland | |
| 3 | 29 August 2021 | 3 October 2021 | 6 | Scotland | |
| 4 | 4 September 2022 | 16 October 2022 | 7 | Jordan | |
| 5 | 26 September 2023 | 5 November 2023 | 7 | Vietnam | |
| 6 | 2024 | 2024 | 8 | New Zealand |
| Series | Winners | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne Bridge | |
| 2 | Lauren Steadman and DJ Locksmith | |
| 3 | Alexandra Burke, Aled Davies and Wes Nelson | |
| 4 | Calum Best, Ferne McCann, AJ Pritchard and Maisie Smith | |
| 5 | Gareth Gates |
In April 2019, a special series in which all of the recruits were celebrities was aired as Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, for Stand Up to Cancer UK.[5] Among the celebrity recruits were Victoria Pendleton,[20] Ben Foden, Heather Fisher, AJ Odudu, Jeff Brazier, Wayne Bridge, Sam Thompson, Andrea McLean, Jeremy Irvine, Dev, Louise Mensch and Camilla Thurlow (Love Island).[21] Unlike previous series, this celebrity version was filmed in the Andes Mountains in Chile.[5]
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status (Episode number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louise Mensch | Blogger, novelist & former Conservative MP | (1) |
| 2 | Dev | BBC Radio 1 presenter | (4) |
| 3 | Jeff Brazier | Television presenter | (5) |
| 4 | Andrea McLean | Former Loose Women panellist | (2) |
| 5 | Victoria Pendleton | Former Olympic track cyclist | (5) |
| 6 | Jeremy Irvine | Actor | (5) |
| 7 | Camilla Thurlow | Love Island finalist & humanitarian worker | (3) |
| 8 | Wayne Bridge | Former Premier League footballer | (5) |
| 9 | Ben Foden | England rugby union player | (5) |
| 10 | Heather Fisher | Rugby union and rugby sevens player | (5) |
| 11 | AJ Odudu | Television presenter | (5) |
| 12 | Sam Thompson | Television & radio personality | (5) |
A second celebrity series began airing on Monday 20 April 2020.[22] Among the celebrity recruits were: Katie Price, Joey Essex, Anthea Turner, Helen Skelton, Brendan Cole, John Fashanu, Nikki Sanderson, Jack Maynard (YouTube star), Lauren Steadman, Locksmith (DJ of Rudimental), Tony Bellew and Yasmin Evans. This series was filmed on the island of Raasay in Scotland.[23]
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status (Episode number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Former The Only Way Is Essex cast member | (6) | |
| 2 | Brendan Cole | Former Strictly Come Dancing professional | (4) |
| 3 | Katie Price | Model, media & TV personality | (2) |
| 4 | John Fashanu | Former England footballer & television presenter | (3) |
| 5 | Anthea Turner | Television presenter | (2) |
| 6 | Locksmith | DJ of Rudimental | (6) |
| 7 | Lauren Steadman | Paralympic athlete | (6) |
| 8 | Nikki Sanderson | Actress | (6) |
| 9 | Jack Maynard | YouTube personality & DJ | (2) |
| 10 | Helen Skelton | Television presenter | (6) |
| 11 | Tony Bellew | Former professional boxer | (6) |
| 12 | Yasmin Evans | Radio & television presenter | (4) |
A third celebrity series began airing on 29 August 2021. Among the celebrity recruits were: Ulrika Jonsson, Kerry Katona, Alexandra Burke, Wes Nelson, James Cracknell, Shanaze Reade, Ore Oduba, Aled Davies, Vicky Pattison, Saira Khan, Kieron Dyer and Jake Quickenden. The series was filmed on the island of Raasay in Scotland.[24]
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status (Episode number) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Alexandra Burke | Singer, songwriter & actress | ||
| 8 | Aled Davies | Paralympic athlete | ||
| 9 | Wes Nelson | Singer & television personality | ||
| 2 | Ore Oduba | Television & radio presenter | ||
| 6 | James Cracknell | Former Olympic rower | ||
| 12 | Kieron Dyer | Former Premier League footballer | ||
| 4 | Jake Quickenden | Singer & television personality | ||
| 10 | Shanaze Reade | Former BMX racer | ||
| 11 | Vicky Pattison | Television & media personality | ||
| 5 | Saira Khan | Television & media personality | ||
| 3 | Ulrika Jonsson | Television presenter | ||
| 1 | Kerry Katona | Television & media personality |
A fourth series began airing on 4 September 2022. Among the celebrity recruits were: Calum Best, Maisie Smith, Jonathan Broom-Edwards, Ashley Cain, Dwain Chambers, Shannon Courtenay, Jennifer Ellison, Jade Jones, Amber Gill, AJ Pritchard, Curtis Pritchard, Ferne McCann, Pete Wicks[25] and Fatima Whitbread; she was 60 years old when the series was filmed and is the show's oldest recruit.[26] [27] The series was set in Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan and filmed in October 2021; the former set of French game show The Desert Forges was used as the base.
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status (Episode number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | AJ Pritchard | Former Strictly Come Dancing professional | |
| 3 | Calum Best | Television personality | |
| 4 | Ferne McCann | Former The Only Way Is Essex cast member | |
| 12 | Maisie Smith | Former EastEnders actress | |
| 10 | Jade Jones | Olympic taekwondo athlete | |
| 14 | Ashley Cain | Footballer & television personality | |
| 11 | Shannon Courtenay | Professional boxer | |
| 6 | Jonathan Broom-Edwards | Paralympic athlete | |
| 1 | Jennifer Ellison | Former Brookside actress | |
| 5 | Fatima Whitbread | Olympic javelin thrower | |
| 9 | Curtis Pritchard | Professional dancer & Love Island finalist | |
| 13 | Dwain Chambers | Olympic sprinter | |
| 2 | Pete Wicks | The Only Way Is Essex cast member | |
| 7 | Amber Gill | Love Island winner & author | |
The line-up for the fifth series was announced on 14 September 2023. The series was set in Vietnamese Jungle.[28] A fifth series began airing on 26 September 2023. Among the celebrity recruits were: Danielle Lloyd, Michelle Heaton, Amber Turner, Melinda Messenger, Gareth Gates, Matt Hancock, Gareth Thomas, James Argent, Jermaine Pennant, Siva Kaneswaran, Jon-Allan Butterworth, Teddy Soares, Montana Brown, Kirsty-Leigh Porter, Perri Shakes-Drayton and Zoe Lyons.
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status (Episode number) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Gareth Gates | Singer-songwriter & actor | ||
| 11 | Danielle Lloyd | Model & television personality | ||
| 1 | Matt Hancock | Conservative Party politician | ||
| 6 | Perri Shakes-Drayton | Olympic athlete | ||
| 3 | Teddy Soares | Love Island contestant | ||
| 10 | Amber Turner | The Only Way Is Essex cast member | ||
| 13 | Zoe Lyons | Comedian | ||
| 2 | James Argent | Former The Only Way Is Essex cast member | ||
| 8 | Montana Brown | Love Island contestant | ||
| 5 | Jermaine Pennant | Footballer | ||
| 14 | Siva Kaneswaran | The Wanted singer | ||
| 9 | Jon-Allan Butterworth | Paralympic cyclist | ||
| 12 | Gareth Thomas | Former Wales rugby player | ||
| 15 | Melinda Messenger | Model & television personality | ||
| 4 | Michelle Heaton | Liberty X singer | ||
| 16 | Kirsty-Leigh Porter | Hollyoaks actress |
Further, eighth-part sixth series is due to air in 2024. The filming has reportedly taken place in New Zealand.[13] [29] The line-up for the series was reported in July 2023, with Pete Wicks set to feature as the first returning recruit following his medical evacuation from the previous series.[30]
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Ogogo | Olympic boxer | |||
| Bianca Gascoigne | Model & television personality | |||
| Cherry Healey | Television presenter | |||
| Chris Robshaw | Former England rugby player | |||
| Ellie Downie | Olympic artistic gymnast | |||
| Georgia Harrison | Television personality | |||
| Marnie Simpson | Former Geordie Shore cast member | |||
| Ovie Soko | Love Island finalist & basketball player | |||
| Pete Wicks | Former The Only Way Is Essex cast member | |||
| Rachel Johnson | Journalist & television presenter | |||
| Shazia Mirza | Stand-up comedian & actress | |||
| Tez Ilyas | Stand-up comedian | |||
| John Barrowman | Actor & singer |
In June 2024, it was reported that filming of the seventh series would take place that summer in Wales.[31]
Banijay holds the international rights to the show, and total of six international adaptions have currently been produced around the globe, amongst the first ones were Australia, Denmark and Sweden.[32]
An Australian version of the show is currently being produced for Seven Network as . Its first season was Australia's most watched new show of the year. The Swedish version, (English: Secrets of the Elite Force), is broadcast on TV4 and premiered on 24 January 2021. It won the reality show category award at Kristallen 2021.[33]
The Finnish version, Erikoisjoukot (English: Special Forces), premiered on 30 May 2022, on Nelonen and its streaming service Ruutu. It was also nominated at the Golden Venla awards in 2022.[34] An American version, , premiered on 4 January 2023 on Fox.[35] [36] The Belgium version, titled (English: Special Forces: Who Dares Wins), premiered in summer 2023 on VTM network.[37]
Legend: Currently airing Upcoming version/season No longer airing Current status unknown
| Country | Title | Narrated by | Current Directing Staff | Network | First aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | Shaun Dooley | Ant Middleton Matthew Ollerton Anthony Stazicker Jay Morton | Seven Network | 19 October 2020 | |
 Belgium | Special Forces: Wie Durft Wint (Special Forces: Who Dares Wins) | ? | ? | VTM | 1 May 2023 |
 Denmark | Korpset - Gjort af det rette stof (The Corps - Made of the right stuff) | N/A | Thomas Rathsack Erik B. Jørgensen Rune Krogh Danielsen Rune Viborg | TV2 | 4 January 2017 |
 Finland | Erikoisjoukot (Special Forces) | Mikko Leskelä | Janne Lehtonen Jan Knutti Matias Petäistö Robin Hendry | Nelonen | 2 January 2023 |
 Hungary | A Kiképzés (The Training) | ? | TV2 | 2025 | |
 Poland | Siły specjalne Polska (Special Forces Poland) | ? | Wojciech „Zachar” Zacharków Marek „Włóczykij” Stan Piotr „Gniady” Hajkowski Piotr „Soyers” Soyka | Polsat | 3 September 2024 |
 Sweden | Elitstyrkans hemligheter (The Secrets of Elite Forces) | Stefan Sauk | Jesper Berlin Anders Eriksson Johan Reispass Petra Malm | TV4 | 24 January 2021 |
 United Kingdom | SAS: Who Dares Wins (Flagship/Original) | Shaun Dooley | Mark Billingham Jason Fox Rudy Reyes Chris Oliver | Channel 4 | 19 October 2015 |
 United States | Rudy Reyes Jason Fox Mark Billingham Jovon Quarles | Fox | 4 January 2023 |