New SAS: Who Dares Wins Series Dumps Recruits in Brutal Vietnamese Jungle
This year’s SAS: Who Dares Wins is going deeper than ever before. Twenty ordinary men and women face the ruthless, unforgiving jungle of Thung Ui, North Vietnam in a punishing 6-part series. Leading the charge is jungle warfare legend Billy Billingham, backed by returning favourites Foxy and Rudy Reyes, plus newcomer Chris Oliver, a battle-hardened former Special Forces operator.
Billy Billingham Takes Command as Chief Instructor
Billy Billingham MBE, who spent 27 years in the military reaching Sergeant Major in the SAS, has the most jungle warfare experience of any Directing Staff (DS) on the show. Starting his career in the Belize jungle in 1984 and wrapping it up in Brunei in 2008, Billy became the world’s senior military instructor in jungle warfare training.
“Having been a DS on actual military SAS selection and Chief Instructor at the British Army Jungle Warfare Training School, there is nobody better placed than myself to lead the recruits through this treacherous environment,” Billy said. “I’m looking forward to challenging and encouraging the new recruits. However, I will not be accepting any excuses – this will be the toughest course to date!”
New Blood: Chris Oliver Joins the DS Team
Chris Oliver, a former Special Forces Operator and Royal Marine Mountain Leader with 16 years of combat experience, is the newest DS member. Originally from Northeast England, Chris served in the elite Special Boat Service and saw action in Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland, Oman, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
He promises “a hard-hitting intensity” on the course. “The values I intend to instil in the recruits have been forged on operations where we have lost good operators. Anyone who doesn’t play by the rules will pay the price,” Chris warned.
Veterans Foxy and Rudy Ready to Pack a Punch
Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox, returning DS and former Special Boat Service operator, said: “Taking the course into one of the most intimidating environments in the world will make this one of the most intense and challenging courses yet. Billy as Chief Instructor makes total sense. I’d follow him into any situation. And with Chris on board, plus Rudy and me, we’ll pack a powerful punch.”
Rudy Reyes added an emotional note about filming in Vietnam: “It was an emotional homecoming. My father was a US Marine who served multiple tours in the Vietnam War, and I never really knew him. Going there to film was an honour—to walk the harsh but beautiful jungles and rivers he fought in felt like meeting him spiritually.”
