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The moment actor Tom Glynn-Carney met the 102-year-old SAS member he’s portraying on screen was just too emotional.
Tom will play Mike Sadler in the new BBC drama series SAS: Rogue Heroes, which was created by the brains behind Peaky Blinders, Steven Knight, and filmed in North Africa.
SAS: Rogue Heroes lifts the lid on the birth of the SAS and tells the stories of its original members, including Mike.
Exploring the real story behind the TV show, Tom – best known for his roles in Dunkirk and House of the Dragon – met Mike at his home, to reminisce on his role in the SAS and get to know the person behind his character.
‘When I started to research the true story, it was so amazing, so compelling, so it’s sort of unbelievable. I just thought, this story has to be told,’ series writer Steven said.
He praised the men who were part of the SAS for being ‘self-motivated’ and people who ‘broke the rules’ with ‘initiative,’ given that their lives were in constant jeopardy and they ‘depended on each other’ to survive.
Tom said it was a ‘privilege’ to meet Mike after portraying him in the drama (Picture: BBC)
Tom – shown above in character in North Africa – hailed Mike as a ‘gifted navigator’ (Picture: BBC)
Mike specifically was known for his incredible navigation skills, as he guided the SAS on their missions.
‘He had what others thought of as a supernatural ability to actually navigate his way through the desert, to know where he was, where he was going,’ praised Steven. ‘He used the stars, he used a lot of equipment but, a lot of the time, apparently he just used instinct.’
Without him, the men in the SAS would’ve gone in somewhere and not been able to find their way out, and it was Mike’s ability to ‘think on his feet’ that saw them through.
Mike looks back on his time in the SAS fondly (Picture: BBC)
He was able to see his team through tough situations (Picture: BBC)
Mike Sadler is the last remaining original SAS member (Picture: BBC)
‘Mike is blind now, but his memories are sharp,’ Tom told cameras in a film for The One Show, greeting Mike in his living room by telling him what a ‘privilege’ it was to be sitting with him.
‘Having played your role and having to look like I was an expert navigator through the desert, now no matter how had I tried, I could not do it. How do you do that?’, he asked.
Mike replied with a laugh: ‘I think you just have to learn it. I expect you could, if you really tried. It’s not that difficult.’
Tom insisted that Mike was being modest, as nothing about his experience was easy. At one point, he was captured by the Nazis.
Now 102-years-old, Mike is blind, but his memories are sharp (Picture: BBC)
The hero reminisced on his time in the desert (Picture: BBC)
Dunkirk star Tom has ‘nothing but admiration’ for the courageous men (Picture: BBC)
‘We just managed to escape, but then we were stuck with this enormous walk for four days,’ Mike recalled.
But, despite his many ordeals, Mike thinks back on his time fondly.
‘I enjoyed the desert. I loved the wide open spaces.’
While Mike is yet to watch the new BBC drama, his daughter Sally has already seen it, and found the series very exciting, admitting that she learned a lot, as it gave the atmosphere and drama of that time.
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‘He’s pretty amazing to live with that danger and daily, physical hardship. I think it’s incredible,’ she said of her father.
Tom concluded by praising the men of the SAS, and survivor Mike, as he has ‘nothing but admiration’ for their courage.
SAS: Rogue Heroes airs Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.
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Mike Sadler’s navigation skills were crucial to his team’s survival.