For decades, the SAS has operated beyond public view, its missions shaped by secrecy and its reputation burnished by the rare moments when that secrecy has fallen away.

Episode one introduces us to George, the former SAS ground commander who led the operation at Drumnakilly. He reveals how the mission unfolded – and the decisions made when it mattered most.

In episode two, Sam Kiley revisits two of the SAS’s most infamous operations – the Iranian Embassy in London to free its hostages, and the operation against suspected IRA bombers in Gibraltar – and hears the stories of the people who were really there.

In episode three, one former soldier recalls a terrifying encounter in South Armagh, when a farmer soaked his hiding place in petrol and told his young son to strike a match.

Episode four centres on Liz, recruited as an intelligence operative at just 19. She reveals how secret teams shadowed suspects, navigated anti-surveillance traps, and operated alone in hostile territory, and explains why being a woman became a huge advantage in the world of covert operations.

Episode five sees Blue, a former 14 Intelligence Company operative, speaking publicly about the night he and a fellow soldier were ambushed while watching a farm linked to wanted IRA man Francis Hughes, and in episode six, David reveals how a British soldier was used as a decoy, how the trap was set and how the decision to open fire unfolded in a matter of seconds.

Listen to their stories, and many more, in . The first three episodes of the documentary series are available on get exclusive early access to the entire series. Sign up here to listen to all eight episodes now.

This eight-part documentary series explores a war fought largely out of sight – and the legal battle now being waged over how its actions should be judged. Kiley traces the regiment’s covert campaign against the IRA in Northern Ireland, from the surveillance operations and ambushes of the Troubles to the hard questions that still endure today. Along the way, the Iranian Embassy siege and a deadly operation in Gibraltar reveal how the SAS became both a celebrated and a contested force.