SAS: Who Dares Wins' new star Melvyn Downes has revealed how he's cheated death several time and been forced to watch his friends die in the battlefield.
The newest member of the Directing Staff, or 'DS' as they’re called on the brutal show, recalled one harrowing moment during the first Gulf War.
“I was leading a troop of young soldiers in armoured vehicles through the desert. You could hear the bullets raining down. We were under fire, and it came to the point where we had to jump out of the vehicle in order to attack," he explained to the Sun.
Melvyn, then only 25 and a corporal in the Staffordshire Regiment, was issuing orders to 30 young men who were only aged between 18 and 20. He went on: “It’s a scary moment getting out knowing you’re in the middle of a firefight and taking on the unknown, in the pitch black.
“I was so proud of my blokes, who got out of the vehicle on both sides and returned fire from wherever it was coming from to control it.”
While Melvyn managed to cheat death, others weren’t so lucky. He added: “Out of 90 people, two friends were killed during that attack. One got hit in the chest by an RPG rocket, I saw it happen right in front of me.
“I’ve had countless near misses. I’ve used up my nine lives, for sure.
Melvyn says he has always been obsessed with life in the armed forces since he was a little boy.
He remembers how when going to the shops with my mum as a child, he would always ask her to buy him a plastic toy soldier.
Melvyn signed up for the Army Cadets when he was 11, even though he was too young to be allowed to wear the uniform. He left school at 16 with no qualifications and signed up for the Army.
“My parents had to give permission because I was only 16, but they knew that was what I wanted to do, even though deep down they were worried.
“If I didn’t go into the military I would’ve gone into another uniformed area, maybe the fire service, the police, or the paramedics.
“I just wanted to be in a team and doing something for people.”
During his three decade-long career, Melvyn completed three tours of duty in Northern Ireland and spent a total of 12 years in the Staffordshire Regiment, promoted to sergeant. He served in the secretive elite unit, the SAS, for 12 years.
He now leads a pack of youngsters for the British Scouts Overseas, the children of British expats in sunny Dubai, where he lives with his schoolteacher wife Zoe and their teenage daughter.
Melvyn thinks the children will be shocked if they see his new appearance on TV.
“I can’t believe how much I swear. I don’t swear usually. I’m a Scout leader and I’m thinking my Scouts are going to go, ‘Wow, who is this person?’
“But when you’re a special forces guy and everybody starts talking, you’re back in that swearing mentality. I might not sound it, but I’m actually a nice guy.
“I’m glad there wasn’t a swear box because there would be a lot of money in it. I’d be skint," he joked.
It was Melvyn’s wife Zoe, who first put the idea of being in the series into his mind. He says: “I don’t watch much TV, other than news or sports, but during lockdown my wife asked if I fancied watching SAS: Who Dares Wins with her. It’s a mad story.
"We sat down, consumed it all, and I thought it’s such a realistic show. It was great.
“She then said to me, ‘Would you ever do that?’ and I just laughed, because I thought it was never going to happen.
“Not long afterwards I got a call from the producers approaching me.”
Melvyn, who is the first mixed race DS on the long-running series, has joined after the departure of Matthew “Ollie” Ollerton and Jay Orton, as part of Channel 4’s diversity drive. But Melvyn says he was unaware that Ollie had been given the sack.
He says: “I didn’t know Ollie was leaving, I just had this great opportunity and I went for it. I wasn’t involved in any of the discussions.
“I know people are going to say it’s all about race, but I don’t see it that way. I’m mixed race and I’m proud of my heritage on both sides and I’m proud to serve my country.
He added: "Being the first mixed-race DS is going to be a great opportunity as I can represent the under-represented in life — not just minorities, I'm talking about people from deprived, working-class backgrounds."
*SAS: Who Dares Win is on Channel 4 on Sundays at 9pm
