Soldier: Documentary Series Going Inside the British Army – Premieres on BBC One, 5 October

Follow a platoon of young men as they undergo a rigorous six-month training course at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick, North Yorkshire. This course is designed to test each recruit’s physical and mental limits to determine whether or not they have what it takes to serve as a frontline soldier in the British Army.

What is Soldier about

Label1 (creators of the critically acclaimed BBC series Hospital) is producing the five-part series Soldier that will follow a group of young adults as they leave behind their familiar surroundings, careers, and hobbies in favour of the rigours of military service. Do they possess the necessary skills to function as close combat fighters? Could they go into action in any part of the world? All but the best will fail.

A 20-year-old whose mother is a pacifist, a 17-year-old who used to work at a fast food restaurant, a 21-year-old who used to want to play football for Middlesbrough, and an 18-year-old woman who comes from a military family and wants to follow in her father’s footsteps are all among the recruits.

Since 2018, women have been allowed to serve in infantry roles on the front lines, but they must meet all the same requirements as their male counterparts.

Jack Bootle, Head of Specialist Factual commissioning at the BBC, remarked: “Soldier takes viewers behind the scenes at ITC Catterick and into the heart of the British Army. I’m delighted to bring this revelatory series to BBC One and iPlayer, and looking forward to viewers watching our new recruits transform from kids to close combat warriors.”

Gruelling training

The 45 recruits participate in gruelling obstacle courses, handle and fire weapons, are subjected to rigorous inspections, and, most importantly, are taught how to kill an opponent at close range with only a bayonet.

Recruits learn what it’s like to be a frontline soldier in a time when war has broken out in Europe for the first time in a generation under the watchful eyes of the training team, which includes Lieutenant Wahab, Sergeant McIntosh, and Corporal White.

While some people will persevere to accomplish goals they never thought possible, others will give up at the first sign of difficulty.

Who is making the series

Soldier is a BBC Factual and BBC England co-commission and has been produced by Label1 (a Fremantle label). The first episode airs on Thursday 5th October at 9pm on BBC One and all episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer.

The series producer is Kim Rossiter and the series director is Paul Wells. It is executive produced by Fran Baker, Lorraine Charker-Phillips and Simon Dickson. The commissioning editors for the BBC are Jack Bootle and Tony Parker.

Image Credit: L-R: Private Jerry Okyere, Private Hope Mainwaring, Private Owen South, Private Olivia Hall-Beakhouse, Private Callum Stretton / BBC

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