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The real-life legends behind SAS Rogue Heroes… including sergeant who killed boy, 12, for heartbreaking reason
PINNED down by a hail of bullets and deadly accurate mortar shelling, the SAS fighters knew if they stayed put they were dead.
But if they failed to silence the network of concrete machine-gun posts ahead of them, and the giant gun battery that the “pillboxes” were defending, then the whole Allied invasion force was in peril.
So who were the real soldiers who provided the inspiration for the BBC drama SAS Rogue Heroes?
Viewers of the first series of the historical drama watched gripped as a group of British mavericks reinvented the art of warfare in North Africa in the summer of 1942, ranging across the Sahara to attack German targets at will, destroying as many as 400 enemy aircraft, then melting back into the desert. But by February 1943 things had changed.
David Stirling, who founded the SAS, was a prisoner of war, while the British military establishment could not wait to disband the unit they regarded as “raiders of the thug variety”.
SAS leader Major Blair “Paddy” Mayne, who was fighting the top brass to win his young regiment even a temporary reprieve, agreed for them to spearhead a planned invasion of Italy.
With his desert-hardened originals officially rebranded as the Special Raiding Squadron, Mayne put his men through four months of ferocious training at Azzib — then in Syria — on the steep shores of the eastern Mediterranean.
The parachute-trained warriors, who had so much success with jeep borne missions in Africa, had to learn to launch seaborne raids from Royal Navy landing craft and to scale cliffs to attack onshore strongholds.
Now, in July 1943, as plans for D-Day had been put on hold while Operation Husky — the invasion of Italy — took precedence, they were leading the initial attack on the tip of Sicily, at the Capo Murro di Porco.
Their targets were three huge coastal guns that sat atop the sheer cliffs at the “Cape of the Pig’s Snout” and which could blow the invasion fleet out of the water.
Here, we reveal some of the real characters portrayed on screen.
- The new series of SAS: Rogue Heroes starts on BBC One on Wednesday.
Sergeant-Major Reg Seekings (played by Theo Barklem-Biggs)
WITH the first gun battery captured, enemy fire threatened to wipe out Seekings’ troop but the Sergeant-Major was having none of it.
It had been Seekings and SAS commander Paddy Mayne who had decided to attack with bayonets fixed in anticipation of brutal close-quarters fighting.
Now he put it into practice, jumping out from cover and leading his men on an almost suicidal charge towards the enemy pillbox.
He not only succeeded in overrunning the position and killing all inside, but he then led a second bayonet charge to take out the enemy mortar team nearby.
Suddenly the way to the next gun battery was clear and No 1 and 2 Troops, with Seekings in the vanguard, quickly overwhelmed it, killing or capturing the 60-strong garrison.
With his unruly brown hair and sandy moustache, a young Seekings had previously worked with his father on a farm near Ely, Cambs.
He joined his local Territorial Army regiment and was an Army boxing champion before volunteering for No 7 Commando at the outbreak of war, then joined the newly formed SAS.
Seekings had survived its first disastrous mission, parachuting into a desert storm on Operation Squatter, though his skin was lacerated as he was dragged through a gorse bush, and he had been at Paddy Mayne’s side on its first spectacularly successful raid on the Tamet airbase in Egypt.
For his actions on that occasion and further desert raids he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and promoted to Sergeant, before being made Sergeant-Major as the SAS prepared for Operation Husky.
His heroic attack on the pillbox had earned him the Military Medal — but Seekings was not finished.
Later in the Italian campaign, when the SAS/SRS spearheaded the Operation Devon attack on the mainland port of Termoli, No 1 Troop came across a heavy German force near one of the bridges over the river Biferno they were tasked with capturing.
Slipping into a water-filled ditch, Seekings launched an ambush that wiped out the enemy and later reported: “Those lads of mine were bloody magnificent.
They opened up and the air was thick with lead.”
When German forces counter- attacked at Termoli, Seekings had a miraculous escape as the SAS suffered their worst casualties of the campaign.
He had been adjusting the tailgate of the truck into which his platoon had climbed when it was hit by enemy artillery shells, killing 18 of his men.
Elsewhere he found Italian civilians horribly injured by another German shell and had to shoot dead a mortally wounded 12-year-old boy to spare him his agony.
The following year, during the Normandy invasion, he parachuted into France on D-Day to join A Squadron’s mission to cause havoc behind enemy lines and was hit in the back of the neck by a bullet which passed close to his spine.
A dentist tried to remove it but Seekings carried the bullet in him throughout the rest of the war.
He was with the SAS unit which, pushing into Nazi Germany, liberated the Bergen-Belsen death camp and was so driven to rage by the horrors he saw that he was given permission to punch a Nazi guard who was beating prisoners.
When the SAS was disbanded, and Seekings was demobilised, he and his new wife Monica took over the Rifleman Arms pub in Ely.
Nine years later they went to Southern Rhodesia where he set up a farm and became an inspector in the police Anti-Terrorist Unit, but in the early 1980s he returned to England and set up home in Suffolk.
He died in 1999.
Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) Robert Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne (played by Jack O’Connell)
RIGHT from the outset of the SAS, “Paddy” Mayne was the driving force — and when David Stirling was captured in 1943 he took over as leader.
Born and raised in Newtownards, Co Down, he played rugby for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.
He joined the Royal Ulster Rifles at the outbreak of war, volunteered for No 11 (Scottish) Commando, fighting at the Battle of Litani River, then joined Stirling in setting up the SAS.
He led his men on numerous raids in North Africa, personally destroying more than 100 aircraft.
Heroic throughout the Italian campaign, Mayne was promoted in January 1944 to Lieutenant Colonel and was appointed commanding officer of the reformed 1st SAS Regiment, leading his men through the final campaigns of the war in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Norway.
He received the Distinguished Service Order with three bars (equivalent to four DSOs), the Croix de Guerre and the Legion d’Honneur, and was recommended for the Victoria Cross for clearing a path for the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division but was controversially turned down.
After a post-war spell in the Falkland Islands with the British Antarctic Survey, he returned home to practice as a solicitor and died in a car crash in 1955, aged 40.
There have been continuing public campaigns for him to be awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously.
Sergeant (later Lieutenant-Colonel)
Johnny Cooper (played by Jacob McCarthy)
THE SAS’s role spearheading the Operation Husky invasion of Sicily was about to get even more difficult as an airborne force of 2,500 British paratroopers slated to join their attack had been hit by the same storm — and 69 gliders had plummeted into the seas.
Sergeant John “Johnny” Cooper, from Oadby, Leics, had lied about his age to sign up for the Scots Guards aged 17, volunteered for No 8 (Guards) Commando and was just 19 when he became one of the SAS originals.
Known as The Kid, he had been one of 22 out of 64 who had survived death or capture on Operation Squatter. He earned the Distinguished Conduct Medal and promotion to Sergeant after he blasted David Stirling’s patrol through a German ambush.
On Operation Husky he was at the heart of the fighting during the Battle of the Pig’s Snout, on Sicily, and survived the action at Termoli when the SAS lost 29 men.
In preparation for the war in France, Cooper played a key role in the creation and training of the SAS Brigade.
When the SAS spearheaded the Allied advance into Germany, he was with Reg Seekings as they liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
He recalled years later: “We simply could not comprehend how it was possible for human beings to treat their fellow men in such a brutal and heinous way.”
Historian Damien Lewis said: “Grammar school-educated Cooper and Reg Seekings hated each other from their first meeting, because Cooper thought Seekings a thug and Seekings thought Cooper was elitist — but after the first few missions they became inseparable.”
When the SAS was disbanded, Cooper joined The Green Howards and was posted to Cyprus. When the SAS was reformed he rejoined and led anti-guerilla operations in Malaya, after which he received the MBE.
He fought again in Oman, in Africa, and in Yemen. He died in 2002, aged 80.
Captain (later Major) Pat Riley (played by Jacob Ifan)
WHEN the SAS troops penetrated enemy defences in the Italian coastal town of Bagnara Calabra, they spotted a squad of German engineers marching towards their next demolition task.
A burst from the SAS Bren guns killed a few and sent the rest of the Germans scattering for shelter and blundering into another SAS section, led by seasoned warrior Pat Riley.
“We had a bit of a scuffle,” Riley later explained with understatement, “but we took them — 21 prisoners.”
He and fellow freelance raider Lt Jock Lewes were selected by David Stirling to form L Detachment of the Special Air Service Brigade — forerunners of the SAS.
Born in Wisconsin, Riley had moved as a child to Haltwhistle, Cumbria, and worked with his father and grandfather in the local granite quarry.
He joined the Coldstream Guards in 1932 and at the outbreak of war had volunteered for 8 (Guards) Commando before joining Stirling’s SAS unit.
He was awarded the DCM for his service in North Africa and made Sergeant Major.
In Italy, promoted to Captain, he had been in the thick of the action at the Battle of the Pig’s Snout and, having taken his prisoners at Bagnara Calabra, he was part of Captain Bill Fraser’s 1 Troop that was hit by enemy mortars, killing two and injuring seven, but Riley escaped unscathed.
Returning to Britain after the Italy campaign, Riley was in charge of SAS recruitment, training and equipment.
After the war he joined Cambridge police but missing the adrenaline of action, joined the Malayan Regiment in 1950 and, by then a Major, worked with the reformed SAS.
In 1955 he and his wife bought the Dolphin Hotel in Colchester and he later worked for Securicor.
He retired in 1980 and died in 1999.
I wanted to put my own stamp on these old songs – but I’m writing my own tracks now, says Muireann Bradley
MUIREANN Bradley is a young lady who sings the blues.
Listening to the Irish teenager is like being transported back in time to the heyday of Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald or Nina Simone.
Now Muireann, who turned 18 this month, has signed a transatlantic deal with Decca and Verve Forecast, labels synonymous with those three iconic singers.
It is a deserved reward for her beguiling voice and dazzling finger-picking guitar skills.
Her debut album, I Kept These Old Blues, has been remastered for re-release in February and comes with an extra track, When The Levee Breaks — a song she loves to sing live.
Some of you might remember Led Zeppelin’s full throttle, electrified When The Levee Breaks which closes their fourth album.
But Muireann returns the song to its folk roots, basing her interpretation in equal parts on Memphis Minnie’s original and a take by Philadelphia guitar picker Ari Eisinger.
The lyrics tell of the devastating Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, which makes Muireann’s story all the more remarkable when you consider that she hails from the hills of County Donegal just outside the small town of Ballybofey.
At an age when most girls listen to Taylor Swift on repeat, she is immersing herself in old blues songs from America’s Deep South.
Many of the original singers had poverty-stricken lives but became acclaimed in later life during the 1960s blues revival.
Now Muireann is launching her own revival of their rich and important legacy.
‘I was shocked by the standing ovation’
As she tells me via video call: “Nobody of my generation has heard of artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson or Blind Blake.
“I would really love to spread their music. They were such amazing artists.”
Muireann received wider attention a year ago thanks to Jools Holland’s annual Hootenanny when she appeared on a bill alongside Rod Stewart, Raye and Joss Stone.
She gave an enchanting performance of Candyman by the Reverend Gary Davis — and was the only artist to receive a standing ovation from the assembled New Year revellers.
“The Hootenanny really helped because I don’t think anybody had heard of me,” says Muireann.
“I’d only played three or four gigs before that and it was my first time on television.
“I didn’t actually know they had given me a standing ovation because I was facing away from the audience.
“Then my dad told me. I was very shocked. It was an amazing experience.”
As interest exploded in the wake of her performance, Muireann was invited on to The Late, Late Show, Ireland’s long-running equivalent of The Graham Norton Show.
She found herself on a sofa next to two Irish film stars constantly in the spotlight, Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott.
“Getting to meet them was very cool,” she reports. “I’ve been watching The Late Late Show all my life so it was great to play a song and do a wee interview afterwards.”
These are exciting times for Muireann but it’s clear from talking to her that she has her feet firmly on the ground.
I ask how she came to follow her singular musical path and she hands much of the credit to her father John.
She says: “I grew up listening to old country blues, Delta blues and ragtime because my dad has always been obsessed with it.
“He was also a stay-at-home dad. Even when he was collecting me and my siblings from school, he’d have Blind Blake blasting from the car speakers.
“And the house has always been full of my dad’s guitars and his massive collection of CDs.”
Muireann says that an early favourite was Candyman with its child-like quality and “lyrics that don’t make much sense”.
“I just loved it. My dad would play it himself and when I was very small, maybe five or six, he taught me to sing it with him. We’d trade the words, call-and-response.”
Around the same time, she started learning her first musical instrument — the piano.
“I didn’t like it and gave it up,” she says. “A few years later, when I was seven or eight, I asked my dad if I could play the guitar.”
“He waited till my ninth birthday when he got me a little travel guitar because I was so small for my age. Then he began teaching me how to play.
“I wanted to finger pick because I thought it was much cooler than just being able to strum.”
It’s strange to think that in the ensuing years, music wasn’t Muireann’s first passion and that she achieved success in an entirely different field.
“I left the guitar behind me when I got into combat sports — jiu jitsu and boxing — competing all the time,” she says.
Remarkably, Muireann reached national level in both disciplines but, in 2020, when she was 13, the Covid pandemic stopped her progress in its tracks.
I was very shocked. It was an amazing experience.
“When lockdown hit, you couldn’t do any of that contact stuff so I
went back to playing the guitar,” she continues.
“I started listening and practicing with a new intensity and focus. In a very serious moment, I wrote out a list of tunes I was going to learn.”
First, she returned to a traditional tune she learned as a nine-year-old, Vestapol, which dates back to the 19th Century.
She says: “Once I got it up to scratch, me and dad put it up on YouTube. Then I learned Blind Blake’s Police Dog Blues and that went up, too.
“I didn’t have any subscribers or anything like that but they were my first two videos.
“There was a very good reaction. I got a lot more views than I’d expected. It was crazy how it blew up.”
By posting these expertly realised, authentic-sounding songs, Muireann caught the attention of Josh Rosenthal from American roots music label Tompkins Square.
He was so impressed that he signed her when she was still only 13 and, over the next two-and-half years, she recorded her debut album I Kept These Old Blues.
Every track was recorded live in the studio with Muireann singing and playing guitar simultaneously “with no overdubs or modern recording tricks”.
Most of the final masters came from first or second takes, the resulting LP sounding fresh and vital but mirroring the style of the original analogue recordings made decades ago.
‘I am starting to write my own songs’
Some songs are dark murder ballads such as Delia and Stagolee (familiar to listeners of Johnny Cash and Nick Cave respectively) while others such as Candyman have a lighter touch.
Of Candyman, she says: “It is one of the most fun things you can do on a guitar once you’ve mastered it and it’s often the first tune I play when I pick one up.”
I suggest to Muireann that it’s good to have a new female voice interpreting these songs.
She draws my attention to Elizabeth Cotten (1893-1987) whose songs Shake Sugaree and Freight Train are highlights on I Kept These Old blues.
She says: “I’ve always really loved Elizabeth Cotton since I was really young. My dad told me about her hard life and how she only became famous in the 1960s.”
There’s a wonderful 1967 recording of Shake Sugaree with Cotten playing guitar accompanied on vocals by her 12-year-old great-granddaughter Brenda Evans.
Muireann explains: “Because Elizabeth is strumming, I was also inspired by Stefan Grossman’s fingerpicking version. Mine’s kind of based on that.”
Although Muireann talks with great fondness for all her inspirations, she’s also determined to bring her own character and style into play.
“I wanted to put my own stamp on these old songs,” she says. “Most of them have something in there that I came up with.”
This, plus her high profile TV appearances, helps explain why Muireann has landed a major label deal with Decca and Verve Forecast.
She says: “I get such an incredible thrill when I think about my debut album being re-released on such historic and iconic labels.”
She’s well aware of following in the footsteps of a legend like Billie Holliday (who performed Lady Sings Blues) and being in the same stable as contemporary artists like Melody Gardot.
So does Muireann intend to take things a big step further by writing her own songs?
“I am starting to write already,” she says, before adding modestly, “but nothing’s quite ready yet.
“I’d like to record my own songs and albums but I will continue covering the old blues songs as well.”
In Muireann Bradley’s hands, the songs of Blind Blake, Elizabeth Cotten, Memphis Minnie, Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt and the rest, have a thrilling new lease of life.
The songs she performs maybe as old as the hills but this teenager from County Donegal is one of SFTW’s faces of 2025.
TEN BIG-NAME ALBUMS FOR 2025
SAM FENDER: The hugely popular 30-year-old from North Shields delivers his much-anticipated third studio album People Watching on February 25, the follow-up to 2021’s Seventeen Going Under. Among collaborators is The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel.
LANA DEL REY: The reliably interesting singer is the latest to “go country”, following Beyonce and Post Malone. Her tenth record, The Right Person Will Stay, arrives in May. She’s already tested her country credentials by performing Tammy Wynette’s Stand By You Man.
BRYAN FERRY: The Roxy Music legend turns 80 in 2025 and we can also expect new music. He’s been working with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and writer/painter Amelia Barratt. If recent single Star is anything to go by, we can expect moody, electronic soundscapes framing THAT voice.
FRANZ FERDINAND: Quickly out of the blocks in 2025 is the Scottish band’s sixth album, which arrives on January 10. Frontman Alex Kapranos says The Human Fear deals with “searching for the thrill of being human via fears”. Audacious was the, er, audacious first single.
THE WEEKND: The Canadian superstar delivers Hurry Up Tomorrow, his sixth studio effort, on January 24, with confirmed guest appearances by Playboy Carti and Anitta. First single was Dancing In The Flames and the haunting cover portrait shows the singer holding back tears.
MILEY CYRUS: The versatile 32-year-old singer is promising a visual album – a collection of songs with a film or video accompanying each one. Called Something Beautiful, her ninth long player will be out mid-year, the follow-up to 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation.
THE HORRORS: In October, the band shared a new song, The Silence That Remains, first taste of upcoming sixth album, Night Life. Scheduled for March 21, it features founding members Faris Badwan, Joshua Hayward and Rhys Webb plus new members Amelia Kidd and Jordan Cook.
LUCINDA WILLIAMS: The US songwriter has been working on the follow-up to 2023’s Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart with husband/manager Tom Overby and guitarist Doug Pettibone. She says new song Black Tears is “to do with the black struggle, which sadly still goes on”.
MANIC STREET PREACHERS: The enduring Welsh rockers return with their 15th LP. First single Hiding In Plain Sight was unusual in that it featured lead vocals from bassist/lyricist Nicky Wire. The high album’s octane songs deal with the idea of “conflicting ideas colliding”.
OLLY ALEXANDER: The former Years & Years singer releases his debut studio album, Polari, on February 7. Crafted with producer Danny L. Harle, it “explores desire, intimacy, voyeurism and fate all wrapped up in a pounding club soundscape”. Includes Olly’s UK Eurovision entry Dizzy.
New Year new job? Experts share their 10 top tips on switching your career
OUT with the old, in with the new . . . job, that is.
The first two weeks of the new year see the annual January jobs spike, with employers reporting an average 80 per cent surge in applications.
Fresh research from Career Wallet suggests that 19 per cent of staff plan to shift careers in 2025, driven by concerns about the long-term viability of the role they hold in their current industry.
However, with vacancy numbers continuing to fall, competition for the best positions will be tough. So it pays to be prepared.
Whether your New Year’s resolution is to follow a new employment path, climb the career ladder or simply get back into work, Sunemployment is here to support you each week with the best, free, expert advice.
Today, we’ve teamed up with CV Builder to share their top tips for finding a new job in the New Year.
UPDATE YOUR CV
THE flair for writing one is to decide what to include — and what to leave out — for each individual role you apply for. Search cv-library.co.uk/career-advice/cv/cv-templates/ to find the template best suited to the relevant sector.
TAILOR APPLICATIONS
WHILE it might be easy to fire off the same CV for every job, it won’t improve your chances of landing an interview.
Tailor yours, and cover letter if applicable, to reflect the skills and attributes the job advert asks for. It will take more time but return better results.
TRANSFER TACTICS
NO direct experience in the position you are applying for?
Mention useful transferable skills such as communication, problem solving and adaptability, with examples, which can help fill any gaps in your skillset.
This is essential to beat AI systems which sift applications to find the best match.
HEADER HEROES
MAKE sure your CV has clear headers outlining your key skills, career history and qualifications, but also make it personal. Avoid meaningless jargon and inject your own personality.
GET YOURSELF FOUND
UPLOAD your CV onto jobs boards and update your LinkedIn profile to help hiring managers discover you.
GROW YOUR NETWORK
MANY jobs never get to the stage of being advertised or available online, so knowing the right people is still vital.
Connect with others you have worked with, join online discussions, attend relevant conferences and events and make the effort to meet like-minded professionals.
Then keep those connections going. Check in, ask for advice, be helpful to others. Most people are happy to help if you ask in the right way.
This might feel like a long game, but it can really pay off if you put the effort in.
BOOST YOUR SKILLS
EMPLOYERS love to see people who are taking an active role in their own career development, so invest in online courses and read up on your industry so you know the key trends and developments for 2025.
VOLUNTEER
IF you are out of work, volunteering can bring new experiences and skills, and will be viewed positively by prospective employers.
DO YOUR RESEARCH
WHETHER you are preparing for interview or writing your CV, find out all you can about the organisation you are applying to.
Look at company websites, social media or LinkedIn. You can also ask an AI tool such as ChatGPT for a summary of financial reports or challenges facing the sector.
But make sure you fact check that the answer is correct.
PREP FOR INTERVIEWS
THIS is your time to shine, so be sure to practise and prep properly. Research who you are meeting, understand the role and the industry and think about the questions you might be asked.
Ensure you have a bank of really clear examples of work you have done, or situations you can reference, that help to showcase your expertise.
For instance, be ready with examples of where you overcame a challenge but still delivered, or where you had to collaborate successfully with others.
If you are doing a presentation or task in an interview, leave time to spell check and make it look polished.
Silly mistakes can quickly undermine good work.
The triple approach
THE triple approach paid off when Chikondi Chamveka from Bristol wanted to launch a new career.
She took action on three fronts – upskilling, volunteering and networking.
The 28-year-old said: “If you want to find a new job for the new year, now is the time to start. Use the festive break to assess your skill set, then set about upskilling and retraining.
“After relocating to the UK from Malawi, I discovered Click Start from the Institute of Coding, which helped me upskill and build my career.
“The classes, employability workshops, and coaching sessions shaped my resume and prepared me for the workforce. I also took on two volunteer roles, attended networking events, and enrolled in the British Computer Society programme to enhance my digital skills and I now have a role as an insurance advisor with Lloyds Banking Group, one of the UK’s largest employers.”
Use time off wisely
STRUGGLNG to switch off over Christmas? Around half of UK workers will check in on work during their time off, but getting some downtime is essential if you’re ready to perform your best in the New Year.
Here LinkedIn career expert Zara Easton shares her advice for a silent night or two away from work this Christmas holiday.
She said: “It’s important to take breaks to avoid burnout at work. During the festive season, many of us will be looking forward to some well-earned time off to spend with family and friends.
“However, it’s not always that simple. UK workers, particularly women, admit they feel the need to check in with work – even when they are on annual leave. It can be hard to switch off, but it’s very important for your mental health – and your career – to take this time away without feeling guilty or checking in.”
lEnsure you leave a clear handover: Don’t overload teams with too much information, don’t offer a colleague’s help without running it by them first.
lTell external clients and contacts who to contact: Craft a clear and concise OOO message and check it for typos, as it’s being broadcast to the outside world not just internally.
lTurn off the tech: Switching off notifications on your workplace apps and email are a good way to enforce these boundaries for yourself. If you still feel tempted to check in, try deleting those apps from your phone. The additional effort you put into checking on work can help make you less likely to do it as frequently.
lRediscover what energises you: Time off isn’t just an escape from work, it’s an opportunity to reconnect with yourself. Use your holiday to truly unplug – ditch the to-do lists and embrace activities that bring you energy. Explore nature, lose yourself in a good book, or spend quality time with family and friends.
lLook to the future: By paying attention to what energises you, you will be reminded of what you need to prioritise to achieve a work-life balance, setting you up to be more productive and motivated on your return.
Double holidays
MAKE the most of your 2025 annual leave allowance. Research from Away Resorts claims most full-time workers can push up the average 28 days off to 60 days by booking certain key dates as holiday.
In January, book 2nd and 3rd to take advantage of the New Year bank holiday.
During April, take four days off in the two weeks either side of Easter. You will use up eight days of holiday but gain 16 days off.
May has a double bank holiday but taking off four days on the week of the Early May bank holiday and the later Spring bank holiday will use up eight days of your leave allowance but you’ll enjoy 18 days away from work.
August bank holiday is on the 25th, so taking holiday from 26th to 29th gets you nine days off.
Next Christmas falls on a Thursday, so book 22nd to 24th then 29th to 31st off, to ensure a fortnight’s festive holiday.
Who’s top dog?
IS your office pooch top dog? Workplace design company Interaction has launched a competition to find Britain’s Best Office Dog.
The firm is inviting dog owners to nominate their canine colleagues and share a photo of their pets at work, to highlight the important role that dogs play in workplace wellbeing.
In the UK, households bought 3.2 million pets in lockdown and by supporting dog-friendly policies, companies can encourage these employees back into the office, while also reducing stress and improving engagement.
The company will crown a monthly winner throughout 2025 and the overall winner will be named next December and will clinch a luxurious two-night stay at one of Britain’s finest canine-friendly hotels.
Enter at interaction.uk.com/enter-britains-best-office-dog.
Job spot
Caremark is recruiting for care assistants and care managers nationally. Search at caremark.co.uk/careers/
Applications are open for the Govia Thameslink engineering apprenticeship scheme. You need to apply before Jan 1, 2025. Find out more at gtrailwaycareers.com/jobs/apprenticeships/
Worst TV show of 2024? Love Island All Stars & Football Focus were truly awful but nothing matched witless BBC ‘comedy’
CYNICS said 2024’s television could only get worse after it started with ITV’s landmark drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office. But you know the funny thing?
They were absolutely right.
Two weeks after the brilliant Toby Jones series finished, Love Island All Stars was filling the same slot and a pattern had been established for this rollercoaster TV year.
For every Clarkson’s Farm, there was a Dating Naked. For every Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams, an Olivia Attwood’s Bad Boyfriends.
And for every Sharron Davies, who spoke out about the obscenity of biological men beating up women at the Olympics, there were half a dozen Clare Baldings at the BBC who stared at their feet and said nothing.
In between times, Gladiators made a triumphant return, Phillip Schofield gave self-pity a bad name on Cast Away, Chris McCausland saved Strictly, the art of the sitcom died with the end of Curb Your Enthusiasm and the BBC’s obsession with drag acts reached its bloody conclusion with Smoggie Queens.
With awards for the following:
BEST QUIZ SHOW ANSWER 2024: The Chase, Bradley Walsh: “Which leader was exiled to islands in the Mediterranean and South Atlantic?” Sophie: “Tony Blair.”
If only, if only, if only.
BEST SHOW: Any of the following could’ve won, or deserve a namecheck: Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, Industry, Clarkson’s Farm, Helmand: Tour Of Duty, Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams, Slow Horses, The Wrong Man: 17 Years Behind Bars, Enemy In The Woods, Wolf Hall, BBC1’s faithful and brilliant Gladiators reboot, Ludwig, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Hell Jumper, Shogun and Gavin & Stacey.
But it’s the size of the gap left by Larry David’s sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, after its 12th and final series, that sets it apart from everything else.
With a couple of honourable exceptions on the streaming channels, such as Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle, there is no mainstream comedian now who dares to say the unsayable and I will miss this show for ever.
WORST SHOW: Dishonourable mentions for Olivia Attwood’s Bad Boyfriends, Buying London, Piglets, Rylan’s Hot Mess Summer, Gino And Fred: Emission Impossible, BBC1’s criminally irresponsible documentary The Chris Kaba Shooting, The Pet Psychic, Josh Must Win, Have I Got News For You, The Last Leg, Parents’ Evening, The Fortune Hotel, Red Eye, Love Island All Stars, Football Focus, The Way, with Michael Sheen, C4’s zombie disaster Generation Z and BBC1 thriller Nightsleeper.
None were as bad, though, as BBC3’s Smoggie Queens, a sitcom so witless, repellent and woke I’m certain the drag-fixated Beeb will give it at least another three series.
BEST LIVE TV MOMENT: I greatly enjoyed Israel briefly leapfrogging everyone and getting 12 from Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest, when the public vote was opened, and also Stephen Mulhern inviting Ricky Hatton to “hit me,” at Dancing On Ice.
Which he did, very very hard. But neither was quite as funny as the meltdown Emily Maitlis, Susanna Reid, Ed Balls and the rest of Britain’s breakfast TV luvvies suffered in the early hours of November 6, when Donald Trump won the US election.
With the killer line belonging to GMB work experience lad Noel Phillips, at Kamala Harris’s “victory party”. “The mood, despite there being nobody here, is one of hope.”
WORST LIVE TV MOMENT: Saturday Kitchen Live’s Pride special “in honour of the LGBTQI+ community” was a cult meeting so terrified of offending the alphabet people it cancelled the usual “heaven or hell” recipe feature in case anyone got the impression there was any negative side to the event.
But it was still less sinister and woke than the $130million Olympic Games’ opening ceremony with its headless women, Last Supper fat lass, environmental bleats and musical segment in honour of the EU.
MOST GRIEVOUSLY MISLEADING TITLE: C5’s Sue Perkins: Lost In Alaska.
BEST DRAMA: The mesmerising Wolf Hall, Slow Horses, Industry, Shogun and Until I Kill You may all have been technically better, but none of them had the same emotional impact as Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which led to questions in Parliament, new legislation and King Charles forcing former Post Office boss Paula Vennells to return her CBE for “bringing the honours system into disrepute”.
Yet still the newly knighted Sir Alan Bates hasn’t received any compensation. Extraordinary.
WORST DRAMA: It would take a special kind of disaster to beat BBC1’s Nightsleeper, which seemed to be heavily based on Thomas The Tank Engine’s Rusty And The Boulder episode. But Michael Sheen’s utterly deranged drama The Way, about a left-wing Welsh workers’ uprising, was that special kind of disaster.
It featured a Masonic sex orgy, a talking teddy bear and was very much like the Two Ronnies’ old Worm That Turned sketch with Diana Dors, but took itself incredibly seriously. Most chillingly, it was “produced with the support of the Welsh Government”. Get out now, my Welsh friends. Get out while you still can.
BEST OLYMPIC NAME: Li Shiting in the Chinese kayak, which the IOC urgently needs to stamp out.
COCK-EYED OPTIMIST OF THE YEAR: Alleged political satirist Adam Hills, the day after the General Election, proudly declaring: “Keir Starmer has given us all a promise of hope.”
And how’s that working out for you, Adam?
WORST TALENT SHOW: Made In Korea: The K-Pop Experience. Vocal coach Jin Young-Jan teamed up with choreographers Seung Hyun Yu and Do Yun Wun to polish a British boyband before a performance for Hee Jun Yoon. Only one problem. Kun Fuh-Kin Sing.
WORST LOVE SCENE: Gary Neville with Keir Starmer before the England v Spain Euro final. Get a room, guys.
HEALTH AND SAFETY WARNING OF THE YEAR: Amazon Prime’s screenings of Holocaust film Zone Of Interest, which arrived with a warning it contains: “Alcohol use and smoking.” ’Cos that’s the eternal worry isn’t it. A death camp commandant exceeds his 14 units while committing genocide.
ABOUT-TURN OF 2024: One week in March, The Last Leg host Adam Hills was joking about the Princess of Wales’ death and fanning the flames of the Photoshopping controversy by saying: “I’ve never seen our office as excited as it was by this story.”
The next, Kate had announced she had cancer and Adam Hills was claiming: “We watched the news together, as a production team, and it’s fair to say a lot of people were really emotional. Our thoughts go out to the Princess and her family.” Too late, Adam.
OLYMPIC FILTH GOLD MEDAL: Weightlifting, Jono Farr: “Duangaksorn Chaidee made us sweat in the snatch, she made us sweat in the clean, it took a while to get into position, but that jerk was very powerful.”
THE AIR MILES ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD 2024: Serial Panorama p**s- taker Richard Bilton, who flew from Iceland to the Alps to Sydney to the Barrier Reef to Southern Carolina to California and back again to Britain, via Arizona, to answer the question Can Scientists Save The World? Only to tell us: “Cutting carbon use is vital.”
You first, Richard.
OLYMPIC HEROES AWARD: While others, like Clare Balding, avoided the destruction of female sport issue and the grotesque spectacle of men taking part in women’s boxing, other BBC employees didn’t cower.
With special mentions for Nicola Adams, Matthew Pinsent and the supremely brave Sharron Davies, who accused the IOC of “Legalising beating up females.”
She deserves a damehood for services to women’s sport.
WORST REALITY/TALENT SHOW CONTESTANT: Just ahead of Dean McCullough from I’m a Celebrity, Joey Essex and the entire cast of Love Island and Dating Naked?
All- singing, all-dancing celebrity flasher John Barrowman, who had one shot at redemption on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, but quit just 32 minutes after the contestants arrived at their New Zealand base.
GASLIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Dating Naked, the Paramount+ channel: “Strict hygiene and dignity protocols were in place during filming.”
- Column returns January 10.
Dumbest quiz show answers
CELEBRITY Mastermind, Clive Myrie: “Which English naval captain lost his right arm in 1797 during an attack on the town of Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife?”
John Whaite: “Captain Hook.”
Mastermind, Clive Myrie: “In the 1980s, Jocky Wilson, right, John Lowe and Keith Deller all won the world championship of what indoor sport?”
Emma: “Cycling.” The Weakest Link, Romesh Ranganathan: “In geology, the White Cliffs of Dover are principally formed out of what substance, chalk or cheese?”
Helen Flanagan: “Cheese.”
The Finish Line, Roman Kemp: “Which late football manager was known as Cloughie?”
Emily: “Sir Alex Ferguson.”
And Romesh: “In sport, the US tennis player who won all four grand slams in the 1990s and an Olympic gold medal is Andre who?”
Vicky Hawkesworth: “The Giant.”
Best actor
A BLANKET finish between Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer), Toby Jones (Mr Bates Vs The Post Office), Lesley Manville (Sherwood), Marisa Abela (Industry), Anna Maxwell Martin (Until I Kill You) and my favourite, mesmerising Mark Rylance, who wasted not a single gesture in Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light.
Worst actor
THE Day Of The Jackal’s Lashana “Bianca” Lynch was narrowly beaten by Phillip Schofield for his performance in C5’s Cast Away and delivery of the line: “I’ve been chucked under the bus and I could drive the same bus over so many people.
“But I’m not that sort of person, I never have been.”
Ones that god away
THEY may well be works of TV genius but, without apology, I just didn’t get the appeal of The Traitors (it’s a game of blink murder), Bridgerton or Rivals, which was the Disney+ channel’s ironically s**t adaptation of the Jilly Cooper novel, without the “ironically” bit.
Longest career suicide
Joey Essex, who spent 55 days on Love Island thoroughly convincing us that, far from being just an amiable fool, he is in fact a short-tempered, pot-stirring opportunist with a nasty passive-aggressive manner and an incredibly high opinion of himself.
BEST REALITY/TALENT SHOW CONTESTANT
Strictly Come Dancing’s Chris McCausland, obviously
Best subtitle for the deaf
With thanks to chef Tony Singh who got Carol Vorderman to cook lamb pie, and the subtitler who attached these words just below her: “It’s mutton. OK.” Fine with me.
PSYCHIC PREDICTION OF THE YEAR
Channel 5 News, July 12, asparagus-flinging psychic Jemima Packington: “I see a K for Kane, an E for England. It’s coming home.
Best job application
NO candidates from Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales on this year’s series of The Apprentice, but the ever “diverse and inclusive” BBC did pick a vile bigot called Doctor Asif Munaf, who denounced Zionism, on social media, as “a Godless Satanic cult.” Asif, you’re so fired.
Worst collaboration
BBC2’s Boybands Forever concluding with the cheerful news “911 have had a massive hit with Vietnamese superstar Duc Phuc,” while the rest of us were mourning the fact he didn’t team up with Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen and give the world Phuc That.
THE “DR LIVINGSTONE, I PRESUME” AWARD
The Big Show, its Midnight Game Show segment, Michael McIntyre to Bradley Walsh: “Please welcome, Fanny Chmelar.”
Lookalikes of the year
