Real-life SAS Rogue Heroes character's family criticise portrayal
Fiona Ferguson said the show made Paddy Mayne out to be a "drunk Irishman".
The niece of Lieutenant Colonel Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne has criticised the portrayal of her uncle in BBC One's SAS Rogue Heroes.
Mayne is played by Jack O'Connell in the series, but speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Fiona Ferguson said the show had made him out to be a "drunk Irishman" and an "aggressive, inveterate bar brawler".
"There is no denying he did drink, but that wasn't him," she said, calling him "a very caring, loving man" and adding that this is not the first time she's felt his drinking has been exaggerated.
"I’ve had to live with it all my life," she said. "Ever since he died the stories about him were always embellished.”
Based on Ben Macintyre's book of the same name, SAS Rogue Heroes was created by Peaky Blinders boss Steven Knight and recently ended its first run on BBC One.
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Alongside O'Connell, the first season starred Sex Education's Connor Swindells and former Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen and dramatised the creation of the SAS during the Second World War.
The show received mainly positive reviews and strong viewing figures, and has already been recommissioned for a second outing, with Knight teasing that the follow-up will "take the SAS into mainland Europe and will take our heroes to the limits of their endurance".
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SAS Rogue Heroes season 2 will air on BBC One, while season 1 is available on BBC iPlayer now. Visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find something to watch tonight, or check out the rest of our Drama coverage.
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