C4 gains unprecedented access to Brit Armed Forces for new doc series

15 September 2011

Channel 4 Documentaries have commissioned a brand new three-part series, giving troops the opportunity to reveal the inside story of what it's really like fighting on a tour of duty in Afghanistan today.

Filmed on and off the battlefield, each episode of Fighting on the Frontline will follow the story of a group of Servicemen and women fighting the war from three unique perspectives - on foot, in the air and from behind the wheel of armoured vehicles. Having been granted exclusive access, the documentary crew is the only team to have ever followed the Apache attack helicopter pilots in a war zone.  This elite group of men and women will speak for the first time on television about a job that until now has been shrouded in secrecy.

Fighting on the Frontline strips away formality with shockingly candid interviews, deploying the no-holds-barred humour of the troops: whether it is the foot soldiers, or ‘bullet-catchers', for whom injury and death is an occupational hazard; Chinook helicopter crews flying to the rescue of another casualty of war; the modern-day cavalry soldiers charging through the desert in armoured vehicles, hunting for an elusive enemy; or the Apache pilots in an attack helicopter, targeting and killing the enemy.

The films will show the mind set of 21st century armed forces fighting an unconventional, insurgent enemy. British troops have all the technological advantages but must adhere to strict rules of combat that can often put them at a disadvantage. Laying bare the reality of what our troops are up against on a daily basis, the series will show soldiers speaking honestly and humorously about coping with life in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

Channel 4 Head of Documentaries, Hamish Mykura, said: ‘We're proud to build on the success of Coppers and The Hospital with this exciting series - bringing important, gripping stories to a mainstream audience and allowing viewers to see what these troops, who work as public servants, actually do.'

Executive Producer, Simon Ford, said: ‘This documentary series will stand out not just because of the exclusive access to what has been voted the coolest job in Britain - the Apache pilot - but because all the men and women we feature have really opened up, letting us see modern war at its most visceral and raw, but showing the troops' hard-edged wit and humour. The films are a tribute to the film makers who for months put themselves in the way of danger to give the troops this chance.'

Fighting on the Frontline will be broadcast 25th September 2011, 9pm on Channel 4. The 3 x 60mins series is produced by Minnow Films.

Exec producer: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews, Series Producer: Ruth Kelly, Series Director: Jessie Versluys, Producer/Director: Robin Barnwell