Interview with Colin Maclachlan

7 October 2015

What was your role in special forces, and for how long?

I was Mountain Troop in 22 SAS and had various roles throughout my SF Career. These ranged from Sniper Commander, Driver Commander, Instructor on Selection Training Wing, Surveillance Operator, Forward Air Controller, Medic, Bodyguard, SF Exchange Programme with Delta Force and Seal Team 6.

 

What work do you do now?

I do various things now. My main role is as an HSSE Manager and I've just moved out to Kuwait after a couple of years in Aberdeen, UK working on North Sea projects. I also write and edit security and terrorism related articles. I do Motion Capture for films and video games and can be seen in the Grand Theft Auto Series, Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire by Rockstar Games.

 

Why did you decide to take part in this programme?

I was impressed by the director's desire for a real sense of authenticity. It was made clear from the onset that this would be created, run and judged by recent former members of the SF community which interested me. The rest of the DS team were great guys with bags of experience and the TV crew were fantastic.

 

What do you remember about your own training?

I actually really enjoyed my own selection. Of course it was really demanding and without doubt the hardest thing I've done but I felt like I grew stronger as it went on and for me it was the first opportunity to do some great things like go to the jungle, fire different weapons systems or parachute.

 

What was the toughest bit of all?

I think most SF would agree that the jungle is the most demanding part of selection. It combines all the key elements of good soldiering, fieldcraft, map reading, tactics, camouflage, drills, admin and team work. I really enjoyed being in this environment but if you have a weakness as a soldier the jungle will find you out!

 

Did you have any misgivings subjecting the recruits to such agonies? Or is there a perverse enjoyment to be had?

No, I had no problem giving them a hard time. To put it into perspective selection is 6 months long but these guys were there a week! We had to condense the key parts of selection into this time frame to give an indication of how these guys would be likely to fare over the 6 months. I believe it was a true reflection of what would probably happen on selection in terms of physical and mental challenges and subsequently attrition rates.

 

At a first glance could you tell which recruits might succeed or fail?  

We probably had our own guesses on who may or may not make it but it’s nothing more than a gut feeling. Selection is like that. There are all different sizes, shapes, backgrounds, races, religions etc. When I looked around at the other 11 guys that passed my selection I would probably not have guessed it would be us there at the end. It's about robustness and mental attitude rather than what someone looks or acts like.

 

Did you go easier on them, because they were civilians, and they aren’t trying out for the SAS?

No, the physical and mental challenges were as like the real thing as we could physically manage.

 

What was the standard of recruits like?

A real mixed bag and probably similar to the real selection, a mix of backgrounds, ages, races and religions. Some were peak athletes and others probably got fitter over the course of the week. There were some real surprises!

 

Obviously, as instructors, you have a duty of care to the recruits. Was that at the forefront of your mind?

One thing that both the DS and crew were uncompromising on was the safety and wellbeing of the recruits. Everything was well planned, rehearsed and every contingency was thought out with a 'Plan B' for everything. Having all the risk assessments and planning done beforehand meant we as DS could focus on the 'assessment' part of it as much as possible knowing the candidates safety was never in question.

 

What precautions did you take to ensure their welfare?

There was a doctor and psychologist on call and available to them 24/7. A team of medics went everywhere with us and we made sure that they had all the necessary kit and equipment on them at all times and had sufficient medical facilities everywhere we went. Obviously there were cameras everywhere on and off set monitoring everyone and we always adopted a 'better safe than sorry' attitude whenever it was ever even in doubt that a recruit was in any physical or mental low state. There was a lot of hi tech stuff in the background e.g. beacons tracking and monitoring the recruits and drones providing overwatch.

 

Did you have favourites among the group?

As DS we are human beings and have candidates we can identify with or have personality clashes with. That's why the DS team meetings are so important. Generally if the team can agree on someone by majority then we have made the right choice. Interestingly, in this series even the DS changed their minds on several occasions! That's similar to selection and why it makes it so interesting.

 

What qualities does a potential recruit for the SAS need?

A strong mental attitude is probably the key core attribute. Then being a good soldier, teamwork, physical and mental robustness are critical. Other things may help but need careful management such as sense of humour or even self-assuredness. We are looking for every man to be as strong a team member as they are a leader.

 

Did this experience make you want to return to that sort of life?

Being back with the lads as DS always makes you want to don the kit and get back on Ops but I have had my time and enjoyed it massively. I couldn't have joined at a better time for getting operational experience. I've made some friends for life.

 

SAS: Who Dares Wins starts on Monday 19th October at 9pm on Channel 4