A former Special Forces soldier born and raised in Burton is returning to our television screens for a third series of a hit Channel 4 show.
Matthew 'Ollie' Ollerton, 47, was a pupil at Abbot Beyne School until he joined the Royal Marines in 1989, aged 18. He went on to join the elite Special Air Service (SAS).
This month he is joined by other ex-Special Forces soldiers as he stars in the TV series SAS: Who Dares Wins, which follows a group of 25 new civilians as they are taken out into the rough terrains of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains put their paces - just like super tough SAS soldiers would have to face.
Mr Ollerton and his team are filled pushing the recruits to their physical and psychological limits – replicating the real selection process rookies have to go through when they join the super tough SAS.
The third episode has recently aired which saw the recruits race each other across sand dunes in the Sahara and cross a valley at night, while avoiding hunter teams who tracked them with dogs.
Viewers have also seen the recruits abseil 200 feet off a dam and climb a mountain in blistering heat with 40lbs on their backs.
One of Ollie's favourite moments was the start involving the recruits having to swim in a lake..
He said: "They had no idea what was happening. They were picked up in a helicopter and dropped into a big lake. It was quite amazing. Some of them weren’t too confident in swimming and one of them pulled me under!"
Another favourite moment was the finale, he said, and seeing how the recruits had progressed.
He said: "We start out with 25 and I won’t tell you how many we ended with but it was minimal. It is amazing to see how far they have come."
The first series, which was aired in 2015, was well received by the public, and this new latest series has gone on surpassed its previous viewing figures pulling in around 2.7 million per episode so far.
Ollie said: "It is amazing being invited back. It is an amazing location and it is great to find new candidates. The show really captures their differences and different personal journeys."
When not filming, Ollie runs his business called Break-Point based in Kent, which offers an online fitness portal for people looking to test themselves physically and mentally.
It can be found at my.break-point.co.uk
The third episode will air at 9pm on Sunday, January 21, on Channel 4.
