Product details
- ISBN 9781529961102
- Weight: 228g
- Dimensions: 129 x 196mm
- Publication Date: 23 Apr 2026
- Publisher: Ebury Publishing
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
Familiar to many from his season on the Directing Staff of Channel 4's Who Dares Wins, Melvyn Downes served in the SAS for 12 years. He has faced physical and psychological trauma. He’s lost close friends and family members. He’s experienced bullying and racial harassment.
But no matter how tough things get, he is always convinced he’ll get out the other side.
He wasn’t born fearless, or strong, or confident. Those things grew from graft, a willingness to learn from mistakes and a constant desire to push himself out of his comfort zone.
Structured chronologically around lessons learned the hard the way, that helped him be the best version of himself, on and off the battlefield, this is a true story of a life lived at the toughest extremes. It’s also an inspiring insight into the can-do mindset of an SAS blade who lives by the ethos: ‘Improve, adapt, overcome’.
Melvyn Downes signed up to the British Army aged 16 and served with distinction for 24 years. He led his patrol into combat in the first Gulf War and completed three tours of duty in Ireland, in charge of a platoon of 30 men. He was selected for the SAS in 1994 on his first attempt and during his 12 years, led top-secret missions, served behind enemy lines and achieved the rank of Warrant Officer. He also appeared on series six of SAS Who Dares Wins. Throughout his time in the military and beyond, Melvyn has been involved in secret missions and training across more than 50 countries, including recently conducting humanitarian work in Ukraine. His aim is to inspire people to achieve their goals through hard work and resilience.
Billy Billingham (Foreword By)
Billy Billingham joined the Parachute Regiment in 1983 and the SAS in 1991. He spent nearly three decades in the British Military, twenty years of which were spent in the SAS; the pride of the UK’s elite special forces. He held an array of positions, culminating as Staff Sergeant Major, leading countless operational tours all over the world. Later, he served as a training instructor for the Regiment in counter terrorism, sniper, tracking, jungle warfare, navigation, demolition and sabotage, mountaineering, combat survival, and battlefield medical life. Billy led countless hostage rescues. Throughout his military career, he received numerous awards, including the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery and an MBE presented by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. After his military career ended, I became a bodyguard and looked after A-list celebrities before becoming Head of Security for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for many years. Now he works as Chief Instructor on Channel 4’s hit TV show SAS: Who Dares Wins, and as one of the Directing Staff on Fox’s version of the show, Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
