How the SAS was formed becomes a ripping yarn, peppered with extra swearing, violence and pranks, in a six-part series written for the BBC by Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight. Set in Egypt in 1941, when Britain was losing against Germany’s crack desert troops, it tells the largely true story of how three tearaway British officers came up with a plan to stage parachute raids on the Nazis’ supply lines. It was reckless to the point of madness, which is clearly the attraction for both Knight and his fearless characters, played by A-listers Connor Swindells, Jack O’Connell and Alfie Allen. A free and fun interpretation of the racy history of the same name by Ben MacIntyre, go-to writer for stories of crack soldiers and spies, Rogue Heroes has it all: splashy violence, British wit, a heavy metal soundtrack and a glamorous Algerian spy played by Sophie Boutella.