SAS-Who-Dares-Wins-Series-8-Ep1-LtoR-Rudy-Reyes,-Chris-Oliver,-Billy-Billingham-and-Jason-Foxy-Fox--CREDIT-Channel-4.jpg — SAS: Who Dares Wins directing staff Mark 'Billy' Billingham, pictured with Rudy Reyes, Chris Oliver and Jason 'Foxy' Fox (Picture: Channel 4).

No celebrity contestant would pass selection, SAS: Who Dares Wins' Billy Billingham says

None of the celebrities who've appeared on the show would pass selection for the Special Forces, says SAS: Who Dares Wins' current chief instructor Mark 'Billy' Billingham.

And the former SAS (Special Air Service) member, author and TV presenter went further in an interview to say there is "nobody on any of it who could pass".

This contrasts with the opinion of Ant Middleton, the former chief instructor of the gruelling Channel 4 show, who said during the sixth series, which featured members of the public as recruits, he would have chosen two of them for selection for the SBS (Special Boat Service).

SAS: Who Dares Wins is a Channel 4 show where an elite team of ex-Special Forces – which includes the SAS and SBS – recreate a condensed version of the SAS's selection process – putting recruits through the ultimate test of their physical and psychological resilience.

When asked during an interview with LADbible whether any of the celebrity contestants who have taken part in the show could have potentially done the course in real life, Billy said: "No. Don't be so ridiculous!"

He added: "There is nobody on any of it who could pass. No. These are 10 or 14-day courses, and SAS selection is six months. Not to be disrespectful to anyone, but you have to be in the military to go in the SAS."

However, he said: "What they do is amazing. The people coming on the show do 18 hours a day, but you get 40 minutes on the show, but they get put through their paces."

SAS: Who Dares Wins puts contestants through a version of selection for the special forces (Picture: Channel 4). — SAS: Who Dares Wins puts contestants through a version of selection for the Special Forces (Picture: Channel 4).

Billy likened being part of the SAS: Who Dares Wins show directing staff team to being back in the military, and says the process is run like a real Special Forces course, only much shorter.

Billingham also talked about how the show encourages its contestants to open up about their own personal struggles, and how that inspired their fan base to open up about their own issues.

Billy Billingham spoke to LADbible as the latest season of the programme, series 8 filmed in the Vietnam jungle where he was joined by Jason 'Foxy' Fox and Rudy Reyes, came to an end on Channel 4.