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{{short description|Former British Special Forces operative and soldier turned novelist}}
{{Short description|British special forces sergeant and author}}
{{For|other people named Chris Ryan|Chris Ryan (disambiguation)}}
{{For|other people named Chris Ryan|Chris Ryan (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
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| image_size =
| image_size =
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Colin Armstrong
| birth_name = Colin Armstrong
| nickname =
| nickname =
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| death_place =
| death_place =
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial =
| allegiance = {{flagu|United Kingdom|name=United Kingdom}}
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = {{Army|United Kingdom}}
| branch = [[British Army]]
| serviceyears = 1978–1994
| serviceyears = 1978–1994
| rank = [[Image:British_Army_OR-6.svg|18px]] [[Sergeant#United Kingdom|Sergeant]]
| rank = [[Sergeant#United Kingdom|Sergeant]]
| servicenumber = 24496702
| servicenumber = 24496702
| unit = [[File:UK_SAS_(badge).svg|18px]] B Squadron, [[Special Air Service|22 Special Air Service]]<br/>[[File:Logo_of_the_Parachute_Regiment.png|25px]] [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]]<br/>[[File:UK_SAS_(badge).svg|18px]] [[23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve)|23 Special Air Service]]
| unit = B Squadron, [[Special Air Service|22 Special Air Service]]<br/>[[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]]<br/>[[23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve)|23 Special Air Service]]
| commands =
| commands =
| battles = [[The Troubles]]<br/>[[Cambodian–Vietnamese War]]<br/>[[Gulf War]]
| battles = [[The Troubles]]<br/>[[Cambodian–Vietnamese War]]<br/>[[Gulf War]]
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| website = https://www.chrisryanauthor.co.uk/
| website = https://www.chrisryanauthor.co.uk/
}}
}}
⚫
'''Colin Armstrong''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|MM}} (born 1961),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=mJwdbwOkjNF%2BVhKsDhNDhw&scan=1|title=Index entry|access-date=31 December 2016|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}</ref> usually known by the pen-name '''Chris Ryan''', is a British author, television presenter, security consultant and former [[Special Air Service]] sergeant.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Real Bravo Two Zero |last=Asher |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Asher (explorer) |year=2003 |publisher=[[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell & Co]] |isbn=0304365548 |page=[https://archive.org/details/realbravotwozero00mich/page/2 2] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/realbravotwozero00mich/page/2 }}</ref>


After the publication of fellow patrol member [[Andy McNab]]'s ''[[Bravo Two Zero (novel)|Bravo Two Zero]]'' in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the [[Bravo Two Zero]] mission in 1995, entitled ''[[The One That Got Away (book)|The One That Got Away]]''.
⚫
'''Colin Armstrong''' {{postnom|country=GBR|MM}} (born 1961),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=mJwdbwOkjNF%2BVhKsDhNDhw&scan=1|title=Index entry|access-date=31 December 2016|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}</ref> usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of '''Chris Ryan''', is an author, television presenter, security consultant and former [[Special Air Service]] sergeant.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Real Bravo Two Zero |last=Asher |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Asher (explorer) |year=2003 |publisher=[[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell & Co]] |isbn=0304365548 |page=[https://archive.org/details/realbravotwozero00mich/page/2 2] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/realbravotwozero00mich/page/2 }}</ref>

After the publication of fellow patrol member [[Andy McNab]]'s ''[[Bravo Two Zero (novel)|Bravo Two Zero]]'' in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the [[Bravo Two Zero]] mission in 1995, entitled ''[[The One That Got Away (book)|The One That Got Away]]''. While this has led to a very successful career in writing,<ref name="bbcx">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-45602923|title=SAS veteran Chris Ryan says NI must stop looking back|publisher=bbc.com}}</ref> both his and McNab's accounts of the Bravo Two Zero mission have been heavily criticised by their fellow patrol members and questioned by other SAS members about their authenticity. {{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Since retiring from the [[British Army]] Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including ''Strike Back'', which was subsequently adapted into a [[Strike Back (TV series)|television series]] for [[Sky 1]], and co-created the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] [[action series]] ''[[Ultimate Force]]''. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.
Since retiring from the [[British Army]] Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including ''Strike Back'', which was subsequently adapted into a [[Strike Back (TV series)|television series]] for [[Sky 1]], and co-created the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] [[action series]] ''[[Ultimate Force]]''. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.


==Early life, education and military service==
==Early life, education and military service==
Ryan was born in [[Rowlands Gill]] in [[County Durham]]. After attending [[Hookergate School]], he enrolled in the British Army at the age of 16. Ryan's cousin was a member of the [[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|reservist]] [[23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve)|23 SAS Regiment]] and invited Ryan to come up and ''"see what it's like to be in the army"''.<ref name="Ryan">{{cite book |last=Ryan |first=Chris |year=1995 |title=The One That Got Away |publisher=[[Random House|Century]] |location=London |isbn=9780099641612}}</ref>{{rp|85}} Ryan did this nearly every weekend, almost passing selection several times, but he was too young to continue and do 'test week'. When he was old enough, he passed selection into 23 SAS. Shortly after that he began selection for the [[Regular army|regular]] [[Special Air Service|22 SAS Regiment]] and joined 'B' Squadron as a medic. Needing a parent regiment, Ryan and a soldier who had joined 22 SAS from the [[Royal Navy]], spent eight weeks with the [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]] before returning to 'B' Squadron.<ref name="Ryan"/>{{rp|100–102}} He spent the next seven years carrying out both [[covert operation|covert]] and overt operations with the SAS around the world. One such example was the training of [[Cambodian–Vietnamese War|Khmer Rouge members to fight against the Vietnamese]] in Southeast Asia during the 1980s.<ref name=":1" />
Ryan was born in [[Rowlands Gill]] in [[County Durham]]. After attending [[Hookergate School]], he enrolled in the British Army at the age of 16. Ryan's cousin was a member of the [[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|reservist]] [[23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve)|23 SAS Regiment]] and invited Ryan to come up and ''"see what it's like to be in the army"''.<ref name="Ryan">{{cite book |last=Ryan |first=Chris |year=1995 |title=The One That Got Away |publisher=[[Random House|Century]] |location=London |isbn=9780099641612}}</ref>{{rp|85}} Ryan did this nearly every weekend, almost passing selection several times, but was too young to do 'test week'. When he was old enough, he passed selection into 23 SAS. Shortly after that he began selection for the [[Regular army|regular]] [[Special Air Service|22 SAS Regiment]] and joined 'B' Squadron as a medic. Needing a parent regiment, Ryan and a former sailor who had joined 22 SAS from the [[Royal Navy]], spent eight weeks with the [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]] before returning to 'B' Squadron.<ref name="Ryan"/>{{rp|100–102}}


During the 1980s he was part of an SAS team sent to [[Thailand]] by the UK government to train members of the [[Khmer Rouge]] in tactics used to attack civilians in [[Cambodia]].<ref>https://johnpilger.com/articles/thirty-years-on-the-holocaust-in-cambodia-and-its-aftermath-is-remembered</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-10-09 |title=Haunted by the deadly boys' club |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/haunted-by-the-deadly-boys-club-20061009-gdojzz.html |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref><ref>The Elite: The A-Z of Modern Special Operations Forces. Osprey Publishing, 2019. L. Neville.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pilger |first=John |date=2000-04-17 |title=How Thatcher gave Pol Pot a hand |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2000/04/how-thatcher-gave-pol-pot-a-hand |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}}</ref>
Journalist [[John Pilger]] wrote in October 2009, "Incredibly, the [[Premiership of Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher government]] had continued to support the defunct [[Khmer Rouge|Pol Pot regime]] in the [[United Nations]] and even sent the SAS to train his exiled troops in camps in [[Thailand]] and [[Malaysia]]. Last March, the former SAS soldier Chris Ryan, now a best-selling author, lamented in a newspaper interview “when John Pilger, the foreign correspondent, discovered we were training the Khmer Rouge in the Far east [we] were sent home and I had to return the £10,000 we’d been given for food and accommodation”."<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23843.htm |title=The Holocaust in Cambodia And Its Aftermath Is Remembered : Information Clearing House – ( ICH ) |publisher=Informationclearinghouse.info |access-date=8 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222014758/http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23843.htm |archive-date=22 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Bravo Two Zero==
==Bravo Two Zero==
{{Main|Bravo Two Zero}}
{{Main|Bravo Two Zero}}


During the [[Gulf War]], Ryan was a team member of the ill-fated eight-man SAS patrol, with the call sign [[Bravo Two Zero]]. The patrol was sent into [[Iraq]] to "gather intelligence,... find a good LUP (lying up position) and set up an [[observation post|OP]]" on the [[main supply route]] (MSR) between [[Baghdad]] and North-Western Iraq, and eventually take out the [[Scud]] [[Transporter erector launcher|TEL]]s.<ref name="Ryan"/>{{rp|16}} However they were compromised and forced to head towards [[Syria]] on foot.
During the [[Gulf War]], Ryan was a team member of the ill-fated eight-man SAS patrol, with the call sign [[Bravo Two Zero]]. The patrol was sent into [[Iraq]] to "gather intelligence,... find a good LUP (lying up position) and set up an [[observation post|OP]] (observation post)" on the [[main supply route]] (MSR) between [[Baghdad]] and North-Western Iraq, and eventually take out the [[Scud]] [[Transporter erector launcher|TEL]]s.<ref name="Ryan"/>{{rp|16}}

Ryan made SAS history with the "longest escape and evasion by an SAS trooper or any other soldier", covering {{convert|100|mi|km}} more than SAS trooper Jack Sillito had in the [[Sahara Desert]] in 1942. Ryan completed a {{convert|300|km|mi}} [[Loaded march|tab]] from an observation point on the Iraqi MSR between [[Baghdad]] and North-Western Iraq to the Syrian Border.<ref name="Ryan"/>{{rp|233}}


However they were compromised and forced to head towards [[Syria]] on foot. Ryan walked {{convert|300|km|mi}}, from an observation point on the Iraqi MSR between [[Baghdad]] and North-Western Iraq, to the Syrian Border.<ref name="Ryan"/>{{rp|233}} This march made SAS history as the "longest escape and evasion by an SAS trooper or any other soldier", covering {{convert|100|mi|km}} more than SAS trooper Jack Sillito had in the [[Sahara Desert]] in 1942.{{cn|date=March 2023}}
⚫
During his escape, Ryan suffered injuries from drinking water contaminated with nuclear waste.<ref name=":0" /> Besides suffering severe [[muscle atrophy]], he lost a potentially fatal {{convert|36|lb|kg|abbr=on}} and did not return to operational duties. Instead, he selected and trained potential recruits, before being honourably discharged from the SAS in 1994.


⚫
During his escape, Ryan suffered injuries from drinking water contaminated with nuclear waste.<ref name=":0" /> Besides suffering severe [[muscle atrophy]], he lost {{convert|36|lb|kg|abbr=on}} and did not return to operational duties. Instead, he selected and trained potential recruits, before being honourably discharged from the SAS in 1994.{{cn|date=March 2023}}
⚫
On 29 June 1991 Ryan was awarded the [[Military Medal]] "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Gulf in 1991" although the award was not [[gazette]]d until 15 December 1998 together with the equally belated announcement of Andy McNab's [[Distinguished Conduct Medal]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=55340 |date=14 December 1998 |page=13620 |supp=y}}</ref>


⚫
On 29 June 1991 Ryan was awarded the [[Military Medal]] "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Gulf in 1991" although the award was not [[gazette]]d until 15 December 1998 together with the equally delayed announcement of Andy McNab's [[Distinguished Conduct Medal]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=55340 |date=14 December 1998 |page=13620 |supp=y}}</ref>
==Zaire==
Ryan was also a member of an SAS team sent to protect the British Embassy in [[Kinshasa]], [[Zaire]]. The team were to ensure that all British diplomatic staff were safely evacuated from the country before the [[First Congo War]]. The operation was meant to last only three days, but eventually took one month.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chrisryanadventures.co.uk/audio-video/video-3/ |title=Q&A With Chris |publisher=chrisryanadventures.co.uk |access-date=10 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323074233/http://www.chrisryanadventures.co.uk/audio-video/video-3/ |archive-date=23 March 2010}}</ref>


==Post-military career==
==Post-military career==
Since leaving the SAS, Ryan wrote ''[[The One That Got Away (book)|The One That Got Away]]'', which covers the account from his patrol report of the Bravo Two Zero mission. Both his and McNab's accounts have been heavily criticised by former territorial SAS member and explorer [[Michael Asher (explorer)|Michael Asher]], who attempted to retrace the patrol's footsteps for TV and claimed to have debunked both accounts with the help of the then-SAS [[regimental sergeant major]] [[Peter Ratcliffe]] a very good friend of Ashers. <ref>{{cite news |last=Burke |first=Jason |author-link=Jason Burke |date=26 May 2002 |title=Battle of SAS gets bloody |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/26/military.uk |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Freeman |first=Simon |date=16 March 2003 |title=The new Battle of the Books |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/mar/16/iraq.booksnews |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref>
After leaving the SAS, Ryan wrote ''[[The One That Got Away (book)|The One That Got Away]]'', which covers the account from his patrol report of the Bravo Two Zero mission. Both his and McNab's accounts have been heavily criticised by former territorial SAS member and explorer [[Michael Asher (explorer)|Michael Asher]], who attempted to retrace the patrol's footsteps for TV and claimed to have debunked both accounts with the help of his friend, the then-SAS [[regimental sergeant major]] [[Peter Ratcliffe]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Burke |first=Jason |author-link=Jason Burke |date=26 May 2002 |title=Battle of SAS gets bloody |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/26/military.uk |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Freeman |first=Simon |date=16 March 2003 |title=The new Battle of the Books |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/mar/16/iraq.booksnews |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref>


Ryan, now a best-selling author,<ref name="bbcx" /> has written more than 70 books, both fiction and non-fiction. Many of his works are well known, such as fictional works like ''Strike Back (2007)'', which was adapted into the [[Strike Back (TV series)|TV show]], and ''Firefight (September 2008)''. He also writes fictional books for teenage readers, including the [[Alpha Force Books|Alpha Force Series]] and "Code Red", and has written a romantic novel, ''The Fisherman's Daughter'', under the pseudonym Molly Jackson.<ref>{{cite news |last=Edemariam |first=Aida |date=27 October 2008 |title=The new star of romantic fiction: ex-SAS hardman Chris Ryan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/oct/27/romantic-fiction-gender |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=8 January 2010 }}</ref>
Ryan has written more than 70 books, both fiction and non-fiction. Many of his works are well known, such as fictional works like ''Strike Back (2007)'', which was adapted into the [[Strike Back (TV series)|TV show]], and ''Firefight (September 2008)''. He also writes fictional books for teenage readers, including the [[Alpha Force Books|Alpha Force Series]] and "Code Red", and has written a romantic novel, ''The Fisherman's Daughter'', under the pseudonym Molly Jackson.<ref>{{cite news |last=Edemariam |first=Aida |date=27 October 2008 |title=The new star of romantic fiction: ex-SAS hardman Chris Ryan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/oct/27/romantic-fiction-gender |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=8 January 2010 }}</ref>


In addition to his writing Ryan has contributed to several television series and video games. In 2002 Ryan co-created and appeared in ITV's action series, ''[[Ultimate Force]]'', playing the role of Blue Troop leader Staff Sergeant Johnny Bell in the first series as well as acting as the military adviser for the video game [[I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike]], helping to make the game more accurate to real-life military operations, tactics, weapons and equipment.
In addition to his writing Ryan has contributed to several television series and video games. In 2002 Ryan co-created and appeared in ITV's action series, ''[[Ultimate Force]]'', playing the role of Blue Troop leader Staff Sergeant Johnny Bell in the first series. He acted as a military adviser for the video game ''[[I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike]]''.{{cn|date=March 2023}}


Ryan was the star of [[BBC One]]'s ''[[Hunting Chris Ryan]]'' in 2003 which later aired on the [[American Heroes Channel|Military Channel]] as 'Special Forces Manhunt'. In 2004 Ryan produced several programmes titled ''Terror Alert: Could You Survive'', in each programme he demonstrated how to survive disasters including, [[flooding]], nuclear terrorist attack, mass blackouts, and plane hijackings. In 2005, Ryan presented a [[Sky One]] show called ''How Not to Die'', detailing how to survive various life-threatening situations, including violent burglary, mugging, and violent attacks. In 2007 Ryan trained and managed a six-man team to represent Team GB at [[Rexona|Sure for Men]]'s Extreme Pamplona Chase in Spain during the [[Running of the Bulls]] and also appeared in an episode of the [[Derren Brown]] series, ''Mind Control with Derren Brown'', where he booby-trapped a course for Brown to follow whilst blindfolded. Ryan presented the television series ''[[Elite World Cops]]'', also broadcast as ''Armed and Dangerous'', which aired on [[Bravo (UK TV channel)|Bravo]] in 2008. In the show, Ryan spends time with various law enforcement agencies around the world, giving him an insight to the war on terrorism and drug trade but from a law enforcement perspective.
Ryan was the star of [[BBC One]]'s ''[[Hunting Chris Ryan]]'' in 2003 which later aired on the [[American Heroes Channel|Military Channel]] as ''Special Forces Manhunt''. In 2004 Ryan produced several programmes titled ''Terror Alert: Could You Survive'', demonstrating how to survive disasters including [[flooding]], nuclear terrorist attack, mass blackouts, and plane hijackings. In 2005, Ryan presented a [[Sky One]] show called ''How Not to Die'', detailing how to survive various life-threatening situations. In 2007 Ryan trained and managed a six-man team to represent Team GB at [[Rexona|Sure for Men]]'s Extreme Pamplona Chase in Spain during the [[Running of the Bulls]] and also appeared in an episode of the [[Derren Brown]] series, ''Mind Control with Derren Brown'', where he booby-trapped a course for Brown to follow whilst blindfolded. Ryan presented the television series ''[[Elite World Cops]]'', also broadcast as ''Armed and Dangerous'', which aired on [[Bravo (UK TV channel)|Bravo]] in 2008. In the show, Ryan spends time with law enforcement agencies around the world.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Ryan has one daughter.
⚫
Ryan has a daughter. His experiences in Iraq caused him to suffer from [[post traumatic stress disorder]]. Following his consumption of radioactive water during his Bravo Two Zero escape, he was warned not to have any children in the future.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Manger |first=Warren |date=27 August 2014 |title=SAS hero Chris Ryan: I drank radioactive water in Iraq, which meant I'd never have children |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/sas-hero-chris-ryan-drank-4120757 |newspaper=Daily Mirror |access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref>

⚫
His experiences in Iraq caused him to suffer from [[post traumatic stress disorder]]. Also, following his consumption of radioactive water during his Bravo Two Zero escape he was warned not to have any children in the future.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Manger |first=Warren |date=27 August 2014 |title=SAS hero Chris Ryan: I drank radioactive water in Iraq, which meant I'd never have children |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/sas-hero-chris-ryan-drank-4120757 |newspaper=Daily Mirror |access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref>


==Books==
==Books==
Line 99: Line 97:
* ''Black Gold'' (2005)
* ''Black Gold'' (2005)
* ''Untouchable'' (2005)
* ''Untouchable'' (2005)

⚫
{{Col-3}}
'''Code Red'''
'''Code Red'''
* ''Flash Flood'' (2006)
* ''Flash Flood'' (2006)
Line 107: Line 105:
* ''Twister'' (2008)
* ''Twister'' (2008)
* ''Battleground'' (2009)
* ''Battleground'' (2009)
⚫
{{Col-3}}

'''Danny Black'''
'''Danny Black'''
* ''Masters of War'' (2013)
* ''Masters of War'' (2013)
Line 130: Line 128:
* ''Tenth Man Down'' (1999)
* ''Tenth Man Down'' (1999)


'''Joe Bowman'''
'''Jamie Carter'''
* ''Outcast'' (2022)
* ''Cold Red'' (2023)

'''Josh Bowman'''
* ''Manhunter'' (2021)
* ''Manhunter'' (2021)


Line 170: Line 172:
* ''Killing for the Company'' (2011)
* ''Killing for the Company'' (2011)
* ''Osama'' (2012)
* ''Osama'' (2012)
* ''Outcast'' (2022)
* ''Traitor'' (2024)
{{Col-end}}
{{Col-end}}


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[[Category:21st-century British male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century British male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:20th-century non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:British male non-fiction writers]]

Latest revision as of 11:14, 7 June 2024

For other people named Chris Ryan, see Chris Ryan (disambiguation).

Chris Ryan
Birth nameColin Armstrong
Born1961 (age 62–63)
Rowlands Gill, County Durham, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1978–1994
RankSergeant
Service number24496702
UnitB Squadron, 22 Special Air Service
Parachute Regiment
23 Special Air Service
Battles/warsThe Troubles
Cambodian–Vietnamese War
Gulf War
AwardsMilitary Medal
Other workAuthor, television presenter
Websitehttps://www.chrisryanauthor.co.uk/

Colin Armstrong, MM (born 1961),[1] usually known by the pen-name Chris Ryan, is a British author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant.[2]

After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the Bravo Two Zero mission in 1995, entitled The One That Got Away. Since retiring from the British Army Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including Strike Back, which was subsequently adapted into a television series for Sky 1, and co-created the ITV action series Ultimate Force. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.

Early life, education and military service

[edit]

Ryan was born in Rowlands Gill in County Durham. After attending Hookergate School, he enrolled in the British Army at the age of 16. Ryan's cousin was a member of the reservist 23 SAS Regiment and invited Ryan to come up and "see what it's like to be in the army".[3]: 85  Ryan did this nearly every weekend, almost passing selection several times, but was too young to do 'test week'. When he was old enough, he passed selection into 23 SAS. Shortly after that he began selection for the regular 22 SAS Regiment and joined 'B' Squadron as a medic. Needing a parent regiment, Ryan and a former sailor who had joined 22 SAS from the Royal Navy, spent eight weeks with the Parachute Regiment before returning to 'B' Squadron.[3]: 100–102 

During the 1980s he was part of an SAS team sent to Thailand by the UK government to train members of the Khmer Rouge in tactics used to attack civilians in Cambodia.[4][5][6][7]

Bravo Two Zero

[edit]
Main article: Bravo Two Zero

During the Gulf War, Ryan was a team member of the ill-fated eight-man SAS patrol, with the call sign Bravo Two Zero. The patrol was sent into Iraq to "gather intelligence,... find a good LUP (lying up position) and set up an OP (observation post)" on the main supply route (MSR) between Baghdad and North-Western Iraq, and eventually take out the Scud TELs.[3]: 16 

However they were compromised and forced to head towards Syria on foot. Ryan walked 300 kilometres (190 mi), from an observation point on the Iraqi MSR between Baghdad and North-Western Iraq, to the Syrian Border.[3]: 233  This march made SAS history as the "longest escape and evasion by an SAS trooper or any other soldier", covering 100 miles (160 km) more than SAS trooper Jack Sillito had in the Sahara Desert in 1942.[citation needed]

During his escape, Ryan suffered injuries from drinking water contaminated with nuclear waste.[8] Besides suffering severe muscle atrophy, he lost 36 lb (16 kg) and did not return to operational duties. Instead, he selected and trained potential recruits, before being honourably discharged from the SAS in 1994.[citation needed]

On 29 June 1991 Ryan was awarded the Military Medal "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Gulf in 1991" although the award was not gazetted until 15 December 1998 together with the equally delayed announcement of Andy McNab's Distinguished Conduct Medal.[9]

Post-military career

[edit]

After leaving the SAS, Ryan wrote The One That Got Away, which covers the account from his patrol report of the Bravo Two Zero mission. Both his and McNab's accounts have been heavily criticised by former territorial SAS member and explorer Michael Asher, who attempted to retrace the patrol's footsteps for TV and claimed to have debunked both accounts with the help of his friend, the then-SAS regimental sergeant major Peter Ratcliffe.[10][11]

Ryan has written more than 70 books, both fiction and non-fiction. Many of his works are well known, such as fictional works like Strike Back (2007), which was adapted into the TV show, and Firefight (September 2008). He also writes fictional books for teenage readers, including the Alpha Force Series and "Code Red", and has written a romantic novel, The Fisherman's Daughter, under the pseudonym Molly Jackson.[12]

In addition to his writing Ryan has contributed to several television series and video games. In 2002 Ryan co-created and appeared in ITV's action series, Ultimate Force, playing the role of Blue Troop leader Staff Sergeant Johnny Bell in the first series. He acted as a military adviser for the video game I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike.[citation needed]

Ryan was the star of BBC One's Hunting Chris Ryan in 2003 which later aired on the Military Channel as Special Forces Manhunt. In 2004 Ryan produced several programmes titled Terror Alert: Could You Survive, demonstrating how to survive disasters including flooding, nuclear terrorist attack, mass blackouts, and plane hijackings. In 2005, Ryan presented a Sky One show called How Not to Die, detailing how to survive various life-threatening situations. In 2007 Ryan trained and managed a six-man team to represent Team GB at Sure for Men's Extreme Pamplona Chase in Spain during the Running of the Bulls and also appeared in an episode of the Derren Brown series, Mind Control with Derren Brown, where he booby-trapped a course for Brown to follow whilst blindfolded. Ryan presented the television series Elite World Cops, also broadcast as Armed and Dangerous, which aired on Bravo in 2008. In the show, Ryan spends time with law enforcement agencies around the world.

Personal life

[edit]

Ryan has one daughter.

His experiences in Iraq caused him to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. Also, following his consumption of radioactive water during his Bravo Two Zero escape he was warned not to have any children in the future.[8]

Books

[edit]

Ryan has written the following books:[13]

Filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  2. ^ Asher, Michael (2003). The Real Bravo Two Zero. Cassell & Co. p. 2. ISBN 0304365548.
  3. ^ a b c d Ryan, Chris (1995). The One That Got Away. London: Century. ISBN 9780099641612.
  4. ^ https://johnpilger.com/articles/thirty-years-on-the-holocaust-in-cambodia-and-its-aftermath-is-remembered
  5. ^ "Haunted by the deadly boys' club". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 October 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  6. ^ The Elite: The A-Z of Modern Special Operations Forces. Osprey Publishing, 2019. L. Neville.
  7. ^ Pilger, John (17 April 2000). "How Thatcher gave Pol Pot a hand". New Statesman. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b Manger, Warren (27 August 2014). "SAS hero Chris Ryan: I drank radioactive water in Iraq, which meant I'd never have children". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  9. ^ "No. 55340". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 December 1998. p. 13620.
  10. ^ Burke, Jason (26 May 2002). "Battle of SAS gets bloody". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  11. ^ Freeman, Simon (16 March 2003). "The new Battle of the Books". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  12. ^ Edemariam, Aida (27 October 2008). "The new star of romantic fiction: ex-SAS hardman Chris Ryan". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  13. ^ "Chris Ryan". Fantasticfiction.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
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