36 Hours of Hell: Surviving the SAS Interrogation Phase

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews a former British SAS operator who details the six-month selection process following the initial fitness phase. The guest walks through each training block—mountain, jungle, parachuting, SERE, communications, and counterterrorism—explaining what each phase entails and how candidates continue to be dropped throughout. They also discuss key differences between UK and US special operations, particularly the SAS’s domestic counterterrorism role and Britain’s strict firearms laws that prevent operators from possessing weapons off-base.

Key takeaways

• British SAS selection after the fitness phase includes four-week blocks in mountains, jungle, parachuting, SERE, and counterterrorism, with candidates continuing to fail throughout the six-month process
• The guest describes the SERE interrogation as a 36-hour ordeal following a week of sleep deprivation, constant movement, and minimal food, designed to simulate capture under extreme exhaustion
• Unlike US special operations, the SAS conducts domestic counterterrorism operations in the UK, taking over from police (SO19) when weapon systems exceed law enforcement capability, including scenarios like the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege
• The guest notes that despite being trained for domestic armed response, SAS operators are not permitted to keep firearms at home due to the UK’s strict gun laws enacted after the 1996 Dunblane school shooting

Episode details: published November 3, 2025 · 223.5K views · 21:19 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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