Deaf football captain put through his paces on SAS: Who Dares Wins

Deaf footballer and model Jamie Clarke, 32, is one of 20 participants, all civilian men and women, in a new series of SAS: Who Dares Wins on Channel 4, which comes to our screens early next week. It’s the first time the reality show has had some profoundly deaf take part in it.

In the hugely popular show, ex-officers put recruits through the Special Air Services (SAS) training process with a string of seemingly almost impossible challenges to test their physical, emotional and mental strength.

There have been celebrity versions and many episodes shot in remote parts of Scotland. Contestants are eliminated by officers kicking them off, or voluntarily leaving if they can no longer hack it.

Now the eighth season, Jungle Hell, takes contestants to Thung Ui in northern Vietnam, where they aim to complete the punishing jungle phase of SAS selection, over six hour-long broadcasts. They will be led in their training for this environment by Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham MBE, who served in this type of terrain for half his military career. Even for SAS regular officers, the jungle is the harshest environment they face.

Clarke, from Bretforton, Worcestershire, was born profoundly deaf and says he will be using the platform to raise awareness of the challenges the community is up against.

The current captain of both the Great Britain and England football teams and signed last year for Worcestershire side Pershore Town FC, for whom he has so far scored 10 goals. Clarke has also played in the Deaflympics and Euro Champs among other major tournaments – and no other scorer in the GB side’s history has scored more goals. .

Clarke, the only deaf member of his family, told a local new website:

“Being completely deaf doesn’t mean I am any different to anyone – I am able to compete just as well as everyone else. I want to get out of my comfort zone and face difficult challenges. I want to raise awareness of how we communicate and struggle on a daily basis.”

He added that, through choice, he doesn’t use a cochlear implant, although he was fitted with one as a child, preferring to live in a ‘peaceful’ silence.

The one concern Clarke had, understandably, was tackling challenges in the dark where, as well as not being able to hear, he wouldn’t be able to see, making communication with others all but impossible.

“One of the challenges was to crawl through a pitch-black tunnel, which became smaller and smaller near the end. But I managed to stay calm and positive.”

Also joining the show are new Directing Staff (DS) member Chris Oliver, who can draw on 16 years of military experience, alongside returnees Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox and American Rudy Reyes, both stalwarts of the programme.

Clarke will be competing with Daniel Dolan, a pro dancer with the Lithuanian National Ballet and social media influencer Aliyah, plus a former UK swimmer, a pro boxer and a professional wrestler, housewife, lorry driver, hedge fund trader, firefighter and security manager.

• SAS: Who Dares Wins Jungle Hell airs on Channel 4 this Monday (23^rd January) from 9pm.