Chris Ryan was born near Newcastle in 1961. He joined the SAS in 1984 and was a member for ten years. During the Gulf War, Chris was the only member of an eight-man team to escape from Iraq, of which three colleagues were killed and four captured. It was the longest escape and evasion in the history of the SAS. For his last two years he was selecting and training potential recruits for the SAS. The One That Got Away is a 1996 ITV television film directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Paul McGann. It is based on the 1995 book of the same name by Chris Ryan telling the true story of a Special Air Service patrol during the Gulf War in 1991. The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2011: Completed Tasks -DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC

During his escape, Ryan suffered injuries from drinking water contaminated with nuclear waste. [8] Besides suffering severe muscle atrophy, he lost 36lb (16kg) 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]He has also appeared in a number of TV programmes, including HUNTING CHRIS RYAN, PUSHED TO THE LIMI Chris Ryan was born in 1961 in a village near Newcastle. In 1984 he joined the SAS. During his ten years in the Regiment, he was involved in overt and covert operations and was also Sniper team commander of the anti-terrorist team. Chris Ryan's The One That Got Away must rank with the great escape stories of modern military history Soldier Magazine Chris was born in Rowlands Gill, which is a small village on the north bank of the River Derwent. It has a population of around 6,000 and is around nine miles from the major city of Newcastle in the North of England. Very little is known of Chris's early life - little about his school days, little about his hobbies, little about his family life. What is known is that he attended the secondary school at Hookergate School, which was around three miles from his village of Rolands Gill. The school has since been renamed Thorp Academy. He stayed at Hookergate until he was 16 years old, at which point, instead of going into further education as many of his fellow authors did, which would have been easy as Hookergate School also had a college section to it, he signed up to join the British Army. A well made TV movie directed by then up and coming Paul Greengrass, a good cast and solid movie that probably takes some liberty with the truth.

But the army wasn't enough for Chris. No, he wanted something special. Chris's dream was to be a member of one of the most elite fighting forces on the planet - the SAS (Special Air Service). Chris's cousin was actually already in the reservist SAS and regularly invited Chris to visit him. Chris tried to join the SAS but reportedly failed the selection process because… This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.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 ] 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. The SAS mission conducted behind Iraqi lines is one of the most famous true stories of courage and survival in modern warfare. Late on the evening of 24 January 1991, the patrol was compromised deep behind enemy lines in Iraq. A fierce firefight left the eight men miraculously unscathed, but they were forced to run for their lives.

The One That Got Away is the 1996 ITV dramatization of Chris Ryan's 1995 account of the Bravo Two Zero mission from the first Gulf War directed by Paul Greengrass ( The Bourne Ultimatum, Green Zone). His book was released after Andy McNab's book, but his movie came out three years before the BBC's dramatization of Bravo Two Zero, both of which were filmed in South Africa using the same armorers. The book and film were highly critical of McNab's leadership before and during the mission. Both Ryan and McNab were criticized for publishing the real names of the three troopers who perished while themselves still hiding behind pseudonyms. A third book about the mission by "Mike Coburn" ("Mark" in the film) was published in 2004, despite opposition from the British government. Edemariam, Aida (27 October 2008). "The new star of romantic fiction: ex-SAS hardman Chris Ryan". The Guardian . Retrieved 8 January 2010. From the 90s and the days of London Weekend Television, which meant viewers were afforded a good TV movie or serial of a Saturday evening as opposed to Simon Cowell and yet another repeat of a Bond movie, comes a dramatisation of the ill-fated deployment of an eight-man SAS patrol (call sign, Bravo Two Zero) into Iraq during the First Gulf War of 1991. 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. 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 the then-SAS regimental sergeant major Peter Ratcliffe. [10] [11]During the Gulf War, Chris was the only member of an eight-man team to escape from Iraq, of which three colleagues were killed and four captured. It was the longest escape and evasion in the history of the SAS. 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 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] Chris Ryan was born in 1961 in a village near Newcastle. In 1984 he joined the SAS. During his ten years in the Regiment, he was involved in overt and covert operations and was also Sniper team commander of the anti-terrorist team. Burke, Jason (26 May 2002). "Battle of SAS gets bloody". The Guardian . Retrieved 31 December 2016.

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 soldier who had joined 22 SAS from the Royal Navy, spent eight weeks with the Parachute Regiment before returning to 'B' Squadron. [3] :100–102 In light of other remake of the Bravo Two Zero events, "Brave Two Zero" with Sean Bean, I believe this to be the better film. The music is really great, and manages to keep our attention when nothing really interesting is happening. Freeman, Simon (16 March 2003). "The new Battle of the Books". The Guardian . Retrieved 31 December 2016. There have been several accounts of this mission, each of them conflicting. Perhaps the two most famous are the books Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab (later made into a BBC TV movie starring Sean Bean) and Chris Ryan's The One That Got Away, the latter of which forms the basis of this matter-of-fact dramatisation from… I really liked this drama production (or TV movie, whatever). This captured the feeling of the book while adding its own dramatic interpretations as to these events. A lot of people have the preconception that the SAS or any other of the armed forces are always right, but this really opened my eyes as to how mistakes are made.