SAS Rogue Heroes season 3: everything we know

Will Paddy Mayne (Jack O'Connell) return for SAS Rogue Heroes season 3? (Image credit: BBC)

Millions of viewers are hoping SAS Rogue Heroes season 3 will be announced soon, after the second instalment of the hit BBC One series ended on a tantalising cliffhanger.

The second season, which debuted on New Year's Day 2025, opened in 1943 and focused on Paddy Mayne (Jack O'Connell) as he led the SAS in the battle to liberate Italy from the Nazis.

Despite railing against authority throughout the Italian campaign, by the end of the series the Ulsterman seemed to have mellowed slightly, although how long that will last is another matter.

It also followed SAS founder David Stirling (Connor Swindells) who was imprisoned in an Italian POW camp after being captured by the Germans in North Africa at the end of the first season.

The show's writer Steven Knight, has previously hinted that he would like to continue telling the story of the SAS through to the end of the war...

"I've loved writing this drama because there’s so much good and bad in World War Two," explains Steven Knight. "You get good men, doing very bad things, for good reasons, which hopefully makes for great drama!"

But will there be a SAS Rogue Heroes season 3? Here's everything we know...

* SPOILERS FOR SAS ROGUE HEROES SEASON 2 AHEAD *

Will there be a SAS Rogue Heroes season 3?

With SAS Rogue Heroes season 2 ending in June 1944, with Paddy Mayne and his comrades parachuting into France in the hours ahead of D-Day, it would be a major surprise if the show didn't return for a third season.

The show has proved popular with viewers and critics alike, which would also suggest it's only a matter of time until BBC bosses green light another chapter of this World War Two drama.

The show's creator Steven Knight has also been very open about his desire to complete the tale and at a recent press launch he gave the following response when asked if there could be one more series...

"Not one series," he replied. "No, we want to take this to the end of the war, and just a bit beyond."

Yet nothing is set in stone until the BBC confirms the show will return, however with season 2 only given the green light on the day the first season finale aired back in 2022, it's not a surprise that there's been no news so far. We'll be sure to update this guide as soon as there's any news...

If SAS Rogue Heroes season 3 is commissioned then we wouldn't expect to see it on our screens until late 2026 or even 2027.

David Stirling (Connor Swindells) — Could Connor Swindells be back as David Stirling? (Image credit: BBC)

SAS Rogue Heroes season 3 plot

SAS Rogue Heroes season 3 is expected to follow Paddy Mayne and the SAS as they take part in the battle to liberate Northern Europe from the Nazis.

History boffins will know that Mayne led the SAS with great distinction through the final campaigns of the war in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Norway, often campaigning alongside local resistance fighters.

We also saw David Stirling being told he was going to be transferred to the infamous Colditz POW camp in the final moments of season 2. If Connor Swindells does return for a potential third season, we can expect to learn more about his incarceration.

SAS Rogue Heroes cast

Jack O'Connell was undoubtedly the star of SAS Rogue Heroes season 3 and his portrayal of Major Paddy Mayne reminded us a little bit of Peaky Blinders' Tommy Shelby, another charismatic and menacing Steven Knight creation.

There couldn't be a third season without him, so he will surely be returning if another series is commissioned, however whether Connor Swindells comes back is less certain.

Knight worked hard to build a storyline for his character, David Stirling, in the second series, yet those who've studied the history of the SAS will know Stirling spent the rest of the war as a prisoner in Colditz Castle.

We hope Swindells comes back to complete Stirling's story, but it really would depend on what other offers he has on the table.

Here's a lis of some of the other stars that could be donning the SAS uniform once again in a potential third season...