Anthony Middleton born 22 September 1980 is a British adventurer, writer, television personality and former soldier. He is best known as the former Chief Instructor on the Channel 4 television series SAS: Who Dares Wins, a role he held from 2015 until 2020. Middleton also appeared as the captain in the adventure/reality-show Mutiny and the survival show Escape. In 2018 he climbed Everest for the TV show Extreme Everest with Ant Middleton.
Career
Military service
Middleton joined the army in 1998 at the age of 17 where he served in the 9 Parachute Squadron RE and served tours of duty in Northern Ireland in 1999 and Macedonia in 2001. After leaving the army he later enlisted in the Royal Marines in 2005. He passed out of his commando course in January 2006, winning the King’s Badge for best all round recruit, and was posted to B Company, 40 Commando. In 2007, he did his first tour in Afghanistan. In 2008 he joined the Special Boat Service, serving for four years as a sniper and point man. In this time he completed two further tours in Afghanistan and reached the rank of corporal. After leaving the military, Middleton worked as a security guard for VIPs, and later as a security expert in South Africa and for various West African governments.
Television
Middleton was the Chief Instructor on SAS: Who Dares Wins, a reality quasi-military training television programme produced by Channel 4, which was first broadcast in 2015. The show propelled Middleton into celebrity limelight, and since its screening Middleton’s popularity has increased significantly, allowing him more TV opportunities. Mutiny, an adventure/reality crossover show, screened on UK television in February 2017, with Middleton starring as boat captain alongside eight volunteering participants. The show was a re-enactment of the infamous Mutiny on the Bounty and Middleton described the experience as “mentally speaking, the hardest thing I’ve ever done”.
In March 2021 Middleton was dropped by Channel 4 over his personal conduct.
Publications
In 2017, Middleton co-authored his first book, SAS: Who Dares Wins: Leadership Secrets from the Special Forces, with his fellow TV presenters and Special Forces colleagues Jason Fox, Matthew “Ollie” Ollerton and Colin Maclachlan. Middleton’s autobiography, First Man In: Leading from the Front, was published in 2018, becoming a Number 1 Sunday Times best-seller. His second book,The Fear Bubble: Harness Fear and Live Without Limits, was published in 2019, and was also No.1 on The Sunday Times best-seller chart. His third book, Zero Negativity, was published in 2020.
Other
On 14 May 2018, Middleton summited Mount Everest with Ed Wardle, completing the climb over a five and a half week period. The pair nearly died when they were caught in a blizzard behind a group of ten climbers who hampered their progress during the descent.
In November 2019 Middleton was appointed as Chief Cadet and Honorary Captain in the Royal Navy’s Volunteer Cadet Corps. He left the position nine months later amidst controversy surrounding a comment he made on Twitter, which appeared to compare Black Lives Matter protesters with the English Defence League as extremists and “scum”, though he later said he was not equating the two groups.
Personal life
Middleton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and brought up in France.
Middleton was convicted of the unlawful wounding of one police officer and common assault upon a second in 2013. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison, of which he served five months.
Filmography
Television
| Year | Television series | Role | Channel | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2020 | SAS: Who Dares Wins | Chief Instructor | Channel 4 | 6 series | |
| 2017 | Mutiny | Captain Bligh | Channel 4 | 1 series | |
| Escape | Himself | Channel 4 | 1 series | ||
| 2018 | Extreme Everest with Ant Middleton | Himself | Channel 4 | 1 Series | |
| 2019–2020 | Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins | Chief Instructor | Channel 4 | 2 series | |
| 2019 | Ant Middleton and Liam Payne: Straight Talking | Presenter | Sky One | One episode | |
| 2020–present | SAS Australia Who Dares Wins | Chief Instructor | Seven Network | 1 series | |
| 2021 | Ant Middleton & Rebel Wilson: Straight Talking | Presenter | Sky One | One episode |
Works
Non-fiction
- SAS: Who Dares Wins: Leadership Secrets from the Special Forces (Headline, 2016) ISBN 978-1472240736
- First Man In: Leading from the front (HarperCollins, 2018) ISBN 978-0008245719
- Leader et soldat d’élite: Leçons des forces spéciales (Talent Editions, 2019) ISBN 978-2378150587
- The Fear Bubble: Harness Fear and live without limits (HarperCollins, 2019) ISBN 978-0008194680
- Zero Negativity: The Power of Positive Thinking (HarperCollins, 2020) ISBN 978-0008336516
Fiction
- Cold Justice (Sphere, 2021) ISBN 978-0751580433
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
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General Service Medal |
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NATO Medal for Macedonia | |
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Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan |
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Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
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