BBC’s Soldier viewers have big complaint as teens are put through brutal army boot camp
BBC viewers were left with one big complaint after watching the first episode of the intense reality series Soldier, which premiered last night.
The BBC One series follows a few boys and girls who went through the army recruitment process last year and watches them attempt to complete their training at camp Catterick.
The minute the episode began, it became clear that some of the recruits have no idea what they’re in for.
“Some of them treat it like a holiday camp. They will think they are at Pontins, and they will soon realise they are not,” warned Catterick, training officer Lieutenant Wahab in the first few minutes.
Some of the recruits are as young as 16 and 17 when they arrive at the training camp and taught how to kill with guns and knives.
As Lieutenant Wahab noted, “It’s a massive personal transformation they will have to go through, and some of them won’t make it.”
He added: “It’s a shock to the system when they arrive here. They are told what to eat, when to eat, when to go to the toilet, when to drink, where to sleep, when to go to sleep – every part of their lives will be managed by us and that’s when you see the first wobbles.”
The recruits are pushed to their limits in the training, which Private Statton said was nothing like he imagined.
“You’re not prepared for it. It’s a shock to you, regardless of age. It’s nothing like the movies, Hacksaw Ridge, it’s totally different. It’s quite scary, it’s quite intimidating, the reality of becoming a soldier, it’s a lot to be getting a grip of,” the soldier admitted.
He explained that he became very aware of his mortality during his training. “It’s not like Call of Duty, it’s reality – you can’t just get shot and respawn,” he said.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Private Wilson threw in the towel not long after arriving at camp Catterick, admitting the army was not for him.
“I thought it was gonna be a lot easier, mentally, I guess. I realise I’m not that mentally strong, you could say,” he said in the episode.
The training in last night’s episode was fast-paced. One moment, the recruits were shown how to load and handle an SA80 Assault Rifle and the next they were then given a bayonet (a knife which attaches to a rifle) and told to attack a mannequin while demonstrating maximum aggression.
Some viewers were taken aback by the nature of the training they had to endure, but their biggest complaint was about the choice of language used in the army.
Taking to social media, one viewer commented “It’s awfully sweary.”
“So, Soldier, is it possible to do this without swearing?” another asked, while a third wondered: “What’s with all the swearing, especially from the staff?”
“Why do the trainers lack vocabulary? Every other word is F***?” added a fourth viewer.
However, other viewers believe the fiery language is par for the course in the army.
“Absolutely PMSL at people moaning about the swearing,” a viewer noted.
“They’re training with the probability of bullets flying past their heads if they’re deployed and people moan about a few hurt words,” another replied.
Soldier airs on Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One.