The Old Paratrooper Podcast

Despite a turbulent upbringing, Andrew Williams enlisted in the Parachute Regiment at just 16. Deployed to the deadly frontlines of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2006, he confronted the brutal realities of warfare, engaging in some of the most intense combat witnessed by the British Army since the Korean War. After his military service, Andrew transitioned into domestic counter-intelligence an...

Former Paratrooper left the military and headed straight for the music industry, working with Oasis ,Duran Duran, Spandau ballet, George Harrison and the sex pistols to name a few. Iain shares some memorable and hilarious stories of his time on the road with some of worlds rock and roll royalty . After leaving the music industry behind Iain decided to try his hand at being a firefighter and also s...

By the time Tom was 7 years old, he knew he wanted to be a Paratrooper. Joining the cadets aged 13, and enlisting in the British Army aged 16, Tom began his career with Junior Para followed by P Company. 2 Northern Ireland tours & 5 Years in 1 Para later, and Tom was on the hunt for his next challenge, completing Pathfinder's Selection and deploying to Kosovo, Iraq & Afghanistan. Tom joined the Re...

After decades living in Australia, a World War II Special Air Service (SAS) and Battle of Britain veteran was escorted home to England last month by an Australian Army soldier from 1st Commando Regiment to join the Chelsea Pensioners, a program run by the illustrious Chelsea Hospital for British Army veterans. Nicknamed “Cat” Morris for his ability to cheat death, Mr John Morris enlisted when he w...

Ex-paratrooper Mike Chadwick revolutionised the British Armed Forces' approach to training and delivered unprecedented pass rates for the Parachute Regiment's Pegasus-Company selection course. He was awarded the Bredin Trophy and a GOC commendation announced alongside the Queen's Birthday Honours list. More recently, Mike has been coaching the UK Special Forces, the global Tactical Athlete communi...

Born in Farnham, Surrey, UK. Following a divorce from his birth father, his mother Hazel married his step-father, who adopted him and gave him the name Horsfall. A broken family life adversely affected his education, so he left school in 1972 at the age of fifteen and joined the army as a boy soldier. Despite a long period of isolation and bullying by his peers, he became a full member of the Para...

Fathers 4 Justice is a campaign group fighting for the rights of fathers in the UK. It was founded in 2001 by Matt O’Connor with the aim to gain support for changes in legislation concerning the rights of fathers to see their kids. The group mainly uses stunts, like climbing public buildings and monuments, often wearing fancy dress or costumes to gain media attention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

Born into a military family, Mick attended 14 schools over his childhood. His dream of being a professional footballer came to an end after an unsuccessful trial with Lincoln City and he visited the careers office aged 16 to join the 1975 junior paras course. An ankle injury left him unable to perform any jumps, and Mick briefly left the army before rejoining 29 Commando. Passing SAS Selection on...

Trevor Coult is a veteran of the Armed Forces who was awarded one of the highest gallantry awards by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. He is a veteran campaigner and has raised over £250k for veterans’ causes. In 2021, his petition received a Royal Assent from the Queen. Take a look at one of his books ...well worth a read. Exploitation https://amzn.eu/d/05XmHHD4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Danny Rampling's name is synonymous with dance music, from pioneering and been an integral part of dance culture, to a successful radio and producing career to constant DJ appearances at top nights around the globe, Danny Rampling is not a name we can easily forget. A lesser known fact about Danny is he completed P company and served for 3 years with the 10th Battalion the Parachute regiment. Dann...

Cliff Parisi is an English actor, known for his roles as Minty Peterson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and Fred Buckle in the BBC period drama Call the Midwife. He chats in depth about his upbringing and the route that led him into acting .In 2019, he participated in the nineteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Thrall is a former Royal Marines Commando and author of the bestselling memoir Eating Smoke, his experience of crystal meth addiction while working for the Hong Kong triads. A qualified pilot and skydiver, Chris has backpacked throughout all seven continents, worked with street children in Mozambique, driven aid workers from Norway to India and back by coach, and scuba dived with leopard sea...

Facing financial ruin, Christian Lewis, a former paratrooper, set out on a six-year, 11,000-mile trek around our entire coastline. It changed his life in more ways than he could possibly imagine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Finding a love of flying early in life, Mandy fought hard to achieve her ambition to be a Royal Air Force pilot. She was only the second woman to fly the Tornado GR4 on the front line, amassing over thirty years experience within aviation, completing three tours of duty and 45 missions over Iraq during that time Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former REME soldier Simon Brown takes through the events that unfolded while on operations in Iraq. He talks us through the harrowing experience of being shot in the face by a sniper, recovery and adjusting to life changing injuries. A truly remarkable man who in the face of adversity after a life changing event has gone on to achieve some amazing things Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Ex Parachute regiment soldier Terry Byrne chats to the old paratrooper podcast about the fateful day in southern Afghanistan when he stood on a IED losing a leg from the knee and part of one his hands, changing his life forever. Showing an elite mindset Terry not only recovered ,he did so extremely quickly, amazing doctors and specialists alike. He went on to hold multiple world records in cycling...

Liz McConaghy aka Chinook crew chick chats to The old paratrooper podcast about her service in the RAF as a Chinook crew member and being deployed on no less than 10 op Herrick tours in Afghanistan. Liz talks openly about her struggles with mental health brought on by seeing the horrors from inside a war zone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ex 3 Para soldier turner adventurer explorer and author chats to the old paratrooper podcast about his epic walk around world that so far has taken 25 years and counting. Being one of only 2 humans to cross the bearing strait , dodging drug cartels in south america, to being locked up in a Russian prison for 57 days...the appropriately named Goliath expedition has been nothing short of epic for Ka...

Former Premiership and England footballer Neil "Razor" Rudduck talks to The Old Paratrooper Podcast about growing up , playing for some of the biggest clubs in the UK , playing for England and shares some hilarious stories. He also chats openly about his struggles with alcohol , his weight ,having a pacemaker fitted and a gastric band Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode #10: Ex US Marine and private security consultant Jacob Arnett chats with The Old Paratrooper Podcast about The US marines, boot camp , an eventful and often harrowing operational tour of Iraq and his career as a private security consultant in Iraq and Afghanistan before setting up his own veteran run company in Las Vegas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PART 1: Former Special forces support group and Paratrooper Nick Dunn chats to the Old Paratrooper Podcast about what led him to join the military, his operational tours and the Anti -Piracy work he decided to move into after leaving the Army. His journey ended up with him being held prisoner unlawfully in an India along with several other colleges for 5 years in hellish conditions. The media call...

Episode 8: Former Royal Marine and SBS operator Pasha Munro chats to the Old Paratrooper Podcast. He covers growing up and nearly being kidnapped by his father . Joining the Royal Marine Commandos , the infamous and arduous mountain leader course and selection for the Special Boat Service. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Para and SAS Sgt Maj Mark Billy Billingham chats to the old Paratrooper Podcast. Billy chats about growing up in Walsall , coming from a poor background , to joining the Parachute Regiment , SAS selection , work after leaving the forces and his passion for charity work Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 6 Johnny Nelson chats about growing up around the Sheffield area, getting into boxing , winning a world title , having a go at the infamous Parachute regiment selection process known as P company ,working as a presenter after retiring from boxing for Sky and his Charity work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 5-The Old Paratrooper Podcast chats with retired Major-general Chip Chapman about his 33 year military career from seeing as a young lieutenant with 2 para in the Falklands war , commanding the 2nd battalion the Parachute Regiment, various postings over the years before retiring as Major General. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.