Abandoned on the steps of Guy’s Hospital and placed in a housing estate in East London, Andy McNab tells of a troubled upbringing. Now a successful author and former Special Air Service sergeant, he joins us to discuss the success of Bravo Two Zero and the release of his latest audiobook, Street Soldier.

Despite having authored three best-selling novels, Andy talks about a fragmented and lacklustre education which rendered him illiterate until the age of 16. Following a stint in a juvenile detention centre, Andy was recruited into the Infantry Junior Leader’s Battalion - a move which he refers to as life-changing. Feeling for the first time in his life like he’d become part of a collective, Andy describes how he altered the course of his life by attending the Army Education Centre.

Following eight years in the infantry, Andy went on to have a 10 year career in the Special Air Service and has been awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Military Medal for services to his country. His experiences have been captured with infinite detail in his books. In this exclusive interview, he tells us more about how he learnt the craft of writing by doing, slowly introducing more and more atmosphere and feeling into his work.

Street Soldier is aimed at young adults and introduces the unique character of Sean Harker. Much like his author, Sean seeks to escape the confines of his upbringing by enrolling in the British Army, but unlike Andy, he focuses his attention on the competing gangs of London.