Irregular Lives

What does a sniper actually see?Not a silhouette.Not a target.A person.In this episode, Ted Shirley — former British Army sniper and author of Afghanistan Sniper — speaks openly about the reality behind the shot.“You’re looking at a human being… and the impact of a round flying toward them.”From the battlefield in Helmand to the aftermath that followed, this is a conversation about:• The intimacy of killing in modern war• The mental toll of doing it repeatedly• The images that don’t go awayEach shot is seen.Each one remembered.🎧 New episodes every month.Follow the show so you don’t miss what comes next.#podcast #militarypodcast #warstories #sniper #mentalhealth #afghanistan

Tom Petch sits down with former British Army officer CaptainRachel Webster, whose 24-year career spanned Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan - only to end in a dawn arrest she describes as “the most horrendous experience” of her life.From becoming one of the first female welders at British Steel to serving in some of the most complex theatres of modern conflict, Rachel’s career was defined by resilience, leadership, and breaking barriers.But years after service, she found herself pushed onto her own bed, hands restrained, marched from her house without a warrant - accused as part of a widening legal process she says reflects a growing culture of retrospective lawfare.In this raw and revealing conversation, Rachel speaks openlyabout:• Being one of the first women to push into male-dominated military spaces• Serving in South Armagh during the Troubles• Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan• What “lawfare” looks like at the individual level• The psychological toll of being investigated years after operations• Why soldiers feel abandoned by the institutions they servedThis episode goes beyond headlines. It asks difficult questions about justice, accountability, political responsibility - and the human cost when trust between soldier and state breaks down.🎧 Listen now on Spotify#militarypodcast #lawfare #BritishArmy #NorthernIreland#Afghanistan #womeninwar #IrregularLives

In this episode, Tom Petch speaks to Sir Laurie Bristow, the UK’s last Ambassador to Afghanistan, about the final months, weeks, and days before the fall of Kabul in August 2021.Drawing on his unique position at the intersection of diplomacy, military planning, and crisis decision-making, Bristow offers a forensic, unsparing account of how a 20-year campaign unravelled at extraordinary speed. He explains why the Doha Agreement effectively guaranteed Taliban victory, how political decisions in Washington and London translated into realities on the ground, and why Afghan institutions collapsedalmost overnight.Bristow takes listeners inside Operation Pitting, describing the moral pressure of evacuation decisions, the risks faced by youngBritish soldiers holding the perimeter, and the moment it became clear that Kabul would fall within days—not months.The conversation goes beyond Afghanistan, drawing hard lessons for current conflicts, including Ukraine, and asking uncomfortable questions about optimism bias, political accountability, and how democracies end wars.This is not hindsight punditry. It is the view from the cockpit as the aircraft runs out of runway.Book: 'Kabul: Final Call' by Sir Laurie Bristow

Colonel Stuart Tootal commanded 3 PARA on the British Army’s first major combat tour of Helmand Province in 2006. What followed was not peacekeeping - it was a full-scale insurgency.In this episode of Irregular Lives, Tom Petch sits down with one of the most honest and uncompromising commanders of the Afghanistan war.Tootal describes how British forces entered Helmand expecting a benign stabilisation mission - and within weeks found themselves fighting for survival in places like Sangin, Now Zad, and Musa Qala. He explains the catastrophic mismatch between political assumptions and battlefield reality, the failures of multinational command, and the brutal arithmetic of casualty evacuation under fire.This is not a sanitised account. Tootal speaks candidly about losing men, the impossible decisions commanders are forced to make, and the psychological burden of knowing that every helicopter launch risks a Black Hawk Down scale disaster.The conversation also turns to veterans - from the shocking treatment of wounded soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital to the long-term failures of pastoral care once the fighting stops. Tootal reflects on why he ultimately resigned from the Army, the controversy that followed, and what Afghanistan should have taught Britain about future wars.This is a rare, ground-truth account of modern warfare — from a man who lived it.

Billy Billingham MBE QCB joins Tom Petch for one of the rawest conversations yet - from being stabbed at 15 and nearly going off the rails, to the Para Regiment, SAS selection, Bosnia, bodyguarding Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and the brutal truth behind today’s investigations into British soldiers.Billy also talks about his latest book, Further, a powerful continuation of his life story and the lessons forged through hardship, discipline, and service and opens up about:• Growing up in a violent world and finding purpose through discipline and boxing • The knife attack that nearly killed him and changed his life at 15 • What Bosnia really looked like - mass graves, atrocities, and confronting evil up close • How soldiers make life-or-death decisions in seconds inside dark, chaotic rooms • The feeling of betrayal as veterans are dragged through endless investigations: “I can’t look at the news - it depresses me.” • Life after the SAS, losing structure, and why transition breaks so many veterans • Ending up on magazine covers while bodyguarding A-list actors - and why everyone in Cannes suddenly claimed they were SAS A gripping, emotional, and often shocking conversation about war, resilience, betrayal — and what it really costs to serve.

Tom Petch sits down with Richard Williams, former commander of the SAS, for a raw, no-holds-barred conversation.Williams breaks his silence on the legal and political firestorm engulfing Britain's most secretive unit. From operations in Afghanistan to legacy cases in Northern Ireland, he explores how soldiers are being abandoned, what "lawfare" really looks like on the ground, and why some of the bravest men in the British Army are now asking: “Are we the evil?”A gripping insider's account of warfare, ethics, betrayal - and the cost of staying silent.#SAS #MilitaryPodcast #WarEthics #AfghanistanInquiry#BritishArmy #SpecialForces