Ant Middleton

Last updated

Ant Middleton
Born (1980-09-22) 22 September 1980 (age 43)
Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Occupations
  • Television personality
  • adventurer
Years active2015–present
SpouseEmilie Middleton
Children5
Military career
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branch British Army (1998–2002)
Royal Marines (2005–2008)
Special Boat Service (2008–2012)
Rank Marine
Service number 255700
Unit 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers
40 Commando
Special Boat Service
Battles/wars Operation Banner
War in Afghanistan
Website https://antmiddleton.com

Anthony Middleton (born 22 September 1980) is a British adventurer, television personality and former UK Special Forces soldier, Royal Marines Commando, and Royal Engineer in the British Army. [1] 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 2021. Middleton also appeared as the Captain in the adventure/reality-show Mutiny and the survival show Escape. In 2018, he climbed Mount Everest for the TV show Extreme Everest with Ant Middleton. [2]

Contents

Career

Military service

Middleton joined the army in 1998 [3] [ non-primary source needed ] at the age of 17 where he served in 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers and served tours of duty in Northern Ireland in 1999 and Macedonia in 2001. [4] After leaving the army in 2002 [5] he later enlisted in the Royal Marines on 2 May 2005. He passed the 32 week commando course on 20 Jan 2006 with 898 troop, winning the King's Badge for best all round recruit, [6] and was posted to D Company, 40 Commando. In 2007 he did his first tour in Afghanistan. In 2008 he joined the Special Boat Service, serving for 4 years. [7] 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. [8]

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. Mutiny, an adventure/reality crossover show, screened on UK television in February 2017, with Middleton starring as boat captain alongside eight volunteering participants. [9] The show was a re-enactment of the Mutiny on the Bounty and Middleton described the experience as "mentally speaking, the hardest thing I've ever done". [10] In March 2021, Middleton was dropped by Channel 4 over his personal conduct. [11]

He has maintained his SAS hosting position on the Australian Version of the show for the Seven Network. Additionally, he is the host of the reality adventure show, Million Dollar Island also for Seven. [12]

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. [13] 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. Ant features in Coach Mike Chadwick's audiobook The Red On Revolution, [14] published in 2022.

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. [15] [16] [17]

In November 2019 Middleton was appointed as Chief Cadet and Honorary Captain in the Royal Navy's Volunteer Cadet Corps. [18] [19] 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. [20] [21]

Personal life

Middleton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and brought up in France. [22]

Middleton was convicted of the unlawful wounding of one police officer and common assault upon a second police officer in 2013 for a nightclub bust-up. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison, of which he served four months. [23] [24]

Filmography

Film

In 2023, it was announced he would star in Shelter directed by Scott Vickers. [25]

Television

YearTelevision seriesRoleChannelNotesRef
2015–2021 SAS: Who Dares Wins Chief Instructor Channel 4 6 series [26]
2017Mutiny Captain Bligh Channel 4 1 series [27]
EscapeHimself Channel 4 1 series [28]
2018Extreme Everest with Ant MiddletonHimself Channel 4 1 Series [29]
2019–2021 Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins Chief Instructor Channel 4 3 series [30]
2019Ant Middleton and Liam Payne: Straight TalkingPresenter Sky One One episode [31]
2020–present SAS Australia: Who Dares Wins Chief Instructor Seven Network 4 series [32]
2021Ant Middleton & Rebel Wilson: Straight TalkingPresenter Sky One One episode [33]
2023–present Million Dollar Island Presenter Seven Network 1 series [34]

Live Tours

YearTitleNotesShows
2018An Evening with Ant Middleton44 shows
2019Mind Over Muscle31 UK shows
2021Zero Negativity27 UK shows
2020-2021Mind Over Muscle - Aus/ Nz Tour7 shows

Workings

Non-fiction

The Mindset Trilogy

  • First Man In: Leading from the Front (HarperCollins, 2018) ISBN   978-0008245719
  • 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

Medals/Awards

General Service Medal 1962 BAR.svg NATO Medal Macedonia ribbon bar.svg
OSM for Afghanistan w bar.svg

QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg

RibbonDescriptionNotes
General Service Medal 1962 BAR.svg General Service Medal
  • With "NORTHERN IRELAND" Clasp
NATO Medal Macedonia ribbon bar.svg NATO Medal for Macedonia
OSM for Afghanistan w bar.svg Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan
  • With "AFGHANISTAN" Clasp
QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
  • 2012
  • UK version of this medal

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References

  1. Middleton, Ant (2018). First Man In. London: Harper Collins. p. about the author. ISBN   9780008245719.
  2. "Extreme Everest with Ant Middleton". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  3. "twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  4. Middleton, Ant (2018). First Man In. London: Harper Collins. p. 40-78. ISBN   9780008245719.
  5. Middleton, Ant (2018). First Man In. London: Harper Collins. p. 100. ISBN   9780008245719.
  6. "Kings Squad". Royal Navy. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  7. "SAS Who Dares Wins 2020 – everything you need to know". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  8. "Ant Middleton". speakerscorner.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  9. Ling, Thomas (27 February 2017). "The crew on Mutiny, C4's Bounty documentary, lost almost 4 stone during their voyage". Radio Times . Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  10. "Meet the men recreating the Mutiny on the Bounty for Channel 4". Radio Times. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  11. Jefferies, Mark; Gibbons, Lottie (1 March 2021). "Ant Middleton dropped by Channel 4 over his 'personal conduct'". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  12. "Ant Middleton to host Million Dollar Island | TV Tonight". 16 June 2022.
  13. "First Man In: No.1 Sunday Times Best Seller". Ant Middleton. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  14. Coach Mike Chadwick (12 April 2022). "The Red On Revolution". audible.com.
  15. "Ant Middleton: 'My wife called me an idiot when she found out how close I'd come to death on Everest ... to be fair, I agreed with her!'". The Belfast Telegraph . 10 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  16. Fogle, Ben (2018). Up: My life journey to the top of Everest. William Collins. p. 81. ISBN   978-0008319182.
  17. "Ant Middleton On Accepting Death During Mount Everest Adventure". ladbible.com. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  18. "VCC Appoints Chief Cadet". volunteercadetcorps.org. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  19. "SAS: Who Dares Wins Star Ant Middleton Surprises Royal Marines Cadets". forces.net. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  20. Adejobi, Alicia (10 August 2020). "Ant Middleton 'quits' Royal Navy role after Black Lives Matter tweet". Metro. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  21. Adejobi, Alicia (10 August 2020). "Ant Middleton apologises for calling Black Lives Matter protesters 'scum' but insists: 'I am anti-racist'". Metro. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  22. "Ant Middleton | Biography". antmiddleton.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  23. Methven, Nicola (21 October 2015). "TV SAS star was jailed for violent assault on police". mirror. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  24. "Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton is a Rangers fan". The Evening Times. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  25. Brazier, Tori (19 May 2023). "Ant Middleton says UK audiences 'gagging' to have him back as he talks film role". Metro.
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  32. "SAS Australia show: Meet the celebrities who will test their limits". 7news.com.au. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  33. "Ant Middleton & Rebel Wilson: Straight Talking". sky.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  34. "Airdate: Million Dollar Island | TV Tonight". 4 June 2023.