"We should be proud": Ross Kemp on his Afghan experience

No-nonsense actor Ross Kemp has forged a reputation for playing some of television's grittiest and most uncompromising characters over his years on stage and screen.

Taking on roles such as bully boy Grant Mitchell in BBC soap East Enders and the tough-talking Sgt Henry 'Henno' Garvie in ITV drama Ultimate Force, he has always been in the thick of the action in his screen roles.

But when the actor found himself in Afghanistan's real-life war zone, and embedded with British troops fighting a cunning and ruthless terrorist enemy, he admitted cowering in the dirt with fear as bullets and grenades zipped over his head:

"In that situation your human instincts take over," Ross admitted. "You honestly just want the ground to swallow you up and don't want the next round to hit."

By all accounts, the fictional characters played by the 43-year-old Essex-born actor have been more than adept at dodging bullets as well as dishing out their own punishment. Tough, violent and occasionally on the wrong side of the law, the likes of Henno Garvie are well accustomed to using brawn and guns to get their way.

It was a desire, however, to find out more about the British soldier at the sharp end of the war against global terrorism that was to lead Ross to southern Afghanistan's notorious Helmand province and on ops against the Taliban.

After winning a BAFTA award for his Sky TV series 'Ross Kemp on Gangs', the actor came up with the idea of embedding himself with the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, for a snapshot of life on the front line.

He joined the Vikings – the same outfit in which his father had served – for training on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. Then he deployed to Helmand for two months of action in operations to smash the Taliban's control of the region.

His in-theatre exploits have been shown during the Sky One documentary, Ross Kemp in Afghanistan, which completed its run last night, Monday 18 February 2008. Filmed in high-definition, it is a gritty portrayal of a high-intensity and often unforgiving tour:

"I had felt for some time that if you are going to send young men into environments like Afghanistan, they should have a voice," said Ross. "A lot of the time you hear from guys who have been taught media handling at Sandhurst.

"But we've never heard from a squaddie, a young 18-year-old boy, explaining what it is like to be a British soldier in Afghanistan – about what it is like to live with mum and dad one minute and then leave for foreign climes."

Nothing could prepare the actor, however, for his baptism of fire in Op Lastay Kulang last year. Having already driven past a concealed improvised explosive device that later claimed the life of one of the battalion, his film crew found themselves pinned down by bullets and rocket propelled grenades as troops engaged Taliban compounds near Sangin:

"Fear is an unquantifiable thing – the next bump in the road could be an IED and you don't know whether a friendly aircraft will drop bombs where it is supposed to," said Ross.

"But I will never forget that day face down in a field for the rest of my life.

"I was led to believe in Gulf Wars One and Two that battles are fought electronically, but if you are going to win then you have to have men on the ground."

It was only after the intervention of an Apache attack helicopter and ferocious fighting on the ground that the film crew broke contact.

Exhausted after combat and operating in a searing 50C heat, Ross was deaf with an ear infection and near-immobilised with cracked feet by the time the soldiers were extracted to the main British base at Camp Bastion.

Unbeaten, however, the actor and his crew would battle on for the full eight weeks, recording an enduring picture of life in the field, before they left theatre.

Ross, who trained as an actor at London's Webber Douglas Academy and has appeared in several high-profile roles since making his screen debut in the mid-1980s, admitted his time in Helmand had been a mix of elation and tragedy.

While privileged to have experienced the close-knit community of men at war, he also experienced the low points when troops in the battalion were killed. After his return home, the actor met the mum of a young soldier who died and admitted he was deeply affected at the sacrifices made by the troops and their families:

"I was very proud of all these young men and the job they were doing, and I hope that people will now appreciate them a bit better," Ross emphasised. "I found the soldiers to be intelligent, witty and very aware of the political situation."

"My documentary is about what it is like to be a British soldier in Afghanistan. People are risking their lives every day, and facing a continuous onslaught. We should be incredibly proud of them."

This article first appeared in the February 2008 issue of Soldier - The magazine of the British Army