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Jason Fox, the longest-serving instructor on SAS: Who Dares Wins, has a secret plan to prepare England's footballers for the World Cup this summer.
This involves booking them onto his TV programme and putting them through the wringer at the hands of himself and his fellow tough-nut ex-servicemen. 'I think it's a great idea,' says Arsenal fan Jason. 'There needs to be a bit of that.'
He reckons that facing France or Argentina in the United States would be a doddle for Harry Kane and co after living rough without their Bentleys and Rolexes, tackling challenges while special forces veterans scream in their faces.
'The only issue is that people do get injured,' says Jason, 49. A smile creases his rugged features. 'It might have to be a five-a-side World Cup after we've finished with them!'
Jason has been with Who Dares Wins from the start 11 years ago, and also the celebrity version which began in 2019. Who's been the worst 'recruit' on the programme? 'The person who really let himself down was John Barrowman,' he says of the Doctor Who and Torchwood star who appeared in 2024.
'He just turned up and immediately went again,' recalls Jason. 'He didn't do any of it. Maybe he thought, "I don’t need to do this", but he could have at least done a day. He didn’t even do four hours. It was disappointing.'
Jason Fox, the longest-serving instructor on SAS: Who Dares Wins, has a secret plan to prepare England's footballers for the World Cup this summer.
This involves booking them onto his TV programme and putting them through the wringer at the hands of himself and his fellow tough-nut ex-servicemen. 'I think it's a great idea,' says Arsenal fan Jason. 'There needs to be a bit of that.'
Who's been the worst 'recruit' on the programme? 'The person who really let himself down was John Barrowman. He just turned up and immediately went again.'
Jason, aka 'Foxy', a former Royal Marine Commando and sergeant in the Special Boat Service, is embarking on a fresh challenge of his own - taking a new one-man show called Embrace The Chaos to theatres around the UK this spring.
He'll be talking about his close shaves in the forces, his TV career, the adventures he's signed up for since returning to civvy street and his struggles with mental illness. There'll be plenty of laughs and perhaps even a manly tear or two.
But Jason didn't find it easy treading the boards on his first tour a few years ago. 'It's more stressful doing the live show than it is getting shot at,' he says. 'I'm not as bad now, but when I think back to my first performance in 2022 I was a bag of nerves.
'I put a lot of pressure on myself, I want to do well, I want people to get something from it. But I learnt to enjoy it and I'm looking forward to this one. That said, there are still anxieties around delivering a good show, but I think it's healthy anxiety.'
On stage, Jason will tell stories, including one about an incredible escape from enemy fire. 'I don't want to give too much away but there's some hairy moments when I talk about getting shot at and nothing hitting me. It almost felt like there was a perfect outline on the wall behind me in bullet holes, Tom and Jerry style.
'I talk about how it felt - and how we laughed and joked about it afterwards. This show is about being able to bring a lighter touch to serious moments, like when me and the lads rowed across the Atlantic.'
Ten years ago, Jason broke records as part of the first team to row unsupported from Europe to South America, covering 3,308 nautical miles in a little over seven weeks.
'There were times when we thought we were going to die. We were in big seas; we capsized. We did what we needed to do to get ourselves out of that situation, but the minute it’s safe we’d have a laugh about it. It’s a coping mechanism and it works.'
Jason said John Barrowman didn't even attempt the military training for a few hours, let alone complete a full day.
Jason, aka 'Foxy', a former Royal Marine Commando and sergeant in the Special Boat Service, is embarking on a fresh challenge of his own - taking a new one-man show called Embrace The Chaos to theatres around the UK this spring.
Jason (R) will be talking about his close shaves in the forces, his TV career, the adventures he's signed up for since returning to civvy street and his struggles with mental illness.
The ex-military men who appear on the show have no say over who Channel 4 books, but Jason has a novel idea for the format. 'We should put it to the public vote,' he says.
Like Strictly, but with fewer sequins? 'Well, maybe we do it the opposite way; we let the public cast the show. And then people haven't got a choice; they've got to do it like jury service!'
He's open about his own mental health struggles, which have included PTSD and suicidal thoughts. 'My time in service was a catalyst. I'm not going to say it didn't have any impact going away and doing stressful stuff.
'But for me it was all the other stuff that was going on: home life; not holding a relationship together; having kids; getting divorced; no money - all those things I'd never been taught to deal with. I took my eye off the ball with them and that's why it all came to a head.'
He can talk to his comrades on the show about his issues, he says. 'Sometimes there's a bit of tough love that comes from them.
'We're good friends and every now and again when times are hard, I'll phone one up and, I suppose, bleat to them, ask for advice, ask for an ear to listen to my rubbish.'
The ex-military men who appear on the show have no say over who Channel 4 books, but Jason has a novel idea for the format. 'We should put it to the public vote,' he says.
Jason believes that Celebrity SAS stars should be chosen by the public - and have no choice about appearing on the show.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins slapped with whopping 1,100 Ofcom complaints for 'racial stereotypes'
Jason and his third wife, Jules, welcomed his third child, Jack, eight months ago.
How is he handling being a dad again in his late forties? 'When Jack came along, I said, "It's easier being older", but it isn’t. It’s just more fun.
‘I’ve got an older daughter, and when she was born I was never at home. And she was born ill [her condition has never been disclosed], it was stressful. I was worried about money.
‘You just worry more when you’re younger because you don’t really know what’s going on. It’s not that I know what’s going on now! But I’m better prepared and more present. And different things are more important now.’
Jason Fox is on tour across the UK from 10 March with new show Embrace The Chaos.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is available to stream on Channel 4.