Updated: 14 May 2021, 6:49 Rod McPhee Invalid Date, MELVYN Downes’ death stare is enough to make recruits quake in their boots, so it’s easy to see why the makers of SAS: Who Dares Wins wanted him in their arsenal. The Channel 4 show’s latest addition to the team of tough-guy taskmasters, as revealed by The Sun this month, risked his life fighting for Britain during three decades in the military — 12 of them in the SAS. 9 New SAS: Who Dares Wins star Melvyn DownesCredit: Pete Dadds/Channel 4 Melvyn was involved in a harrowing mission during the first Gulf War, while part of the Staffordshire Regiment, in which he came under heavy fire, so rest assured, 56-year-old Melvyn has more than earned his place.