BBC’s Soldier viewers have a major complaint about teenagers being subjected to a brutal army boot camp

BBC viewers had a major complaint after watching the first episode of intense reality series Soldier last night.

The BBC One series follows some of the boys and girls who went through the army recruitment process last year and watches them try to complete their training at Camp Catterick.

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Right from the start of the episode, it became clear that some of the recruits have no idea what to expect.

“Some of them treat it like a summer camp. “They will think they are in Pontins and soon they will find out that they are not,” Catterick, training officer Lieutenant Wahab, warned in the first minutes.

Some of the recruits are only 16 and 17 years old when they arrive at the training camp and learn how to kill with guns and knives.

Lieutenant Wahab noted, “They are going to have to go through tremendous personal change, and some of them are not going to make it.”

He added: “It’s a shock to the system when they get here. They are told what to eat, when to eat, when to go to the bathroom, when to drink, where to sleep, when to go to sleep – every part of their life is managed by us and then you see the first fluctuations.”

The recruits are pushed to their limits during training, which Private Statton says was completely different than he imagined.

“You are not prepared for this. It’s a shock for you, regardless of age. It has nothing to do with the movies, “Hacksaw Ridge”, it’s completely different. “It’s pretty scary, it’s pretty intimidating, the reality of becoming a soldier, it’s a lot to take in,” the soldier admitted.

He explained that during his training he became very aware of his mortality. “It’s not like Call of Duty, it’s reality – you can’t just get shot and respawn,” he said.

Meanwhile, shortly after arriving at Camp Catterick, 22-year-old Private Wilson threw in the towel and admitted that the army was not for him.

“I thought it was going to be a lot easier mentally, I guess. I realize I’m not that mentally strong, you could say,” he said in the episode.

The training in last night’s episode was fast-paced. One moment the recruits were being shown how to load and handle an SA80 assault rifle, and the next moment they were given a bayonet (a knife that attaches to a rifle) and told to attack a mannequin while inflicting maximum aggression demonstrate.

Some viewers were amazed at the type of training they had to undergo, but their biggest complaint was about the choice of language used in the army.

One viewer commented on social media: “It’s terrible swearing.”

“So, soldier, is this possible without swearing?” another asked, while a third wondered: “What’s the point of swearing, especially from the staff?”

“Why do the coaches lack vocabulary? Every second word is F***? a fourth viewer added.

However, other viewers believe the fiery language is par for the course in the army.

“Absolutely PMSL to people complaining about swearing,” one viewer remarked.

“They train with the likelihood of bullets flying past their heads when deployed and people moaning about a few hurt words,” another replied.

SolDier airs on BBC One on Thursdays at 9pm.