Countdown to Afghanistan

This is one of the most dangerous times to join the British Army, with nearly 380 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan and over 1,700 seriously injured, and yet thousands of young men from all over the country still want to join.

This series charts the lives of four new recruits and their families on their journey from day one basic training through to frontline combat in Helmand.

Darren Meads and Andrew Forti have now graduated as British soldiers and are preparing to join their new battalion, 1 Rifles, in a six-month countdown to their deployment to Afghanistan.

Their company Commander, Major Carl Boswell, aka Chuckles, has to prepare Meads, Forti and the rest of the 110 men of A company, for frontline combat.

As the deployment date gets closer, the stark reality of deploying to such a dangerous war zone starts to hit home for all the soldiers and their families.