Young Soldiers

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.

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

The first episode tells the story of the first five weeks of their six-month basic training course in Catterick, North Yorkshire. The recruits have to be broken in and come to terms with a tough new army regime which will turn them from civvies into soldiers.

They aren't allowed to leave the base, have limited access to their phones and will have to get used to a daily wake-up time of 5am. If they can survive the first five weeks without quitting then they will be deemed worthy enough to be awarded their regimental berets and pass off the square.

On the home front, the families of these new recruits are also adjusting to a new regime, as they struggle with the decision their sons have made to join the army at such a dangerous time and their inevitable deployment to Afghanistan.