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Anything Goes with James English

Afghanistan Sniper: The Killer Behind the Scope - Ted Shirley Opens Up

Anything Goes with James English

James English

Society & Culture

4.53K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2025

⏱️ 92 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Anything Goes with James English Ep 507   Afghanistan Sniper: The Killer Behind the Scope - Ted Shirley Opens Up You can contact James on his social media platforms. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ http://instagram.com/jamesenglish2 https://x.com/jamesenglish0 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577060205838 https://www.tiktok.com/@jamesenglishpodcast?_t=ZN-8z0ZI6MBb9C&_r=1 https://open.spotify.com/show/4PIErllOO06wFHyX4LkGLH?si=c36a8b3f513d4316 https://itunes.apple.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

You can now follow me in all my social media platforms to find out who my latest guest will be

0:11.8

and don't forget to click the subscribe button and the notifications bell so you're notified

0:17.6

for when my next podcast goes live.

0:34.2

Boom we're on.

0:35.9

And today's guest will get Ted Shirley.

0:36.7

Ted, how are we?

1:14.8

Yes, very good, bro. Thank you for having me, mate. Thanks for coming on. My pleasure. Afghanistan sniper. Done a lot of damage, a lot of ups and downs. Yes. A lot of mad stories. You've got a new book coming out which will promote straight away. What's the book about and where can people buy it? Yes, everywhere. Absolutely. So yeah, it's called Afghanistan Sniper, Trauma on the Frontline and Beyond. Catchy. When's that's book out? It comes on November 30th this year, which is rapidly approaching, mate, to be honest. There's so much getting done behind the scenes, it's great. Has it going to be a pre-sale yeah it's on pre-sail now yeah 20% off actually at the minute that's what it's all about everyone there loves a little barding bro

1:18.6

before we can tell the madness so I always like to go back to the start of my guests

1:23.2

get more of a bit of understanding about you ted where you grew up and how it all began

1:27.1

yeah so I'm from north Wales, North Wales coast, very dainty little town.

1:32.6

Once used to be thriving, but not so much anymore.

1:36.7

Childhood was great, mate.

1:38.0

I was a very happy little kid.

1:40.8

As you can see, I've always got a smile on my face.

1:43.9

Family life was great. Everything was good.

1:46.8

And my entire childhood was geared up to live a life in the military. So as soon as I could at

1:54.1

16, I joined up and off I went. Through family, friends, anyone else serving the army?

2:16.1

My dad had been in the Falklands War, yeah, in the Navy, so hearing stories off him, that inspired me, because, you know, he had some of the most amazing stories, and I wanted them, I wanted to live those things and meet those people and see these places out on the world, you know?

2:17.6

So he was over in Argentina when?

2:35.3

Was that in 1988? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Long time. The only reason I know that, because I interviewed a sniper just a couple of days. I interviewed somebody yesterday we were talking about it. I knew it was the 80s. Oh, yeah? Listen, I'm not that nausea, bro. I'm going to say that was well, did. Yeah. There was a bat of damage done then.

2:37.1

Yeah, so yeah.

2:51.2

It's not so much on my first tour, my second tour of Afghan. Not in Argentina with your dad. Was how many war stories? Oh, there. Not so much. No, he always kept it quite close to his chest, to be fair. It was something that, I don't know whether he did dying on purpose or not. But I heard about the good stuff. It wasn't until I was in already that he sort of opened up a little bit about it, but not too much, you know. Yeah, I don't think he wanted to put me off. I think that was the way it was back then with me. They just bottled everything up. Absolutely. You really get many interviews

...

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