Television personality and former soldier Ant Middleton is facing legal action from the Ministry of Defence, accused of breaching a lifelong confidentiality agreement by disclosing highly sensitive information about UK special forces on a public podcast.
The High Court Hearing
During a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Thursday 27 November 2025, barristers for the MoD successfully applied for a temporary injunction against Mr Middleton. The department claims the former SAS: Who Dares Wins presenter violated a contract he signed in 2008 upon joining the special forces.
Oliver Sanders KC, representing the MoD, told the court that Mr Middleton had given a solemn undertaking binding me for the rest of my life not to disclose any information relating to his special forces service without express prior written authority from the ministry.
The Podcast in Question
The alleged breach concerns an episode of the Mike Drop podcast titled Exposing The Quiet Split Between UK And US Forces, which was published on YouTube in July. The nearly four-hour episode, which has garnered over 147,000 views, included segments discussing the final stages of SAS selection and operational red tape in Afghanistan.
Mr Sanders stated that the disclosures included extremely sensitive references to weapons, international partners, and intelligence matters. He emphasised that the contract covers information regardless of its accuracy and that the MoD would neither confirm nor deny the truth of Mr Middleton's statements.
Middleton's Defence and the Judge's Ruling
Mr Middleton, who represented himself at the hearing and now lives in the United Arab Emirates, denies breaching the agreement. He argued that the legal action was sudden, severe, and disproportionate, telling the court he was not paid for the podcast appearance.
He stated that disclosing information that could endanger soldiers was against everything I have ever known or stood for, claiming the information he cited was easily obtainable via internet search or related to his time in the Royal Marines, which falls outside the special forces confidentiality contract.
Despite his opposition, Mr Justice Garnham granted the temporary injunction, stating he had no hesitation in doing so as refusing could cause significant harm to UK special forces. The injunction will remain in place until a full trial, scheduled for 3 March next year, where the MoD will seek a permanent injunction.
