MEETING Andy McNab face-to-face is a surreal experience. His public persona has been cloaked in mystery for well over a decade now.

His face has never appeared in a newspaper, magazine or on TV due to his SAS past (he is still on the hitlists of several terrorist organisations).

Yet the finer details of his life story, and its countless fascinating aspects, are known to millions.

So to be greeted by the jolly face of McNab on the night of his talk at Bovington Tank Museum is like finally finding the final piece to a jigsaw.

Although arriving late for the lecture, which has attracted the museum's largest ever crowd, he is happy to find five minutes to chat. Any preconceptions of a man left hard-nosed and stern-faced by his experiences in the services are soon blown away.

For a start, he is relentlessly positive about everything that has happened to him, about today's soldiers, even about living partially under a shadow of anonymity.

"I once tried doing a book signing and there was an incendiary device found, so it's just being sensible," he said.

"I don't go around hiding in doorways."

McNab's name was made by his first novel Bravo Two Zero - his harrowing first-hand account of a failed SAS mission in Iraq. With his wealth of combat experience, he has visited both Iraq and Afghanistan recently, partially in his capacity as director of a private security firm, but also in an advisory role.

Although not willing to be drawn on the politics of the conflicts, save for the "political points scoring" of the announcements of troop withdrawal, McNab was glowing in his praise of British soldiers.

"A 20-year-old rifleman is now getting exposed to more shots and shelling than a World War Two soldier," he said.

"They are in contact every 36 hours and they are going to bring that experience through with them, so the next generation is going to be fantastic.

"It really is a golden age for the Army.

"These young lads are making the military the best time of their lives."

McNab even admits he was a touch envious of the lads on the front line in the Middle East, but at least managed to pick up some material for his latest novel Crossfire.

Nick Stone, star of his previous fiction works, returns in a story based around Basra and Kabul and another chilling account of conflict and espionage seems assured.

McNab's influence in Hollywood, seemingly a world away from the war-torn Middle East, is also growing.

After working on blockbusters Heat and Black Hawk Down, Stone is due to be brought to life on the big screen next year.

It's no wonder that despite having seen and endured things the majority of us can never begin to imagine, McNab says he wouldn't change a thing about his life.

"Why would I want to change anything?" he said "I felt lucky to get into the Army and extremely privileged to be in the SAS. I've had the opportunity to do books and film.

"It's like any job - on Tuesday everything is rubbish and by Thursday its great."

  • Bovington Tank Museum's 2007-08 lecture series continues until July.

For a full programme of events visit tankmuseum.org and call 01929 462369 to book.

To join the Friends of the Tank Museum, contact Angie King on 01929 403932 or visit tankmuseum.org to download an application form.