Just back from another day's filming. We are in constant danger as we film this programme. I nearly got shot on one occasion. The crew and I went out with the soldiers every single day, and on one occasion we were ambushed by the Taliban. I ended up lying face down in a field with AK-47 guns firing off shots all around me. My first thought was, "I don't want to die!" I was lying flat on the ground, trying to make myself as small as I could. Nothing I've ever experienced could have prepared me for the reality of getting shot at. Knowing that someone is trying to kill you doesn't happen to most people - and when it does, you realise that nobody has ever come close to replicating the sound of bullets cutting through the air in films or on television.
Before going to Afghanistan, me and my crew (director, cameraman and sound man) trained with The First Battalion of The Royal Anglian Regiment in Salisbury. They taught us how to handle weapons, too. It was a very sobering thing to learn but, as British citizens, it's our right to defend ourselves in a war zone.
Despite living with the constant fear of getting killed, the crew and I laughed a lot - even after we were shot at. It sounds childish but it's the reaction you have when you feel unbelievable relief at not being hurt.
The soldiers fight for 23 days straight in heat that's so intense your sweat makes your clothes tear and pretty much rot off you. You're in the same underwear and socks for days, so you get athlete's foot. You can't be proud - after all, you have to go to the loo in front of other people after you've dug yourself a hole. But when people around you are getting hurt, burnt, losing limbs or lives, you don't complain about the small things. When they watch the show I hope everyone back home realises how hard it is out there and how incredibly brave British soldiers are. It's a clichéd thing to say but I've seen boys become men in front of my eyes.
My mum was worried about me, of course. Later I met the grieving families of British soldiers and that's hard to handle. Some were prepared to talk to us on camera. I'm glad, because they have a right to tell their stories. I can honestly say, after Afghanistan, I'll never take anything in my life for granted again.
