TROOPS from Colchester will be at the centre of a revealing primetime ITV documentary set to air in the new year.

ITV has branded For The Paras: Men Of War, a "landmark series" providing an "intimate insight" on the elite Parachute regiment - who are trained to kill.

The 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, or 3 Para as they are widely known, are based in Colchester,

Producers Avanti Media were granted unprecedented access and spent 12 months filming all aspects of the regiment's world which turns raw recruits into elite soldiers.

Across three one hour episodes, viewers will see young men, many still in their late teenage years, pushed to the extremes of their endurance and learn vital skills - as they give their all to pass through the highly pressurised and often brutally demanding recruitment stage and be accepted into the regiment.

An ITV spokesman said: "The Paras: Men Of War will offer a unique perspective and unflinching account of what it takes to make the grade, as well as providing an intimate insight into the characters of the young men and the officers charged with transforming them into battle ready paratroopers, who are the first in to any conflict.

"Throughout the series they talk openly about their experiences both in training and in combat - and reflect on the challenges they face, providing an often disarming and enlightening view into the mindset of the soldiers and the reality of the unique culture of the Paras."

It is the first time since the early 1980s that the regiment, which is part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, has opened its doors to a network broadcaster.

Executive producer Nick Betts said: “The Paras are trained killers who’ve courted secrecy, controversy and admiration in equal measure, and who largely view all ‘media’ with extreme caution.

"The dialogue with the Regiment involved a long period of just listening, without filming - but then slowly the real men behind their identities as soldiers emerged. The ambition of the series was to show the raw, often brutal truth of why young men from all backgrounds desire to become Paratroopers. And in order to do this they must strip away the person they are, to become capable of killing.”