Richard Carlton Nauyokas (born 9 December 1962) is a British television personality, who between 2002 and 2006 appeared as a military instructor in several United Kingdom
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...
series which re-created British
National Service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The ...
military training from the 1950s. A former professional soldier with the British Army, he now runs a motivational training consultancy.
Early life & military career
Nauyokas was born and brought up in
Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
, in the county of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
. His father was a
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
airman based at
RAF Alconbury
Royal Air Force Alconbury or more simply RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station near Huntingdon, England. The airfield is in the civil parish of The Stukeleys, close to the villages of Great Stukeley, Little Stukeley, and Alconbur ...
, and his mother was English from Grantham. After his father had returned to the United States. He received his early formal education at Spitalgate (Church of England) Primary School, and
The Boys' Central School in Grantham, where his attendance was poor. Growing up in Grantham with his mother, who was afflicted with
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
, Nauyokas left the family home at the age of 15, living for some time on an
Irish Travellers
Irish Travellers ( ga, an lucht siúil, meaning "the walking people"), also known as Pavees or Mincéirs (Shelta: Mincéirí), are a traditionally peripatetic indigenous ethno-cultural group in Ireland.''Questioning Gypsy identity: ethnic na ...
' caravan site, and in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
, where he became involved in petty crime.
After a number of attempts to enlist with the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, which were obstructed by adverse reports from his school years and Police reports, he enlisted with the
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...
at the age of 18 as Private in 1980. He found a social stability and structure in military life that his childhood and youth had lacked. After 22 years of military service during which time he undertook duty as a driver, radio operator,
Physical Training Instructor
Physical training instructor (PTI) is a term used primarily in the British Armed Forces and British police, as well as some other Commonwealth countries, for an instructor in physical fitness.
United Kingdom
In the British Army, specialist Ph ...
and
Military Training Instructor, serving in
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
,
Bosnia and Germany, he retired from the British Army in 2001 with the senior non-commissioned rank of
Warrant Officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...
Class 2 (
Squadron Sergeant Major).
Nauyokas subsequently served as a
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
reservist non-commissioned officer, including a period on the staff at
RAF College Cranwell
The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...
in 2012.
Television career
After retiring from the Army he attempted to commence a career as an
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
. After repeated auditions for parts with little success he unsuccessfully applied for the role of Sergeant-Major in the 2002 in a new
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
historical military reality television series ''
Lads Army'', but was given instead the role of one of the
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...
s in charge of one of the two
sections in the programme,
after himself receiving training as a 1950s British Army non-commissioned officer.
He joined the show as corporal in charge of 1 Section, a role he continued to play during the subsequent ''
Bad Lads Army
''Lads' Army'' (known in later series as ''Bad Lads' Army'', ''Bad Lads' Army: Officer Class'' and ''Bad Lads' Army: Extreme'') is a reality game show that constitutes a historically derived social experiment. Shown on ITV, the series is bas ...
'' series in 2004, 2005 and 2006 alongside
Joe Murray.
Nauyokas has also appeared on television as a fitness instructor in the
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...
show "
There's Something About Miriam
''There's Something About Miriam'' is a British reality television series broadcast by Sky1. The six-episode series premiered on 22 February 2004 and concluded on 24 March 2004. Set in Ibiza, Spain, the series depicted six men in competition ...
" (2004) and as an interviewee in "Greatest Ever 80s Movies" (2008).
Film career
In 2021 Nauyokas appeared in the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
film ''
The War Below
''The War Below'' is a 2021 British war film directed by J.P. Watts, in his directorial debut, and written by Watts and Thomas Woods. It was released in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2021. The film is also distributed in Germany, France, Gree ...
'' The film is an historical drama, set in 1917, about a group of miners who are tasked with tunnelling beneath
no man's land, to set explosives below the German front line in an effort to break the stalemate of the
Battle of Messines. (1917). Nauyokas appears alongside
Tom Goodman-Hill
Tom Goodman-Hill is an English actor of film, television, theatre and radio.
Early life
Brought up near Newcastle upon Tyne, he qualified as a teacher before turning to acting. During his time in Newcastle, he regularly acted in amateur perform ...
and
Andrew Scarborough
Andrew Scarborough (born 30 November 1973) is an English actor, most widely known for his starring role on screen as Tim Drewe in the multi BAFTA and Emmy award-winning ''Downton Abbey'' he also Co-starred as Colonel Fielding in the Film ‘ ...
. Scarborough plays
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Fielding who is determine to ensure the miners abide by the rules of Military Discipline and Nauyokas is the Sergeant he uses to instil that discipline.
Business career
In 2005 Nauyokas set up 'Not All Bad, Ltd.', a company based in
Bourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the eastern slopes of the limestone Kesteven Uplands and the western edge of the Fens, 11 miles (18 km) north-east of Stamford, 12 mil ...
, providing motivational and
Team building
Team building is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks. It is distinct from team training, which is designed by a combine of business ...
physical training courses for a variety of clientele, ranging from private individuals to corporate entities, and working with
H.M. Prison Service in the rehabilitation of young offenders and prison inmates.
[Nauyokas directing the 'Snickers Walnut Challenge Physical Endurance trial' video (2010), uploaded on to Youtube 23 March 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSQUacNwGAU]
References
External links
*
''Not All Bad'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nauyokas, Richard
1962 births
Living people
British people of American descent
English male television actors
People from Grantham
Royal Logistic Corps soldiers
People from Billingborough