Millions of TV viewers are to hear the strange story of how former Shropshire soldier Richard Chatwin could have an angel from another dimension to thank for saving his life.

Mr Chatwin, of Burtondale, Brookside, Telford, survived a gun attack at the age of 20 when he was serving in the Army, but the incident could have ended in tragedy, had it not been for a mystery, disembodied voice.

He was reaching for a gun rack in the back of a Land Rover when the unearthly voice told him not to, seconds before a bullet which would have surely killed him smashed into the rack.

Mr Chatwin’s story is to feature on a new TV series called Angels. The series, hosted by Gloria Hunniford begins tonight at 9pm on Sky Real Lives, although his case will not be featured until next Friday.

Viewers will hear how in 1976 Richard was aged 20 and working as a trooper in Northern Ireland and on one particular night he was out on patrol driving his Land Rover in Cookstown, County Tyrone. The patrol was setting up roadblocks when the soldiers were ambushed and Mr Chatwin and his commander got out as shots were ricocheting off the vehicle.

Mr Chatwin said he had to get his rifle out the rack in the rear of the car and as he reached in he heard a voice say “Stop”. It wasn’t a normal voice, and Richard finds it hard to explain, but he describes it as commanding but soft.

He stopped in his tracks just as a bullet entered the rear of the vehicle, ricocheted off the radio, hit the gun rack, went through the steering wheel and exited the window screen.

Mr Swanton said if he had continued leaning in to retrieve his gun the flak jacket he was wearing would have been useless. He said: “I am positive about the voice I heard.”

Mr Chatwin said: “I don’t believe in angels, as in people dressed in white and with wings as everyone pictures them, but I do believe something spiritual happened to me that night.”