Bluestone 42
| Bluestone 42 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre |
Comedy drama Sitcom |
| Written by |
Richard Hurst James Cary |
| Starring | |
| Composer(s) | Vince Pope |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 21 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Stephen McCrum |
| Producer(s) | Michelle Farr |
| Location(s) | South Africa |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | BBC Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Three |
| Picture format | 16:9 1080i |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 5 March 2013 – 13 April 2015 |
| External links | |
| Production website | |
Bluestone 42 was a comedy drama series about a British bomb disposal detachment in Afghanistan during Operation Herrick, first broadcast on 5 March 2013 on BBC Three. Filmed in South Africa, the show focuses on the camaraderie between the soldiers, situational comedy, bureaucracy, conflicts of interests and relationships, and is contrasted with the deadly situations the soldiers are required to defuse. The show's name refers to the unit's call-sign, and is rendered verbally as "Bluestone Four-Two."
The third and final series began on 9 March 2015 and ended on 13 April 2015. In July 2015, Cary and Hurst confirmed the show would not return for a fourth series. They cited BBC Three's impending move to online, and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan as contributing towards the show having 'run its course.'
A major plot arc revolved around a will-they-won't-they relationship between the Captain Nick Medhurst, Bluestone 42's Ammunition Technical Officer, and Major Mary Greenstock, the Padre at Patrol Base Frost, the Forward operating base where Bluestone 42 is based. This involves Nick's repeated attempts at romance which are half-heartedly shrugged off by Mary. New character Corporal Gordon "Towerblock" House is introduced at the end of Series 1. His dislike of Nick for being of a higher social class than him leads to confrontations, with Towerblock labeling Nick a "Rupert" (a mostly derogatory term for an upper-class officer). This is soon resolved after a close encounter with the Taliban.
Minor story-lines often involve Scottish Privates Kevin "Mac" McDowell and Euan "Rocket" Armstrong, and the bizarre activities they invent to while away the time, described by another character as "Stupid, dangerous and often quite unhygienic".
During the second episode, Medhurst is badly injured when trying to defuse an IED, his injuries lead to him losing a leg. It is during this ordeal that Corporal Lynda Bird's true feelings for Nick manifest and she is visibly the most upset by Nick's injury.
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Wikipedia