Bluestone 42

A mix of black comedy and action, Bluestone 42 focused on the camaraderie between 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".

|-

! scope="row" | Private Kevin "Mac" McDowell

| Jamie Quinn

| colspan="3" {{CMain}}

|-

! scope="row" | Private Euan "Rocket" Armstrong

| Scott Hoatson

| colspan="3" {{CMain}}

|-

! scope="row" | Corporal Lynda Bird

| Katie Lyons

| colspan="3" {{CMain}}

|-

! scope="row" | Lance Corporal Simon "Skip" Lansley

| Stephen Wight

| colspan="3" {{CMain}}

|-

! scope="row" | Lieutenant Colonel Philip Smith

| Tony Gardner

| colspan="3" {{CMain}}

|-

! scope="row" | Reverend Mary Greenstock CF

| Kelly Adams

| colspan="2" {{CMain}}

| colspan="1" {{N/A|}}

|-

! scope="row" | Faruq Harrif

| Keeno Lee Hector

| colspan="3" {{CMain}}

|-

! scope="row" | Corporal Gordon "Towerblock" House

| Matthew Lewis

| colspan="1" {{N/A|}}

| colspan="2" {{CMain}}

|-

! scope="row" | Captain Ellen Best

| Laura Aikman

| colspan="2" {{N/A|}}

| colspan="1" {{CMain}}

|}

{{Series overview

|color1 = #000080

|link1 = #Series 1 (2013)

|episodes1 = 8

|start1 = {{Start date|2013|03|5|df=y}}

|end1 = {{End date|2013|04|23|df=y}}

| color1S = #00FFFF

| link1S = #Christmas Special (2013)

| linkT1S = Christmas Special

| start1S = {{Start date|2013|12|26|df=y}}

|color2 = #00FFFF

|link2 = #Series 2 (2014)

|episodes2 = 6

|start2 = {{Start date|2014|02|27|df=y}}

|end2 = {{End date|2014|03|27|df=y}}

|color3 = #20B2AA

|link3 = #Series 3 (2015)

|episodes3 = 6

|start3 = {{Start date|2015|03|9|df=y}}

|end3 = {{End date|2015|04|13|df=y}}

}}

{{Episode table|background=#000080|EpisodeNumber=|EpisodeNumber2=|Title=|DirectedBy=|WrittenBy=|OriginalAirDate=|episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Episode 1

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|03|5|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = A visit to Bluestone 42’s base from a CIA operative ends in disaster when he is killed by the Taliban. None of the unit show any signs of grief towards the deceased Colonel Carter, while Captain Nick Medhurst pretends to have felt nothing when Carter died as a way to seduce Mary, the new Padre, whom he takes an immediate liking to, but she quickly knocks him back.

| LineColor = #000080

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = Episode 2

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|03|12|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Nick is desperate to find some decent food to use in an attempt to seduce Mary, whilst Simon gets into trouble on roadside ops.

| LineColor = #000080

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = Episode 3

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|03|19|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = After Bluestone 42 join a midnight raid on a bomb factory and rescue a kidnapped Danish aid worker (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen), they find more than they bargained for. Simon tries to get a book deal for his memoir.

| LineColor = #000080

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Episode 4

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|03|26|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Mary reveals a secret about her past before she became a padre and Nick tries to take full advantage. Bird is offered a promotion.

| LineColor = #000080

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = Episode 5

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|04|2|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Nick tries to prove he is not superstitious to the padre, while Simon tries to earn respect by joining in dangerous homemade games with Mac and Rocket.

| LineColor = #000080

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = Episode 6

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|04|9|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Nick and Simon help each other to learn to dance, whilst the arrival of veterinary corps Captain Parikh reveals Bird as a terrible flirt.

| LineColor = #000080

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| EpisodeNumber2 = 7

| Title = Episode 7

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|04|16|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = A mortar attack on the patrol base sends Bluestone 42 diving for cover.

| LineColor = #000080

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| EpisodeNumber2 = 8

| Title = Episode 8

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|04|23|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Nick faces a gruelling challenge with a booby-trapped car bomb, while Simon finally stands up to his fiancée.

| LineColor = #000080

}}

}}

{{Episode table|background=#00FFFF|EpisodeNumber=|EpisodeNumber2=|Title=|DirectedBy=|WrittenBy=|OriginalAirDate=|episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Christmas Special

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|12|26|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = This episode was originally due to air on 23 December but was postponed after a British soldier was killed during active service in Afghanistan.

| LineColor = #00FFFF

}}

}}

{{Episode table|background=#00FFFF|EpisodeNumber=|EpisodeNumber2=|Title=|DirectedBy=|WrittenBy=|OriginalAirDate=|episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Episode 1

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2014|02|27|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Mac tries to get the camp's "filthiest bastard" award by lying about how he contracted crabs. Nick tries to bluff his way through a Glock Weapons Handling Test

| LineColor = #00FFFF

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = Episode 2

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2014|03|6|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = A blast from the past knocks Nick off his game. Bird tries to teach Mary a lesson that the padre is out of touch with the troops.

| LineColor = #00FFFF

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = Episode 3

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2014|03|13|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Nick and the Lt Colonel find themselves in a battle of wills. Rocket gets a pet rat.

| LineColor = #00FFFF

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Episode 4

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2014|03|20|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = The team gets a visit from a government minister, to whom Mary unexpectedly takes a shine.

| LineColor = #00FFFF

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 14

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = Episode 5

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2014|03|27|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Bird hatches a plan to stop Nick and Mary going on about each other once and for all.

| LineColor = #00FFFF

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 15

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = Episode 6

| DirectedBy = Iain B MacDonald

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2014|04|03|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Simon's lack of trust in Mac and Rocket comes back to bite him.

| LineColor = #00FFFF

}}

}}

{{Episode table|background=#20B2AA|EpisodeNumber=|EpisodeNumber2=|Title=|DirectedBy=|WrittenBy=|OriginalAirDate=|episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 16

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Episode 1

| DirectedBy = David Sant

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|03|9|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = We rejoin the Bluestone 42 team after the IED explosion has hit their Mastiff. Have they all survived?

| LineColor = #20B2AA

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 17

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = Episode 2

| DirectedBy = David Sant

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|03|16|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = The team are called out to a major operation, where events take a worrying turn when ATO, Captain Nick Medhurst fails to spot a secondary trigger on an IED whilst saving an infantryman snagged on a tripwire. Nick is medevacked to Bastion Hospital in critical condition while the rest of the team are stood down and return to their FOB to await news of Nick. Simon makes a life-changing discovery, and despite devastating news from the medical unit, the Colonel insists that the pub quiz night must go on and 'accidentally' reveals a clue to the location of the question sheet to the unit, thus starting a treasure hunt around the base (setup by the Colonel to take their minds off of Nick's condition).

| LineColor = #20B2AA

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 18

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = Episode 3

| DirectedBy = David Sant

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|03|23|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Bluestone 42 meets their new ATO Captain Ellen Best, who has replaced Nick for the remainder of the unit's tour. A certain new arrival on base attracts Simon's attention. Towerblock is put through his paces after challenging Rocket to a battle of the fittest

| LineColor = #20B2AA

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 19

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Episode 4

| DirectedBy = David Sant

| WrittenBy = James Cary & Mark Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|03|30|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = The team incur a major Taliban attack on their base while Simon suspects a member of the Afghan National Army who are there for bomb diffusion training. The attack distracts Ellen and Bird from their bickering and Towerblock from a difficult phone call to his wife. The team work together, alongside Simon's suspected ANA soldier, to foil a Green on Blue attack when another member of the ANA group lets four insurgents into the base. Rocket gets addicted to service issue orange-flavoured powdered squash during several interrupted dares.

| LineColor = #20B2AA

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 20

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = Episode 5

| DirectedBy = David Sant

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & Mark Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|04|6|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = Ellen has to learn to bend the rules, Mac and Rocket do gladiatorial combat and Bird sets Simon up for a fall.

| LineColor = #20B2AA

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 21

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = Episode 6

| DirectedBy = David Sant

| WrittenBy = Richard Hurst & James Cary

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|04|13|df=y}}

| ShortSummary = As the team prepare to leave Afghanistan for good, Simon receives some devastating news.

| LineColor = #20B2AA

}}

}}

Bluestone 42 has been met with positive reviews. In The Independent, James Rampton described the show as "The Hurt Locker meets Miranda" and said that it "strikes the right balance between edgy and entertaining".{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/bluestone-42-the-hurt-locker-meets-miranda-in-military-comedy-set-in-afghanistan-8519895.html|title=Bluestone 42: The Hurt Locker meets Miranda in military comedy set in Afghanistan|date=5 March 2013|accessdate=29 March 2013|work=The Independent|first=James|last=Rampton}} Rich Johnston of BleedingCool.com compared the show favourably to M*A*S*H.{{cite web|url=http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/28/bluestone-42-a-new-mash/|title=Bluestone 42 – A New M*A*S*H?|date=28 March 2013|accessdate=29 March 2013|work=BleedingCool.com|first=Rich|last=Johnston}} Corporal Daniel Whittingham, a British Army bomb disposal expert, said the series' black humour was "spot-on" and its action scenes "pretty accurate".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/mar/10/another-view-bluestone-42-bomb-disposal|title=A bomb disposal expert on the comedy Bluestone 42|date=16 March 2014|accessdate=10 March 2014|work=The Guardian|author=Laura Barnett}}

In December 2014 Series 1 was broadcast on the Australian ABC network, and online player ABC iView.[http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/bluestone-42/ Bluestone 42] ABC Programmes. Retrieved 9 February 2015

{{Reflist}}

• {{BBC programme}}
• {{IMDb title}}

Category:2010s British black comedy television series

Category:2010s British sitcoms

Category:2013 British television series debuts

Category:2015 British television series endings

Category:BBC television comedy

Category:British English-language television shows

Category:British military television series

Category:Military comedy television series

Category:Television shows set in Afghanistan

Category:Works about armies