One might have thought the war in Afghanistan wasn't a likely source of laughs but this BBC comedy attempts to prove otherwise. The titular Bluestone 42 is a mine clearance unit lead by Captain Nick Medhurst; an officer who, when he isn't defusing mines, is trying to seduce the new padre; an attractive blonde called Mary. The rest of the team is comprised of a couple of Scots who mock just about everything, a female signals operator, a corporal who is forever the butt of others jokes and another corporal who is incredible keen and precise in all he does. They get in a variety of situations; some deadly others involving larking around back at base.
I was initially unsure whether this would be any good; fearing it would either be puerile or just in poor taste as it turned out it was a little bit of both at times but that didn't matter as it was genuinely funny and had a likable cast of characters. It wasn't afraid to shock either in the opening episode an American travelling with them was shot and killed and the team continued to joke about his boasting about his time in Fallujah. There is a good dynamic between the team which felt believable and the cast do a fine job. It must be noted that most things here are strictly played for laughs; there is no deeper meaning like in M*A*S*H; that doesn't mean there aren't tense moments though; the final episode featured an edge of the seat scene where it looked as if a major character might be blown up by a car bomb. It must also be noted that the characters use realistically robust language that might offend some viewers. Over all I'd heartily recommend this and was pleased to learn that a second series is promised.
I was initially unsure whether this would be any good; fearing it would either be puerile or just in poor taste as it turned out it was a little bit of both at times but that didn't matter as it was genuinely funny and had a likable cast of characters. It wasn't afraid to shock either in the opening episode an American travelling with them was shot and killed and the team continued to joke about his boasting about his time in Fallujah. There is a good dynamic between the team which felt believable and the cast do a fine job. It must be noted that most things here are strictly played for laughs; there is no deeper meaning like in M*A*S*H; that doesn't mean there aren't tense moments though; the final episode featured an edge of the seat scene where it looked as if a major character might be blown up by a car bomb. It must also be noted that the characters use realistically robust language that might offend some viewers. Over all I'd heartily recommend this and was pleased to learn that a second series is promised.