User:FishLoveHam/Our Girl

Our Girl is a British military drama series written and created by Tony Grounds. Its feature-length pilot episode was first broadcast on BBC One on 24 March 2013. The series initially starred Lacey Turner as Molly Dawes, a young working-class woman, who joins the British Army after deciding her life is going down the drain. Following the feature-length pilot episode, a full series of five episodes was commissioned, commencing broadcast on 21 September 2014.

Turner left her role after the first series, and was replaced by Michelle Keegan as the lead character, Lance Corporal Georgie Lane. The second five-episode series began airing on 7 September 2016. An extended third series, comprising 12 episodes, was commissioned in 2017. The first four episodes, known as the Nepal Tour, began broadcasting on 10 October 2017. The remaining eight episodes aired consecutively from 5 June 2018, with Olly Rix joining the cast as new special forces Captain "Bones" McClyde. In January 2019, it was confirmed by the BBC that Keegan would return for a fourth series of six parts; she also announced that this would be her last series. It began broadcasting on 24 March 2020. Following Keegan's departure, it was announced in August 2020 that the fourth series of Our Girl was its last.

Pilot (2013)
On 18 October 2012, it was announced that Lacey Turner would star in an upcoming 90-minute television drama following a young army recruit, with the pilot set to focus on Turner's character through army training and into service in Afghanistan. Series writer and creator Tony Grounds teased: "This is a film about a female combatant but she is also a daughter and a sister. Every soldier is a citizen first and we explore their choices that lead them to an Army training camp and how the ensuing months will change their lives for ever". Turner added the upcoming drama was "a beautifully written drama of one girl's journey through life". Scenes of basic training were filmed at Army Training Centre Pirbright and scenes taking place inside aircrafts were filmed at the Royal Air Force Museum Midlands.

Grounds was enticed to commision the plot after realising that "no conscript is merely a soldier - they are someone's child or sibling, parent or spouse". Grounds said that the concept was in his mind when he visited an army base and was told of a young woman who "was angry as a feral cat" at the start of her basic training, only to become a strong and competent combat medic who served in Afghanistan. He described this woman as "calm, logical, professional and a genuine life saver" as she had "found the 'thing' she was brilliant at". Grounds disclosed that he "had always wanted to write about the young and disenfranchised finding the 'thing' they are brilliant at", and aimed to make it hopeful as he believed "there is something that everyone can excel at". The pilot was commissioned after John Yorke, an executive from the BBC drama department, asked if Grounds had any ideas for Turner. Grounds pitched a plot based on the combat medic as a result. The idea was commissioned with Ken Horn being brought in as producer and David Drury being brought in to direct it. The pilot was completed three years after the initial meeting.

Series 1 (2014)
After the pilot episode aired, it was announced that a five-episode television series which would continue the story had been commissioned. For the new series, Grounds aimed to capture the experiences of foot soldiers in Afghanistan, commenting that it allowed opportunities to explore the issues faced by them. It was set to air in 2014 and follow Molly through her first deployment as an army medic while the British Army withdraw from Afghanistan, with Turner reprising her role. BBC One controller Charlotte Moore teased the upcoming series would be "a rite-of-passage story about a young soldier" and would "follow the extreme life-changing experiences [Molly] is forced to face both on tour and when she returns back home". The series was commissioned by Moore and Ben Stephenson, Controller of Drama Commissioning. The executive producers were Caroline Skinner and Tony Grounds. Horn returned as producer and the new series was directed by Anthony Philipson and Richard Senior. Grounds hoped viewers of the series would understand what it was like to be stationed in Afghanistan as a young person: "It's more than just joining the army. You want the audience to sympathise with the soldiers but also love Afghanistan as well with a bit of hope and a way forward".

Despite being set in Afghanistan, the first series was filmed over a 49-day period in a wildlife reserve called the Serra Della Camp in the Bonte Bok mountain range in South Africa. Horn explained that some days of production were impossible to work in due to strong winds in the area, as some buildings were blown over and production equipment was often damaged. To account for the buildings, specialist teams were brought in to attatch steel hawsers to act as guy ropes to prevent serious damage. Horn admitted that despite the constant rebuilding of sets, the show's construction team, who were from South Africa, had "a great 'can do' attitude" due to being used to the climate. While construction was being developed, the actors underwent training for the seris, which went on for approximately 10 months.

Series 2 (2016)
In June 2015, it was announced that series 2 had begun production. The second series was commissioned by Charlotte Moore and Polly Hill. Executive producers were announced to be Caroline Skinner and Tony Grounds, and directors by Jan Matthys and Luke Snellin. Grounds also returned as writer. and teased the series taking place in a Kenyan refugee camp close to the Kenya/Somalia border, and focus on their conflict. Grounds called it "both daunting and exciting" to have a new series of Our Girl enter production. Grounds based the new series in Kenya as he believed its conflict with Somalia would be "an incredible setting for drama", and the characters would have never "faced anything like the situation they are confronted with". Actor Ben Aldridge confirmed that the refugee camp in the show was based on Dadaab. Keegan also confirmed that the mission was a humanitarian one and would last over a six-week period for 2-Section, and that the new series would contain nods to the original one. It was teased that the characters would quickly find the mission to be "full of surprises".

Series 2 was filmed near Cape Town in South Africa. Skinner explained that it looked different from the first series because the area was "dustier" and a more "desert-like just terrain 20 minutes outside of Cape Town". Skinner called South Africa "an incredible place to film". The Kenyan refugee camp in the show was a township in real life, with locals being used as extras. Series 2 began filming in January 2016. Actors had to attend boot camp in the UK for a few weeks to prepare. After that, they did another week of it in South Africa to get the cast used to the heat and uniforms. Advisors were employed to ensure military accuracy and to help the actors through the hardships of filming. Actors often performed their own stunts, including Keegan, who called them "very physical", but found it to be "liberating", despite finding them "quite extreme". Real weapons were used to train the actors. 

Casting
For the pilot, Lacey Turner was cast as Molly Dawes, whom the actress described as "an interesting character who shows such strength and determination". A BBC spokesperson billed Molly as "colourful, unique and powerful". After the pilot's success spawned the followup series, Turner reprised her role as Molly, describing her as "feisty", "disobedient", and "passionate", but that her character had become "more grown up". Turner was accompanied by two new main characters, Captain James and Dylan "Smurf" Smith, played by Ben Aldridge and Iwan Rheon, respectively, who would be involved in a love triangle with Molly. Aldridge described his character as "an interesting mix of authority and fun", possessing a "laissez-faire attitude". Rheon billed Smurf as a "conflicted" "golden boy" who was "smitten" with Molly.

After Turner left the show to return to her role as Stacey Slater on EastEnders, it was announced that Michelle Keegan had been cast as Georgie Lane, a new protagonist for the series. Keegan described her new role as a "big but exciting challenge". Keegan disclosed that to prepare for Georgie, she had met with army medics to hear their stories to gain a better understanding of her character. Keegan described her character as follows: "Georgie is an experienced army medic. She is good at her job, very professional and she knows what she wants in her life. Georgie puts her work first and not afraid to get stuck in, especially with the lads as well. I wouldn't say she is the alpha, but she doesn't take anything lying down". After Grounds hinted on Twitter that Captain James would return, and Aldridge had also expressed enthusiasm to return, his return was confirmed in March 2016. The third main character for the second series was revealed later in the same month to be a new character named Elvis Harte, set to be played by Luke Pasqualino, an ex-fling of Georgie's. Other cast members joining in series 2 included Royce Pierreson as Dr Jamie Cole, Rolan Bell as Sergeant King, Sean Sagar as Monk and Anthony Oseyemi as the Kenyan forces' Captain Osman.

Critical response
The pilot episode received mixed-to-positive reactions. Dan Owen of MSN praised Turner's performance, but criticised "some clunky moments and weird shortcuts" in the story. Sarah Crompton of The Telegraph gave the episode 3/5 stars, calling it "a compelling 90 minutes", but criticising the depiction of the army as being more suited to "a glossy advertising campaign" than a drama, adding that the pilot "glamorised both its methods and its personnel". Despite mixed critical response, audience reactions were generally positive on Twitter. Sam Wollaston of The Guardian called the pilot "clichéd and schmaltzy", and deemed Molly's character development as unrealistic. He added that it was "naive, crude", and "practically a recruitment video for the army". Despite this, Wollaston found himself "swept along" by it, complimenting Turner's performance as being "gutsy" and "very watchable", overall concluding that the pilot was enjoyable. Tom Sutcliffe of The Independant commented that, despite the plot being "familiar": "As recruitment films go, it was much better written and acted than the usual output" and that it "was so unequivocally approving of the benefits of joining up that it seemed entirely possible that viewers at a loose end might consider giving Army life a go".

The first series was generally well-received. Dale Cowan of Cultbox awarded the series 5 stars, explaining "Director Anthony Philipson's visually stimulating direction continues to impress as does the writing from creator Tony Grounds, who has produced something truly wonderful". Cowan continued by praising the performances of the series, naming Sean Gallagher and Kerry Godliman's performances as "honest" and adding "emotional realism", and Turner's as being "warmth and human", describing it as "electric". However, Cowan criticised open ends left in the final episode of the first series, naming some plot lines as "unfinished". Julian White of The Least Picture Show gave the first series a 7/10, considering Turner's performance as a positive as the actress "does a magnificent job of making her seem warm-hearted and funny". White also praised the writing of the characters, particularly Captain James. He concluded: "For all its occasional flaws and excesses, Our Girl paints a portrait of men and women in uniform who haven’t allowed a long and bloody conflict to dampen one iota of their humanity". Kendall Hutt of Square Eyes commented that she "loved" the series, singing praises towards the characters, performances, and direction. Henry Tucker of Blueprint Review gave the series 4/5 stars, concluding that "if you like your military viewing with lots of bangs and gunfights then give this a very wide berth. If you would rather engage with the personal side of warfare and how it affects those in the middle of it, then this is for you".

Cowan described Turner's departure from the series as "bittersweet". Elliott Gonzalez of I Talk Telly praised Keegan's performance in the series premiere, saying "she did a really great job". Michael Hogan of The Telegraph gave the premiere a mixed review, 3/5 stars, praising the drama, "adrenalin-pumping action", "tantalising cliffhanger", and Keegan's "tough-but-vulnerable" performance, but criticised the dialogue, mainly the "clichéd sexist 'banter'", and underwritten characters. Julia Raeside was also critical of the script, as it intailed "unpleasant sexist banter", but praised how "the romance manages to coexist with the military drama while still keeping its boots on the ground". Adam Starkey of the Metro reported mixed reactions on Twitter to Keegan's portrayal in comparison to Turner's. Cowan praised the second episode, commenting: "The musical score is subtle yet cinematic and aids the sparkling direction from Jan Matthys well. The supporting artists are also very strong here". However, was critical of the episodes' lack of stakes: "despite the sense of urgency the episode tries to create, it seems to fall flat in places and doesn't have the necessary impact that we were hoping it would". Justin Harp of Digital Spy reported that the fourth episode had viewers "chomping at the bit during the non-stop thriller". Cowan praised the series finale, as it ended with "drama, suspense and action".

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