| Genre: | Sitcom |
| Composer: | Vince Pope |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 3 |
| Num Episodes: | 21 |
| List Episodes: |
|
| Executive Producer: | Stephen McCrum |
| Producer: | Michelle Farr |
| Editor: | Nigel Williams |
| Location: | South Africa |
| Runtime: | 30 minutes |
| Company: | BBC Productions |
| Channel: | BBC Three |
Bluestone 42 is a British sitcom about a British bomb disposal detachment in Afghanistan during Operation Herrick, first broadcast on 5 March 2013 on BBC Three. The third and final series began on 9 March 2015 and ended on 13 April 2015. In July 2015, writers Richard Hurst and James Cary confirmed the show would not return for a fourth series, citing BBC Three's impending move to online and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan as contributing towards the show having run its course.[1]
While the show takes place in Helmand Province, the series was filmed in South Africa.
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".
| Character | Actor | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Captain Nick Medhurst | Oliver Chris | colspan="1" | |
| Corporal Christian "Millsy" Mills | Gary Carr | colspan="2" | |
| Private Kevin "Mac" McDowell | Jamie Quinn | colspan="3" | |
| Private Euan "Rocket" Armstrong | Scott Hoatson | colspan="3" | |
| Corporal Lynda Bird | Katie Lyons | colspan="3" | |
| Lance Corporal Simon "Skip" Lansley | Stephen Wight | colspan="3" | |
| Lieutenant Colonel Philip Smith | Tony Gardner | colspan="3" | |
| Padre Major Mary Greenstock | Kelly Adams | colspan="1" | |
| Faruq Harrif | Keeno Lee Hector | colspan="3" | |
| Corporal Gordon "Towerblock" House | Matthew Lewis | colspan="2" | |
| Captain Ellen Best | Laura Aikman | ||
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".[2] Rich Johnston of BleedingCool.com compared the show favourably to M*A*S*H.[3] Corporal Daniel Whittingham, a British Army bomb disposal expert, said the series' black humour was "spot-on" and its action scenes "pretty accurate".[4]
| Series | Release name | No. of discs | UK release date (region 2) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bluestone 42 – Series 1 | 2 | 29 April 2013 | Out-takes Mac and Rocket: Uncut |
| 2 | Bluestone 42 – Series 2 | 1 | 23 March 2015 | |
| 3 | Bluestone 42 – Series 3 | 1 | 16 November 2015 | |
| 4 | Bluestone 42 – The Complete Collection | 4 | The Complete Series contains 21 Episodes including Out-takes and Mac and Rocket: Uncut |
In December 2014 Series 1 was broadcast on the Australian ABC network, and online player ABC iView.[5]