I loved this show for the first few series. The magic of it died when they killed off Corporal Anthony Wilton. After that, the show lost what made it great. Too many new characters who you couldn't root for. Storylines became depressing. The Irish guy and his mate were clearly written to be a replacement for Tucker and Garvey and quite honestly, the writers shouldn't have attempted it. They killed their own show.
14 Reviews
Relevant even today
jeromesdarling30 June 2019
I was positiviely surprised by Soldier Soldier as the only (as far as I know) under 20s/in my 20s person who has watched this.
I've never been in the army, but I'm nearly 20 and possibly the youngest actual follower of this show. I'm quite a fan.
The show is beautiful and even relevant today. Character-wise very well-rounded. You can always find someone to relate to.
The conflicts and plots of episodes are lifelike. Nothing is blown too much out of proportion.
Severely underappreciated show. Had its time and then burnt out, which is unfair. I liked the original and thus I will be looking forward to the sequel very much.
I've never been in the army, but I'm nearly 20 and possibly the youngest actual follower of this show. I'm quite a fan.
The show is beautiful and even relevant today. Character-wise very well-rounded. You can always find someone to relate to.
The conflicts and plots of episodes are lifelike. Nothing is blown too much out of proportion.
Severely underappreciated show. Had its time and then burnt out, which is unfair. I liked the original and thus I will be looking forward to the sequel very much.
Realistic in parts
quadrophenia-6952425 November 2021
I liked this programme I used to watch it with my mum and dad I not really sure if he liked it those probably thought it was more amusing then anything being that he was a serving soldier at the time and a S.n.c.o. The soldiers.
Solid military drama
james-33713 February 2002
It would be very pleasant if people posting comments had actually watched the shows they purport to be commenting on. Sadly this is obviously not the case. None of the officers are portrayed as halfwits, none of the noncoms are portrayed as masochists (or even sadists, which I suspect was meant) and only a handful of the fusiliers are portrayed as drunken or stupid or oafs.
In fact, if you want a sensible portrayal of military life without the sensationalism or over the top flag-waving that's usually attached to such dramas then 'Soldier Soldier' is the one to watch. It was a couple of series too long and it started to get tired towards the end, but the first few series were excellent stuff. And yes, I too speak from experience.
In fact, if you want a sensible portrayal of military life without the sensationalism or over the top flag-waving that's usually attached to such dramas then 'Soldier Soldier' is the one to watch. It was a couple of series too long and it started to get tired towards the end, but the first few series were excellent stuff. And yes, I too speak from experience.
Recollecting the "Soldier Soldier" years
Bmused5513 December 2004
Soldier Soldier was truly an excellent drama series for its time. It is a pretty accurate portrayal of Army life. I can say this from certain as I have 13 years of personal experience. At the time Soldier Soldier began showing on ITV and the BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service), my Dad was in the British Army and we were living on camp with him in Germany.
The series really hit home for us as our family was precisely like the families you see in the series. Wifes and Children following the Soldier from posting to posting, sometimes separated for long periods due to exercises or overseas action.
The community spirit and the bonding together to help that the series depicts between the soldiers wife's and offspring is true to life.
The depiction of British life in Germany was spot on. Again, from direct personal experience, I can tell you there was and still is a microcosm of British culture in Germany around Military installations and their surrounding towns. Its different to Mainland UK life, yet recognisable. A new Army wife was able to quickly fit in and I guess its still the same today. Soldier Soldier brought this culture to the TV screen.
Dad would often tell me that every regiment and squadron had characters like Tucker and Garvy. General jokers and mischief makers. There was also always an officer that was a hard ass and thought he knew it all. Then you had the compassionate and the down to earth types. And of course, the people you'd rightly give your right arm for to help them. Soldier Soldier successfully depicted the whole spectrum of these kinds of characters, the bonding that occurs between Soldiers and the way that Squaddie mates will do just about anything to help one of their own. Likewise the families attached to them.
As with any program, there were a few moments where there were differences between reality and what was on the show, but one has to allow for some artistic and dramatic licence, or else you might as well call it a documentary.
I miss Soldier Soldier, above all, I miss the life it depicts, for despite the downs, the ups were far more numerous and the life was good.
The series really hit home for us as our family was precisely like the families you see in the series. Wifes and Children following the Soldier from posting to posting, sometimes separated for long periods due to exercises or overseas action.
The community spirit and the bonding together to help that the series depicts between the soldiers wife's and offspring is true to life.
The depiction of British life in Germany was spot on. Again, from direct personal experience, I can tell you there was and still is a microcosm of British culture in Germany around Military installations and their surrounding towns. Its different to Mainland UK life, yet recognisable. A new Army wife was able to quickly fit in and I guess its still the same today. Soldier Soldier brought this culture to the TV screen.
Dad would often tell me that every regiment and squadron had characters like Tucker and Garvy. General jokers and mischief makers. There was also always an officer that was a hard ass and thought he knew it all. Then you had the compassionate and the down to earth types. And of course, the people you'd rightly give your right arm for to help them. Soldier Soldier successfully depicted the whole spectrum of these kinds of characters, the bonding that occurs between Soldiers and the way that Squaddie mates will do just about anything to help one of their own. Likewise the families attached to them.
As with any program, there were a few moments where there were differences between reality and what was on the show, but one has to allow for some artistic and dramatic licence, or else you might as well call it a documentary.
I miss Soldier Soldier, above all, I miss the life it depicts, for despite the downs, the ups were far more numerous and the life was good.
SO cool!
abbieclements6 May 2008
I Love this show (although I was a baby when the second series was aired) All the characters are so cool especially Tucker, Garvey, Nancy and Donna. The show so deserved the awards it got it is amazing how the stories in the lives of loads of individuals in army life can be portrayed in such amazing detail. I also like Ultimate Force which is also about army life, but Soldier Soldier tells the stories of the lives of the wives and girlfriends as well as the stories of the actual soldiers. This was an amazing TV Show, is is a shame that i couldn't watch it when it was first televised. (Does anyone know if it is TV on a Sky/ cable channel?)
From a US Navy Veteran (and Aspiring Officer and Pilot in the US Air Force Reserve or the US Army State National Guard) - Smashing and Spot On!
marshall_plan0214 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I ordered the whole series on DVD nearly a couple of years ago. Upon completing Soldier, Soldier in its entirety, I was blown away.
Having served in the United States Navy as an enlisted Aviation Electrician (while stationed in Naval Air Facility/NAF Atsugi, Japan), this show reminded me a lot about military life and a good deal of things I missed about it.
The camaraderie, the tragedies, the stress that comes along with long deployments (albeit somewhat different as i was part of two F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter squadrons in an Air Wing and aboard the forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington), and any other that I couldn't very much remember but had been indirectly fond about.
Must have been the regimented life, overall.
Season 2, which took the King's Fusiliers to Hong Kong, reminded me much of being in Japan and my two WESTPAC deployments where my carrier (nicknamed "Good Ol' G-Dub") landed in Perth, Australia; Sembawang area of Singapore; Pattaya Beach, Thailand; Manila, Philippines; and Busan, South Korea. This was all from 2009 and 2010. Not to mention that I also went to Guam twice (in 2010 and 2011 for Strike Fighter Air-to-Air Readiness Program/SFARP combat exercises with different US Air Force squadrons as well as those of other nations like Singapore). I was also in Japan when the Fukushima Prefecture tsunami and nuclear plant explosions happened, although I wasn't part of the relief efforts (hence, my emergency detachment to Guam that year). For that, watching Soldier Soldier helped me relive those memories in a rather bittersweet way.
Now, fast-forward 12 years later, I'm now looking to eventually put in an application packet to commission in the US Air Force Reserve (through the Officer Training School/OTS at Maxwell AFB, near Montgomery, Alabama) and become a Transport/Tanker Pilot at a Reserve squadron somewhere in the country. If I don't go the Air Force route, there's the Army National Guard (either in my home state or a more reasonably nearby inland state) where I can serve as a Warrant Officer (commissioning source at Fort Novosel, also near Montgomery, which was recently renamed "Fort Novosel" after a heroic Air Force colonel who later gave up his senior leadership position to become a Warrant Pilot during Vietnam) with the ultimate aim to fly the helicopter platform of my choice as a Pilot (looking at either Apache's or Chinooks for the most part). And, thus, as mentioned, this show just made me set an ultimate goal to get back into "The Grind" of military life, from enlisted to officer.
Anyway, onto the individual performances of the shining actors and actresses that should have gotten some kind of Oscar and/or Academy Award equivalent (from across the pond) each.
Robson Green as Fusilier David Tucker and Jerome Flynn as Corporal (later Sergeant, and then - SPOILER ALERT - demoted back to Corporal) Patrick Garvey are like the "Cheech and Chong" of this series.
Dorian Healy, the underrated hunk of the show from Season 3 to Season 4, is Captain/Major Kieran Voce, the company commander lording over the likes of Tucker, Garvey, and Wilton. Personality-wise, Healy was very much Tom Cruise (from his roles as Maverick in Top Gun and Lieutenant Dan Kaffee in A Few Good Men) and Jason Isaacs (Sergeant Frank Dillon in Civvies, Colonel Tavington in The Patriot, and Major Briggs in The Green Zone opposite Matt Damon) in one body.
Lesley Vickerage is Lieutenant/Captain Kate Butler, Kieran's best friend and, later, love interest is the embodiment of overlooked beauty in the show. Think Molly Ringwald (Breakfast Club) mixed with Jennifer Connelly (Penny Benjamin in the recent Top Gun: Maverick) in uniform. Sure, Green's Tucker and Rosie Rowells' Donna Tucker were the talk of the town. But, Vickerage's partnership with Healy is unmatched in this title. They were just lovely together.
Rob Spendlove's Warrant Officer (Sergeant Major) - later Lieutenant - Michael Stubbs is like R. Lee Ermey's (RIP) US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket but with a Stiff Upper Lip.
Can't say much for the other cast members who may have had bigger exposure than the aforementioned ones already. But, let's just say all of them were awesome in their own merry, little ways.
Soldier, Soldier - One of the best depictions of military life everywhere. UK, US, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, France, wherever. Solid 10/10!
Having served in the United States Navy as an enlisted Aviation Electrician (while stationed in Naval Air Facility/NAF Atsugi, Japan), this show reminded me a lot about military life and a good deal of things I missed about it.
The camaraderie, the tragedies, the stress that comes along with long deployments (albeit somewhat different as i was part of two F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter squadrons in an Air Wing and aboard the forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington), and any other that I couldn't very much remember but had been indirectly fond about.
Must have been the regimented life, overall.
Season 2, which took the King's Fusiliers to Hong Kong, reminded me much of being in Japan and my two WESTPAC deployments where my carrier (nicknamed "Good Ol' G-Dub") landed in Perth, Australia; Sembawang area of Singapore; Pattaya Beach, Thailand; Manila, Philippines; and Busan, South Korea. This was all from 2009 and 2010. Not to mention that I also went to Guam twice (in 2010 and 2011 for Strike Fighter Air-to-Air Readiness Program/SFARP combat exercises with different US Air Force squadrons as well as those of other nations like Singapore). I was also in Japan when the Fukushima Prefecture tsunami and nuclear plant explosions happened, although I wasn't part of the relief efforts (hence, my emergency detachment to Guam that year). For that, watching Soldier Soldier helped me relive those memories in a rather bittersweet way.
Now, fast-forward 12 years later, I'm now looking to eventually put in an application packet to commission in the US Air Force Reserve (through the Officer Training School/OTS at Maxwell AFB, near Montgomery, Alabama) and become a Transport/Tanker Pilot at a Reserve squadron somewhere in the country. If I don't go the Air Force route, there's the Army National Guard (either in my home state or a more reasonably nearby inland state) where I can serve as a Warrant Officer (commissioning source at Fort Novosel, also near Montgomery, which was recently renamed "Fort Novosel" after a heroic Air Force colonel who later gave up his senior leadership position to become a Warrant Pilot during Vietnam) with the ultimate aim to fly the helicopter platform of my choice as a Pilot (looking at either Apache's or Chinooks for the most part). And, thus, as mentioned, this show just made me set an ultimate goal to get back into "The Grind" of military life, from enlisted to officer.
Anyway, onto the individual performances of the shining actors and actresses that should have gotten some kind of Oscar and/or Academy Award equivalent (from across the pond) each.
Robson Green as Fusilier David Tucker and Jerome Flynn as Corporal (later Sergeant, and then - SPOILER ALERT - demoted back to Corporal) Patrick Garvey are like the "Cheech and Chong" of this series.
Dorian Healy, the underrated hunk of the show from Season 3 to Season 4, is Captain/Major Kieran Voce, the company commander lording over the likes of Tucker, Garvey, and Wilton. Personality-wise, Healy was very much Tom Cruise (from his roles as Maverick in Top Gun and Lieutenant Dan Kaffee in A Few Good Men) and Jason Isaacs (Sergeant Frank Dillon in Civvies, Colonel Tavington in The Patriot, and Major Briggs in The Green Zone opposite Matt Damon) in one body.
Lesley Vickerage is Lieutenant/Captain Kate Butler, Kieran's best friend and, later, love interest is the embodiment of overlooked beauty in the show. Think Molly Ringwald (Breakfast Club) mixed with Jennifer Connelly (Penny Benjamin in the recent Top Gun: Maverick) in uniform. Sure, Green's Tucker and Rosie Rowells' Donna Tucker were the talk of the town. But, Vickerage's partnership with Healy is unmatched in this title. They were just lovely together.
Rob Spendlove's Warrant Officer (Sergeant Major) - later Lieutenant - Michael Stubbs is like R. Lee Ermey's (RIP) US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket but with a Stiff Upper Lip.
Can't say much for the other cast members who may have had bigger exposure than the aforementioned ones already. But, let's just say all of them were awesome in their own merry, little ways.
Soldier, Soldier - One of the best depictions of military life everywhere. UK, US, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, France, wherever. Solid 10/10!
REALISTIC ARMY DRAMA
Big Movie Fan1 May 2002
I have never served in the Army. However, a good friend of mine was an NCO in the army and he tells me that this series was the most accurate portrayal of army life he had ever seen. I trust his word entirely.
The series was good. There were not many over the top battles or anything like that in the series. There was an occasional foray into the battle zone but most of the episodes dealt with the officers personal lives, their relationships and their feelings about modern army life. Other episodes featured truly entertaining training exercises. There were a fair few moral dilemmas in the series as well. In season 2 a character by the name of Major Cochrane was accused of assault whilst in Hong Kong. The episode dealt with his feelings towards the accusation and his attempts to sort out the mess he was in.
There were some good episodes full of action. In another season 2 episode Lieutenant Colonel Fortune was involved in a helicopter crash and that episode was entertaining. Some of the episodes featuring action were a little bit over the top but enjoyable all the same.
The actors did a good job throughout this series. Miles Anderson did a good job as Lt. Col. Fortune in the first and second series and he was one of my favourite characters in the whole series. A lot of the other actors and actresses did a good job and were very convincing in their roles.
Highly recommended. I wish this series was still going on.
The series was good. There were not many over the top battles or anything like that in the series. There was an occasional foray into the battle zone but most of the episodes dealt with the officers personal lives, their relationships and their feelings about modern army life. Other episodes featured truly entertaining training exercises. There were a fair few moral dilemmas in the series as well. In season 2 a character by the name of Major Cochrane was accused of assault whilst in Hong Kong. The episode dealt with his feelings towards the accusation and his attempts to sort out the mess he was in.
There were some good episodes full of action. In another season 2 episode Lieutenant Colonel Fortune was involved in a helicopter crash and that episode was entertaining. Some of the episodes featuring action were a little bit over the top but enjoyable all the same.
The actors did a good job throughout this series. Miles Anderson did a good job as Lt. Col. Fortune in the first and second series and he was one of my favourite characters in the whole series. A lot of the other actors and actresses did a good job and were very convincing in their roles.
Highly recommended. I wish this series was still going on.
Spot on research
penny-blake25 July 2004
A very good representation of Army life, obviously well researched. I feel all characters are well represented with good actors playing appropriate characters. Because it is a series you can watch as much or little or as much as you like but i find you can't stop watching all of it, and you will return for more. Perhaps I'm biased because I watched the original series on TV. I find that despite being made in 1991 none of the series is outdated (apart from the slothing :-) ) The story lines are thought provoking, for example in the first episode you see an Irish Lady who comments about the British Soldiers being sick of Ireland with a reply saying that they only do six months and you should try having two sons on opposite sides of the divide. It portrays family life very well not just the highs but the low points also. It lets you make your own mind up about army life. COming from a military family I feel Lucy Gannon has it spot on.
View from the outside...
anmariec13 June 2004
I enjoyed this series very much! It had it all - drama and fun! The character were not at all stupid and the story line were good to very good... It was in fact even more than 'just showing army life' it was about people living together - having their good and bad moments. No character was totally evil and no character was totally good. They were just humans making the best of it for themselves - often dealing with difficult situations.
Although it was about the army (British army) - it was never an over the top and it never made them look bigger than live. It were - as we call them overhere - Tommies soldiering on... all right, sometimes they made a muddle of it. But they did their best and that resulted often in a good outcome! It also didn't shy away of the 'darker side' of army life. It wasn't afraid to deal with issues of soldiers who couldn't deal with the stress of their job. And that made a nice balance. But what I loved most about it was 'it's British-ness' - their so typical sense of humor to tackle difficult things, their great feeling of reality, being able to look at themselves in a realistic way often amiss in other army series/movies. And to be honest about themselves. And this made this series enjoyable to watch - even if you were non-British living on the otherside of the 'pond' as it were! My ancestors lived for four years with the British army - in the mud and dirt of Flanders Fields - and the stories they told us the younger ones co inside with the way this series shows British soldiers. I can understand that the UK is proud of them - despite they are not perfect! Or perhaps just because of that!?! If you ever come across this series on video or DVD - do watch it! I'm sure you will have many hours of pleasure watching them dealing with day to day life in the army...
Although it was about the army (British army) - it was never an over the top and it never made them look bigger than live. It were - as we call them overhere - Tommies soldiering on... all right, sometimes they made a muddle of it. But they did their best and that resulted often in a good outcome! It also didn't shy away of the 'darker side' of army life. It wasn't afraid to deal with issues of soldiers who couldn't deal with the stress of their job. And that made a nice balance. But what I loved most about it was 'it's British-ness' - their so typical sense of humor to tackle difficult things, their great feeling of reality, being able to look at themselves in a realistic way often amiss in other army series/movies. And to be honest about themselves. And this made this series enjoyable to watch - even if you were non-British living on the otherside of the 'pond' as it were! My ancestors lived for four years with the British army - in the mud and dirt of Flanders Fields - and the stories they told us the younger ones co inside with the way this series shows British soldiers. I can understand that the UK is proud of them - despite they are not perfect! Or perhaps just because of that!?! If you ever come across this series on video or DVD - do watch it! I'm sure you will have many hours of pleasure watching them dealing with day to day life in the army...
Poignant, sad and funny
lje690428 May 2005
"Soldier, Soldier" is the story of Company A of the United Kingdom's regiment, the "King's Fusiliers". The story revolves around a small group of men and their wives in the regiment. We have Sgt. Wilton who is married to Joy. Joy has adjusted to Army life and taken on the job of creating activities for the wives and children of the regiment, so they won't feel isolated from their husbands and fathers. Then there is Corporal Garvey, who is lonely for a wife. He develops a relationship with Corporal Nancy Thorpe, who is a member of the military police. The relationship was doomed from the start. Both want to advance in the military, but Garvey wants what Wilton has, a stable family with a wife and children. Nancy would be happy to give these things to Garvey, but not in the middle of her sargents training. The relationship of Fusilier Dave Tucker and his wife Donna is very stormy. Both were born and raised in Newcastle. Both had troubled childhoods. Tucker joined the army to get away from the poverty. In the end, the Army became his only family. Donna, his wife, was a "party girl". When she saw Tucker flash his new Army pay, she set her eyes for him. He fell in love, she didn't. From that point, she hated Army life. Through out his troubled Army life, Tucker fought to stay in, but Donna did everything she could to try to get him out. After finding Donna with another man, Tucker went "Absent Without Leave" and faced a court martial. Donna was ecstatic, but when he was sentenced to 6 months detention instead of being kicked out, she left him. After hitch-hiking several rides back to Newcastle, Donna realized she had no where to go. She returned to the regiment and with the help of Joy Wilton learned to adapt, though it was still a rough road. The entire series is filled with wonderful and diverse characters; some the viewer learn to love, ie: Col. Dan Fortune and Major Tom Cadmean. Others; like Capt. Davison; the viewer will learn to hate.
This is wonderful series and I recommend it to everyone who wants strong acting and great stories.
This is wonderful series and I recommend it to everyone who wants strong acting and great stories.
A Very Good Drama About Military Life
kelvgoh30 March 2002
A well written and well acted show
Scotslass10 June 2002
I used to watch Soldier Soldier every week with my mum and brother. I loved every moment, whether it be action packed or whether it be more gentle and dealt with family relations. This show was a good show that the whole family could watch and enjoy. Because it stopped quite a while ago when i was younger, i don't remember exact names but i do remember certain parts of episodes and that shows that this was a good program because it sticks in your head as a show that was well written and well acted by the actors and actresses.
Squaddies play silly buggers
hexa-218 January 2001
If you've ever been in the Army this show brings every depressing moment back to you. Since it's the British Army all the officers are half wits, the noncoms masochists and the private soldiers drunken, stupid oafs. Jeremy Flynn (Paddy Garvey) and Robson Green (Dave Tucker)are probably the most stupid of all the squaddies, although John Bowe as the kernel (sic) is a few stubbies short of a six pack. Perhaps this series is anti army? If so I applaud it.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
