Bluestone 42

I watched the first of these with little expectation and was shocked at how good and how accurate it is . It's rude , non-politically correct and funny as frig .

I have been addicted to it ever since and my wife who isn't from a military background loves it as well .

The acting is superb from the coarse squaddie up to the CO and everyone in between and they have captured every caricature one has ever served with or for and managed to keep them fresh and interesting - stupid awards , dangerous made up games to keep the adrenaline running and pass the time , the vicious insulting of comrades and the vitriolic defence of comrades all written beautifully and balanced as only the forces can manage .

The only criticism is that they all have most of the kit they need but the writers had to make some concession I suppose .

Watch this and enjoy . BUT if you are are a PC loon then don't bother you will hate it , its reality with a sublime humour .

The Sunday Times television critic, A A Gill, likened Bluestone 42 with that of a former BBC, military situation comedy programme, It Ain't Half Hot Mum. If A A Gill thinks that Bluestone 42 is almost "like a remake of "Ain't Half Hot Mum, then I would have to say that he is an idiot, the only thing the two programmes have in common is that they are comedies about members of the armed forces.

The casting ensures sufficient eye candy for both sexes, the South African locations are passable as Afghanistan. The comedy realistically highlights the spirit of the armed forces. It does contain "very" strong language but that and the gallows humour is a true representation of likely banter by those in such front line roles. This is a strong comedy drama deserves a much greater following.

Just watched the first episode and am very impressed. The whole cast is strong without any weak links or actors jostling to be the 'leading light'. A few well known faces and a lot of strangers they mesh together very well to present us with a top class storyline and, hopefully, series. The comic timing is very good, kit and locations well up to the mark ( although I wouldn't recommend firing a shoulder launched anti tank rocket standing in front of a hard surface like an armoured vehicle, the back blast is liable to do naughty things to your body).

I only hope that it doesn't sink into a mire of self pitying homilies about the horrors of war which was the fate of the TV series of MASH, especially after Alan Alda took over directing.

There will be some of you who haven't been in the forces in combat and might find the humour a bit strange, that it is but very accurate. (Advancing through a minefield and a man steps on a mine. He's on the deck screaming that he's lost his leg only to be informed by his mate that it's OK because he can see where it went. Strangely enough he was quite happy with that!)

Bluestone 42 captures the modern British Army in every way, the black humour, profanity, wind-ups, and day-to-day life is all spot-on.

Apart from the slightly less than realistic scenery, I can't fault Bluestone 42 - the production team have clearly done their homework pretty well and have listened to their technical advisers. There have been very few technical glitches and overall the production is very convincing.

The humour is superb, each of the four episodes so far has been equally gripping and entertaining and results in a show which I'm sure will be loved by the soldiers it portrays so well. There is so much bad comedy these days, thank goodness Bluestone 42 delivers.

I don't know if Chopendoz has even watched the same Bluestone 42 as me as his review is so far off of the mark.

Please ... ... please ... ... please BBC, commission series 2 ASAP.

Bluestone 42 is superb!

Update 24/44/2013:

It was announced at the end of Episode 8 on 23/4/2013 that a second series has been commissioned, excellent news.

This show looks like and feels like a British Army unit in Helmand. The uniforms, kit, equipment, language etc.. are all either spot on or very close. Importantly, the creators have got the sense of humour and camaraderie exactly right. Ignore Chopendoz comments - he has no idea what he is talking about. The presence of Chris Hunter (author of Eight Lives Down which sort of formed the basis for The Hurt Locker) no doubt was significant in getting that styling. That alone wouldn't make it a good show but once you have that feel right you can really let rip with the humour. Squaddies are funny and never more so than when life is really, really bad so the humour is always going to be dark, blokish and the language extreme. But that's how soldiers really are. If you are a pompous, holier than though prig then this may upset you - in which case feel free not to watch. Otherwise this is quite simply one of the funniest TV shows I have ever seen. It probably helps if you have served in the Armed Forces but I don't doubt civilians will enjoy it too.