Our Girl
Our Girl is a British television military drama series written and created by Tony Grounds broadcast on BBC One from 2013 until 2020. The series began with a feature-length television pilot first broadcast on 24 March 2013 starring 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 continuation show was commissioned, with Turner reprising her role for the first series, which commenced broadcast on 21 September 2014.
Turner left the show after the first series leading to Michelle Keegan being cast as a new character, Georgie Lane, to serve as the new series' protagonist. In January 2019, it was confirmed by the BBC that Keegan would return for a fourth series; she also announced that it would be her last series. It began broadcasting on 24 March 2020. Following Keegan's departure, it was confirmed in August 2020 that the fourth series of Our Girl would be its last.
Much of the show's filming and preparation took place in South Africa, with the location being used to depict Afghanistan in the show's first and fourth series, Kenya in its second, and being used to prepare actors for the conditions of filming while wearing heavy military attire. The third series was filmed in Nepal, where the series took place, for its first part, and Malaysia was used to portray Belize in its second.
Across its run, Our Girl received mixed reception, with reviews leaning more positively for the show's pilot and first two series, and more negatively for its third and fourth. While its production, performances, and action sequences were generally praised, critics agreed that the show glamourised military life and suffered a confused tone as the series progressed.
Production
Series development
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". Grounds was enticed to commission 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.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 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".
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".
On 5 October 2016, it was announced that the show would return for a third series. It contained twelve episodes. The series would also be split into two parts, with each focusing on 2-Section in a different tour. Before choosing Nepal as the first part of series' setting, he researched areas that were often struck with natural disasters and helped by the British Army. Grounds intended to call attention to emergency disaster relief for part 1. After Luke Pasqualino told Grounds that he would leave after part 1, Grounds wrote his character's death in to add additional drama to the second part. In May 2018, the second part of series 3 was announced. Part 2 would follow 2-Section through Nigeria, Belize and Bangladesh. Grounds selected Bangladesh as the setting of the final part of the series after hearing stories about Rohingya Muslims crossing the border from Myanmar and living in refugee camps, and found drug lords to be an intimidating enemy. Grounds detailed that he spent a "long time listening to soldiers and people" from around the countries to achieve accuracy and authenticity of the struggles in the areas. It was produced by John Griffin and Lizzie Rushbridger, and executive produced by Grounds, Hilary Salmon and Mona Qureshi.
A fourth series was confirmed in January 2019. The series was written and created by Tony Grounds, produced by Yvonne Francas, and executive produced by Grounds, Roberto Troni, Hilary Salmon and Mona Qureshi.
Filming
In the pilot, scenes of basic training were filmed at Army Training Centre Pirbright and scenes taking place inside aircraft were filmed at the Royal Air Force Museum Midlands.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 attach 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 series, which went on for approximately 10 months.
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.
In May 2017, the third series commenced filming. Part 1 was filmed in Kathmandu, Nepal, and its surrounding areas. Crew took advantage of filming where the story was set, as scenes were filmed in a village that was affected by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, similar to the plot. The show's art department enhanced the damage on the village. Scenes taking place in Afghanistan were filmed in a South African desert named Karoo. Preparation was completed in bootcamps in Sandhurst and South Africa. Actors were allowed to perform their own stunts. Scenes taking place in the Belizean jungle were shot in Malaysia, Bangladesh was chosen as the last location for the series to cut costs on transport film equipment, as Bangladesh could also be filmed there. Part 2 was filmed in South Africa and in the Taman Negara jungle in Malaysia over a nine-month period. On occasion, actors filmed six-day weeks.
In April 2019, filming commenced for the show's fourth series. Like series 1, which was also set in Afghanistan, series 4 was filmed in South Africa. Filming wrapped up in July 2019.