Soldier Soldier


Soldier Soldier is a British television drama series. Created by Lucy Gannon, produced by Central Television and broadcast on the ITV network, it ran for a total of seven series and 82 episodes from 10 June 1991 to 9 December 1997. It featured the daily lives of a group of soldiers in 'A' Company, 1st Battalion The King's Fusiliers, a fictional British Army infantry regiment loosely based on the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The title comes from a traditional song of the same name, "Soldier, Soldier, Won't You Marry Me?", an instrumental version of which is used as its theme music.

Synopsis

Set in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War, it is a dramatisation of army life in the early to mid-1990s, when the British Army was undergoing significant change. This is perhaps best demonstrated during the third series, around 1994, when a significant number of real regiments were forced into amalgamations with one another due to downsizing of the army. Within the world of Soldier Soldier, the King's Fusiliers are forced to amalgamate with the Cumbrian Regiment, another fictional regiment, becoming the King's Own Fusiliers. At the time Soldier Soldier was broadcast, the fatality rate was low, with most casualties due to training accidents and suicides. The military as a whole was assigned to performing more peacekeeping missions than actually doing any fighting. As a consequence, the show served well to portray the army, despite the domestic problems that could occur, in a fairly good light.

Production

Although many well known and not so well known actors appeared in Soldier Soldier over the period it was broadcast, perhaps the best known are Robson Green and Jerome Flynn, who portrayed Fusilier Dave Tucker and Sergeant Paddy Garvey respectively. It was their performance of "Unchained Melody" in an episode of the fourth series that propelled them to stardom, giving them several number one songs and a best selling album. At the end of the fifth series in 1995, both actors left the show. After a decline in viewing figures, 1997 saw the decision to end the drama after seven series.
TV presenter Chris Kelly wrote and produced some episodes of the series.

Regular cast

Military personnel

Officers

  • Miles Anderson as Lieutenant Colonel Dan Fortune MC
  • Patrick Drury as General Levy
  • Robert Gwilym as Lieutenant Colonel Nick Hammond
  • John Bowe as Lieutenant Colonel Ian Jennings
  • Duncan Bell as Lieutenant Colonel Paul Philips
  • Philip Bowen as Lieutenant Colonel Mike Eastwood
  • James Cosmo as Lieutenant Colonel Philip Drysdale
  • William Gaminara as Major Harry "Dickie" Bird
  • David Haig as Major Tom Cadman
  • Simon Donald as Major Bob Cochrane
  • Adrian Rawlins as Major Tim Radley
  • Dougray Scott as Major Rory Taylor
  • James Callis as Major Tim Forrester
  • Dorian Healy as Captain Kieran Voce
  • Peter Wingfield as Lieutenant Nick Pasco
  • Angus Macfadyen as Second Lieutenant Alex Fereira
  • Ben Nealon as Second Lieutenant Jeremy Forsythe

    Warrant officers

  • Sean Baker as Company Sergeant Major Chick Henwood
  • Rob Spendlove as Company Sergeant Major Michael Stubbs
  • Conor Mullen as Company Sergeant Major Alan Fitzpatrick

    Non-commissioned officers (NCOs)

  • Robert Glenister as Colour Sergeant Ian Anderson
  • Richard Dillane as Sergeant Brad Connor
  • Jonathan Guy Lewis as Sergeant Chris McCleod
  • Gary Love as Corporal Anthony "Tony" Wilton
  • Razaaq Adoti as Corporal William Markham
  • Ian Curtis as Corporal Mark Hobbs
  • Jerome Flynn as Lance Corporal Patrick "Paddy" Garvey
  • Shaun Dingwall as Lance Corporal Steve Evans

    Fusiliers

  • Winston Crooke as Fusilier Joe Meakin
  • Alex Leam as Simon Radcliffe ; also provided backing vocals to "Unchained Melody"
  • Robson Green as Fusilier David "Dave" Tucker
  • Mo Sesay as Fusilier Michael "Midnight" Rawlings
  • Akim Mogaji as Fusilier Luke Roberts
  • Jack Deam as Fusilier Vinny Bowles
  • David Groves as Fusilier Joe Farrell
  • Paterson Joseph as Fusilier Eddie "Horatio" Nelson
  • Danny Cunningham as Fusilier Andy Butcher
  • Simon Sherlock as Fusilier Mel Briggs
  • Thomas Craig as Fusilier Jacko Barton
  • Chris Gascoyne as Fusilier Tony Rossi
  • Simon Lyndon as Fusilier Michael Vickers

    Attached arms

  • Richard Hampton as Reverend Simon Armstrong RAChD
  • John McGlynn as Major James McCudden
  • Lucy Cohu as Major Jessica Bailey AGC
  • Sophie Dix as Captain Sadie Williams RAMC
  • Lesley Vickerage as Second Lieutenant Kate Butler AGC
  • Biddy Hodson as Second Lieutenant Samantha Sheridan AGC
  • Debra Beaumont as Sergeant Sally Hawkins
  • Fiona Bell as Sergeant Angela McCleod AGC
  • Holly Aird as Corporal Nancy Thorpe RMP
  • Ross O'Hennessy as Corporal Dando APTC
  • Kate O'Malley as Private Stacey Grey RLC

    Civilians

  • Melanie Kilburn as Carol Anderson
  • Samantha Morton as Clare Anderson
  • Gareth Parrington as James Anderson
  • Cathryn Harrison as Laura Cadman
  • Susan Franklyn as Juliet Grant
  • Rosie Rowell as Donna Tucker
  • Annabelle Apsion as Joy Wilton
  • Matthew Beard/David Gallivan/Sonny Dudley/Luke Burt as Matthew Wilton
  • Lesley Manville as Rachel Fortune
  • Lena Headey as Shenna Bowles
  • Marise Wipani as Ellie
  • Suzanne Burden as Sandra Radley
  • Rakie Ayola as Bernie Roberts
  • William Ash as Jack Stubbs
  • Denise Welch as Marsha Stubbs
  • Tara Simpson as Sarah Stubbs
  • Angela Clarke as Colette Daly
  • Gabrielle Reidy as Isabelle Jennings
  • Ellis Fernandez/Milo Taylor as Macaulay Tucker
  • Nthati Moshesh as Lilian Malanje
  • Alison Skilbeck as Dr Sarah Eastwood
  • Kate Ashfield as Cate Hobbs
  • Laura Howard as Deborah Osbourne
  • Kelly Hunter as Jackie Reece
  • Joanna Phillips-Lane as Karen Fitzpatrick
  • Lee Ingleby as Kevin Fitzpatrick
  • Sarah Smart as Lucy Fitzpatrick
  • Michelle Butterly as Julie Oldroyd

    Episodes

Series 1

1991. Following a six-month tour in Northern Ireland, the King's Fusiliers return to duty at their Midlands headquarters.

Series 2

Series 2, 1992, was set in Hong Kong, apart from the first two episodes.

Series 3

Series 3, 1993, was set in New Zealand and Germany.

Series 4

Series 4, 1994, was set in Cyprus, Germany and the UK.

Series 5

Series 5, 1995, was set in Australia, the UK and South Africa.

Series 6

Series 6, 1996, was set in the UK, except the penultimate episode, which was set on a fictional island in the South Atlantic.

Series 7

Series 7, 1997, was set in the UK, except episode 10, which was set in Africa.

Regiment

The King's Own Fusiliers, originally the King's Fusiliers, is the infantry regiment portrayed in the series. Like all fusilier regiments, both the "King's" and the "King's Own" wear a hackle in its head-dress; this is coloured dark blue over white. During the third series of Soldier Soldier, which took place during the Options for Change military reforms, the King's Fusiliers was forced to amalgamate with another regiment, "The Cumbrians ", mimicking the real life amalgamation of the King's Own Royal Regiment and the Cumbrian based Border Regiment in 1959 to form the King's Own Royal Border Regiment.
During negotiations with the commanding officer of the other regiment to be merged, attempts were made by the Cumbrians to keep the new regiment as an ordinary infantry regiment, rather than a fusilier regiment, which would also see the loss of the King's hackle. However, research by the regimental commander of the King's Fusiliers, Lt Col Osbourne, found that, during the Cumbrians' service in the Crimea, the Cumbrians had worn the hackle and served as fusiliers for six months in honour of the fusiliers that had served alongside them. As a result, the new regiment was named "The King's Own Fusiliers".
The cap badge of the King's Own Fusiliers features the lion surmounting the crown, which is the recognised symbol of the British Army, within the circlet of the Order of the Garter. Surmounting the garter is the traditional flame that indicates a fusilier regiment.

Role

As an ordinary infantry battalion, the King's Fusiliers/King's Own Fusiliers was in the arms plot rotation, and thus participated in a number of different roles:
  • 1st Battalion, King's Fusiliers
  • *Light infantry battalion in the UK
  • *Resident infantry battalion in Hong Kong
  • 1st Battalion, King's Own Fusiliers
  • *Armoured infantry battalion with 4th Brigade in Germany
  • *United Nations peacekeepers with UNPROFOR in Bosnia
  • *Public duties battalion in Windsor
  • *Infantry training battalion Warminster
  • *Air assault infantry battalion with 5th Brigade
During its time in Windsor, in addition to other duties, the King's Own Fusiliers provided the guard at Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and Windsor Castle.

Recruiting area

As the King's Fusiliers/King's Own Fusiliers has no geographical location in its name, it can only be speculated what recruiting area it represents. In early episodes, the senior officers discuss the possibility of being amalgamated with other regiments from the Midlands. During series 1, the possibility of merging or disbanding regiments is discussed, and, at that point, the Cumbrians and the Rutlands are expected to be amalgamated. During the final episode of series 2, the regiment's commanding officer announces orders for the King's Fusiliers to form a new "Midlands Regiment" along with the Cumbrians and the Rutlands, though, in later episodes, the other regiment to be merged is referred to as The Cumbrians.
Other anecdotal references in the series pointing to the regiment's location being in the Midlands include the use of a Midlands commercial radio station, BRMB, being played by various characters, and a local, specifically Birmingham, telephone area code on signage and vehicles. However, given that the series was made in the Midlands by the "Central Films" division of Central Television, these local references can be expected.