Afghan bomb comedy
to get a second series

Bluestone 42 attracted controversy before it even aired on BBC3, with one MP asking if it was “in the best of taste.”

But the first series, which ended last night, has attracted audiences of around two million.

BBC3 Controller Zai Bennett said: “I’m incredibly proud of this bold, brave and hugely funny comedy drama series which has been enjoying big audiences on BBC3. The cast, crew and writers have played an absolute blinder in this important series which completes and complements BBC3’s already extensive coverage of the war in Afghanistan.”

Bluestone 42 writen by Richard Hurst and James Cary, stars Green Wing actor Oliver Chris and Hustle actress Kelly Adams.

Conservative MP Patrick Mercer, a former Army colonel, was quoted as saying of the sitcom about a fictional bomb squad: “I wonder if a comedy based in Afghanistan, considering the war is ongoing, is in the best of taste.”

But former Captain Liam Fitzgerald-Finch, an adviser on the series who has disposed devices in Iraq and Afghanistan, defended the comedy, saying: “Within any small military team, banter is one way of cementing relationships. Soldiers use humour to cope in a high-stress environment, and keep a positive outlook.

“It’ll certainly develop some audience understanding of another side to military life – but unless you’re actually in Helmand, you’ll never truly understand what’s going on.”