Bluestone 42

Ah yes, that staple of Christmas television: the sitcom about a bomb disposal unit in Afghanistan. Actually, the first series of Bluestone 42 overcame a shaky, cliché-riddled beginning to mature into a pretty decent workplace comedy; a second series is due in the New Year.

No preview copies were available, but this one-off introduces one Corporal Gordon House (played by Matthew Lewis, familiar from his role as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films), joining the team for his first tour of duty. Having excelled in training, House fancies himself even in the face of scepticism from his captain, Nick Medhurst (Oliver Chris). Might the new man's confidence prove misplaced? Well, what do you think? This may be a Christmas special with a relatively unorthodox theme, but don't go expecting too many surprises.

I made... Bluestone 42

Producer Michelle Farr talks about her role in BBC Three's comedy drama Bluestone 42, where she was involved in overseeing the entire production, from script to screen.

Six episodes in and Bluestone 42 seems to have settled down rather too quickly, which is another way of saying its humour isn't close enough to the bone. Still, it's often funny, which is more than many sitcoms manage, let alone those set in a war zone. In tonight's episode, the troops prepare for a mini-shindig ("mindig"), a cue for "the dance party that dare not speak it name", as Nick forces Simon to help him learn to tango. Elsewhere, Bird is attracted to Veterinary Corps worker Parikh.

Video: writers Richard Hurst & James Cary

BBC Writersroom interviews Richard Hurst and James Cary about co-writing their first original comedy drama series, Bluestone 42.

Writers blog: Episode 3

Episode 3 of Bluestone 42 is, if I do say so myself, a belter. Loads of action going on, but more importantly, lots of quests for the characters and things that they want.

Borgen fans will be delighted to see Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (ambitious young newshound Katrine) guesting in cheekily lusty form - and speaking impeccable English - as a Danish aid worker called Astrid in this bomb-disposal squad sitcom.

She's got the hots for officer Nick (Oliver Chris), who's headline news for the way he handles his bombs.

And then to make himself even hotter, he goes and rescues her from the clutches of the Taliban. What a guy.

Bluestone 42 is a comedy about an army bomb disposal unit in Afghanistan - so full marks all round for originality. The script and cast also merit a mention in dispatches for successfully and consistently mining laughs from such an inhospitable comic landscape. The show balances sharp one-liners with knockabout vulgarity to impressive effect, and deserves to win a large audience.

So far, gritty authenticity hasn't featured hugely on the show's agenda. In tone, it is far nearer It Ain't Half Hot Mum than The Hurt Locker, with moments that make soldiering in the Helmand province look like a Club 18-30 holiday - albeit with firefights and no swimming pool.

However, the very subject matter would suggest that Death and his sidekick Debilitating Injury are waiting in the wings to make an appearance, and it will be fascinating to see how Bluestone 42 copes with manoeuvres into comedy's dark side.

The controversial comedy continues as we track bomb disposal squad Bluestone 42 on its tour of duty in Helmand Province. Tonight's storyline, involving an endangered lizard, will ignite a whole new controversy, guaranteed to hit a sour note with animal lovers. At its best, though, the black humour carries a powerful pathos, as shown when Nick berates one of his squad for stepping off the safe path that's been cleared of IEDs.