Line #16 Characters/Bluestone42


1	!!!Captain Nick Medhurst
2	->Played by: Oliver Chris
3	Captain Nick Medhurst, ATO, is the wise-cracking bomb disposal expert who does the long walk.
4
5	Once you've stared at a few dozen [=IEDs=], you have to work fairly hard to get your kicks so he's always looking for new things and new experiences. Hence his inability to settle down with one woman, and his love of gourmet food and fine booze.
6
7	* TheAce: "Ten bombs in one day!" says the headlines.
8	* AngerBornOfWorry: If Nick ever loses his temper with the team, odds are it's because of this. Best shown in series 1 episode 2, when Simon steps off the cleared zone, and Nick reads him the Riot Act;
9	--> '''Nick''': Oh, and you discovered [a plant] wasn't a booby trap because an IED didn't blow both your legs off and rip great fucking CHUNKS out of the rest of the team! You know why they're called booby traps, Simon?! [Simon starts to speak] Shut up! They're called booby traps because they get trodden on by tits, like you! If you do not stay on the path, you will get blown to Shittingdom come and we will need two dozen body-bags to ship you back to a fiancée who is bafflingly in love with someone with fewer brain cells than BOLLOCKS! [punches Simon in the shoulder] Get your shit together, lance corporal, and stop acting like a useless fucking geriatric - another mistake like this could invoke considerably more than a gigantic bollocking.
10	* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:His luck finally runs out when disarming an IED, and he loses a leg in the explosion, putting him out of service.]]
11	* BrokenAce: As well as he hides it, Nick clearly has deep issues with relationships and trusting people in general.
12	* TheCaptain: Both the rank and a rare non-naval example of the trope, given the small team he leads and their dangerous occupation.
13	%%* DeadpanSnarker
14	%%* GentlemanSnarker: Upper class and snarky.
15	%%* HandsomeLech
16	* LadykillerInLove: He develops genuine feelings for Mary and says, in the Series 3 premiere, that he wants to make a proper effort with her.
17	%% * TheLeader
18	* NervesOfSteel: He has to have them as a serving ATO.
19	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Whenever Nick stops snarking and becomes totally serious (as in series 2 episode 4, when he finds out [[spoiler: Achmed's brought a ''real'' car bomb into the base, rather than a fake one]]), it's a sign that the situation is ''very'' bad indeed.
20	%% * PlatonicLifePartners: With Bird.
21	* PutOnABus: Out of action as a result of [[spoiler: losing a limb.]]
22
23	!!!Corporal Christian "Millsy" Mills
24	->Played by: Gary Carr
25	Corporal Christian Mills was Nick's Number Two - his right hand man.
26
27	He just wanted to do a good job, and regularly succeeded in this as he's diligent and smart - well, smart in that he can remember stuff. Lots of stuff. He knows which snack bar comes with which ration pack - and all the allowable two letter words in Scrabble. He's not so smart in knowing when to say what he knows. And so he was often on the receiving end of Nick's withering sarcasm, but bounced back fast.
28
29	%% * ButtMonkey
30	%% * CannotTellALie
31	%% * TheLancer
32	%% * TheReliableOne
33	%% * SarcasmBlind
34	%% * TheSpock
35	%% * OnlySaneMan
36
37
38	!!!Corporal Lynda Bird
39	->Played by: Katie Lyons
40	Corporal Lynda Bird, the ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) operator, just wants to be one of the lads. And she pretty much is - she can go toe-to-toe with the rest of her team when it comes to swearing or fighting. Sharp-tongued and full of common sense, she doesn't suffer fools gladly, which is a pity given her close proximity to so many. From Portsmouth, so joining the Army was a small rebellion[[note]]Portsmouth is the historical home of the British Royal Navy and current location of Royal Navy HQ[[/note]].
41
42	* ActionGirl: She's one of the team and goes out on missions and engages in firefights alongside the lads - and the odd fistfight ''with'' the lads.
43	* CommunicationsOfficer: She's the team's ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) specialist, and she'll usually be the one to radio in to base when the team are engaged in a firefight.
44	* DiggingYourselfDeeper: A shockingly bad flirt, as revealed when she's introduced to Captain Parikh and can first barely form an intelligible sentence, and then proceeds to put her foot in her mouth repeatedly.
45	--->'''Mac''': Jesus...
46	--->'''Nick''': I know. Worst flirt ever.
47	%%* TheLadette: Of TheSquadette variety.
48	%%* PlatonicLifePartners: With Nick.
49	%%* TheReliableOne
50	%%* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Seemingly her worst fear (though she won't admit it), and she takes delight in shooting the little blighters.
51
52	!!!Corporal Gordon "Towerblock" House
53	->Played by: Creator/MatthewLewis
54	Nick's new number 2 knows his stuff and isn't afraid to say so.
55
56	Working class and fresh out of training, this new recruit has a massive classist chip on his shoulder. A couple of days out in the field quickly show him the true meaning of 'us' and 'them'.
57
58	A butcher's son from Armley, he's proud of his Yorkshire heritage. He's into machinery and stuff that goes bang.
59
60	* ActionDad: His profile shows that he has a young child back home.
61	* InsistentTerminology: His daughter is only ever referred to as "the nipper".
62	* TheLancer: To Nick; a rough, working class recruit to Nick's posh, upper class officer.
63	* NumberTwo: Nick's second in command, hand-picked because of his performance in training.
64	* OopNorth: From Leeds, "People's Republic of Yorkshire". So proud is Towerblock of his Yorkshire heritage that he once punched Mac in the face for [[BerserkButton suggesting that even though he's from the North he's still an "English poof".]]
65
66	!!!Lance-Corporal Simon Lansley
67	->Played by: Stephen Wight
68	Lance Corporal Simon Lansley has one job: to protect Nick, the bomb guy. He's good at that. But he has bigger ambitions: to apply to Sandhurst and become an officer. But he is 'not officer material' according to his regiment.
69
70	His dealings with Mac and Rocket show he doesn't have the social or leadership skills for that sort of promotion. This hasn't stopped him doing tons of courses to try to look good. If there was a course in underwater knife fighting, he'd be in a wetsuit like a shot.
71
72	Previously engaged but now single, he lives in Braintree.
73
74	* AbhorrentAdmirer: Toward Ellen, which finally causes her to call him out for it in Series 3 Episode 5 when Bird eggs him on to confess.
75	%%* ButtMonkey
76	%%* TheChewToy
77	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: As Nick points out in series 2, Simon saves his life twice from attacking Taliban and when Bluestone 42 is ambushed at night Simon's response to enemies a 100 metres away in the treeline is to order Mac and Rocket to fix bayonets and follow him.
78	* TheFriendNobodyLikes: The team like having him around, but mainly to make fun of him. His personality tends to rub people the wrong way.
79	%%* SmallNameBigEgo
80
81	!!!Private Kevin "Mac" [=McDowell=]
82	->Played by: Jamie Quinn
83	Private Kevin [=McDowell=] is from the East End of Glasgow. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of filth and nonsense.
84
85	Mac is smarter than he's often given credit for, even though he doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. He and Rocket are tasked to protect Nick as he's such a high-value asset.
86
87	%%* BraveScot
88	* ICallHimMisterHappy: Or, in this case, [=Andy McNab=]. ‘Because he's seen so much active service.’
89	-->'''Rocket''': I thought it was because he's so hard to find!
90	-->'''Bird''': I thought it was because he comes out with bollocks.
91	** The metaphor carries on into rather weird territory.
92	-->'''Bird''': If you call [the robot] Arthur one more time, you might find that [=Andy McNab=] has been cut off behind enemy lines.
93	-->'''Mac''': That's when Andy's at his strongest. [[{{Metaphorgotten}} He'll live off nuts and berries.]]
94	-->'''Simon''': That doesn't make any fucking sense.
95	** Eventually even Mary gets into snarking about that.
96	--> '''Bird''': [=Andy McNab=] is the name of Mac's cock.
97	--> '''Mary''': Why, because it's been out of action for years?
98	* LovableSexManiac: When told by Rocket to "go fuck [him]self," Mac's immediate response was "I'm tryin' to!" A moment later, having been introduced to Mary (the new chaplain), he shamelessly excused himself with "I have to go and see a man about a wank."
99	* ThePigPen: One time winner of the Jockstrap of Joy, the award for the filthiest bastard on base, for getting crabs from a pair of twins while back home on leave. As it turns out, [[spoiler: he was lying about having slept with the twins, and instead caught crabs from sharing a towel with his dad.]]
100	%%* ThoseTwoGuys: With Rocket.
101	%%* ViolentGlaswegian
102
103	!!!Private Euan "Rocket" Armstrong
104	->Played by: Scott Hoatson
105	Private Euan Armstrong is from Pilton, Edinburgh.
106
107	He looks up to Mac and, as Rocket is not the sharpest bayonet in the drawer, Mac constantly takes advantage of this. He lives with his hot mum and his big brother back home. He left school at sixteen and joined the Army on the basis that you get free food, a uniform, and a gun - what's not to like?
108
109	* TheFool: Remember above when he joined the army for the gun? He didn't know they don't let you keep it.
110	%%* ObsessedWithFood
111	%%* ThoseTwoGuys: With Mac
112
113	!!!Captain Ellen Best
114	->Played by: Laura Aikman
115	Cpt Ellen Best is focused, professional and all about self-improvement, which is a shame given her team who are tired, jaded and all about mucking about.
116
117	She went to Sandhurst after realising that management consultancy in the City wasn’t for her.
118
119	* BenevolentBoss: Though not in the same way as Nick. While she's determined to push them to achieve their full potential, she's personable and does what she can to make life good.
120	%%* TheCaptain
121	* GoGetterGirl: She's ambitious, energetic and pushes herself and others. Her enthusiastic, active approach is a huge contrast to Nick. She tries and fails to get the team enthused about routine checks, procedures and training; Nick was happy to let them all muck around. She impresses even Bird, however, with her machine-like energy in the jerry can race.
122	* MisplacedKindergartenTeacher: The way she talks to the team in briefings sounds like a primary school classroom.
123
124	!!!Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Smith
125	->Played by: Tony Gardner
126	Lieutenant Colonel Philip Smith has been to more places and seen more things than he would care to remember.
127
128	As the commander of the entire Battlegroup, he's based at a nearby Forward Operating Base, but somehow he's never far away when he's required. Or when he's definitely not required. As he reaches the end of his career in the Army, he has realised that he can conduct himself however he likes. So he does.
129
130	* BerserkButton: His tulips, referred to as his 'girls'. A rat caught scurrying around in them is summarily executed, and when some militants opening fire at them was enough to make him leap out of cover and return fire with a shotgun.
131	* BunnyEarsLawyer: Eccentric, something of a prankster, he is nevertheless a decent field commander.
132	* TheChessmaster: Expert at manipulation. Poor Towerblock ends up fixing up an iPod player, rollbars, and other modifications to the Lieutenant Colonel's Land Rover without realising he's being manipulated into doing so.
133	* ColonelBadass: Don't let his middle age and love of creature comforts fool you; the Lieutenant Colonel still has the action prowess to cling to the side of a moving truck, climb a wall, zip-wire across to his office, land safely from a four metre drop, plant the key, and be back to the bemused padre in less than two minutes, without breaking a sweat. He also breaks out a shotgun in defence of his tulips.
134	* OfficerAndAGentleman: Implied to be of a public school background; typical Rupert (no joke - his middle name is in fact Rupert.)
135	%% * ThePrankster
136	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Given that he bends the rules for his own benefit routinely, he's rather lenient with Bluestone 42 as well.
137	* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: He likes using a shotgun; he uses it once to return fire when the compound is attacked; and again in Series 3 to blast an invading Talib in the stomach before delivering a cool BondOneLiner.
138	--> '''Lieutenant-Colonel''': Not today thank you...
139
140	!!!Rev (Major/Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class) Mary Greenstock
141	->Played by: Kelly Adams
142	Mary is the padre who is desperate to do a good job, fit in and keep up with the banter, but is pretty sure she's failing at every turn. She's actually doing fine, although no-one's going to tell her that.
143
144	She gives Bluestone 42 a lot of her time, mainly because she enjoys the attention from Nick, who's tall, good-looking and brave. She's from a Lincolnshire village.
145
146	%% * BelligerentSexualTension: Increasingly with Nick.
147	* GoodShepherd: Befitting of a chaplain, Mary is a very caring and kind individual, and attentive to the spiritual and emotional needs of her comrades, even if she's not always impressed with their juvenile antics.
148	* PutOnABus: She transferred very abruptly, [[spoiler: with no goodbyes]], apparently over her [[spoiler: having had sex with Nick.]]
149	%% * TeamMom
150	* TheVicar: The team are somewhat taken aback that the new padre is a young, attractive woman. As a reverend, she fits the trendy liberal vicar trope.
151
152	!!!Lance Corporal Jasmine Jaspers
153	->Played by: Susan Wokoma
154	Jasmine is a medic who’s seen some really grim things. And found them very funny.
155
156	Unshockable, unflappable, Jasmine loves to be in the thick of the action.
157
158	* BlackComedy: An expert at this. When Bird tells her that Nick has been unconscious for five minutes (a dangerous amount of time to be out for), Jasmine asks why she hasn't drawn a cock and balls on his head; she giggles when she tells Nick about a previous patient who died from a subcranial injury.
159	* ClusterFBomb: She has one of the foulest mouths on the show, which is saying something.
160	%% * CombatMedic
161	* DrillSergeantNasty: Towerblock recruits her as a particularly harsh personal trainer for a jerry can race. She goes above and beyond in verbally abusing him into shape.
162	* DrJerk: A rare female example. Jasmine is foul mouthed, blunt, and has a terrifyingly morbid sense of humour, even by the standards of the show. According to her profile, she became a medic because she liked that GCSE biology lesson where she got to dissect a rabbit, and thought she might as well make a career out of it.
163
164	!!!Faruq
165	->Played by: Keeno-Lee Hector
166	Faruq is the unit's interpreter and local fixer. Nobody knows his last name - and they're not even sure he's actually called Faruq.
167
168	He's a survivor, always keen to please whoever he's talking to and ideally sell them something for a good price that will turn out to be bootlegged or broken. No refunds!
169
170	* HonestJohnsDealership And everyone knows it.
171	--->'''Faruq''': "You need [a] bombsuit?"
172	--->'''Nick''': "Yes, I do, Faruq, although ideally NOT one made by the Soviets in 1981."

Context Characters / Bluestone42