Bluestone 42

Bluestone 42

Bluestone 42 kicks off tonight on BBC Three and is set prove that even the on-going war on terror is more than a suitable theatre for chuckles, despite public criticism before hitting the airwaves.

Even before it’s been able to show its hand, Bluestone 42’s come under incredible levels of scrutiny from the media over its subject matter, with military families in an uproar over the show and MPs wondering if it’s in the best of tastes.

Isn’t that the point of comedy though? It’s there to poke fun at the more serious aspects of life. No matter what your opinion is about setting a comedy in the middle of an on-going war., Bluestone 42 could never be called exploitative or mean. It’s not demeaning any group in society, it’s not making a massive political statement, it’s just doing what good comedy does and makes the most out of the little things in life.

What people haven’t looked at though is that this is just another workplace comedy, but instead of dealing with printer jams and human resources meetings, they have bomb scares and horrid latrines to deal with.

The show has also been painfully researched in order to actually understand life in the services beyond the headlines we see. In actual fact, the almost forensic amount of detail they’ve put into finding all the facts has left to the show feeling ever so slightly held back. The gags are fairly safe, with the show actually having a sense of humour far more toned down than those in the actual military are known to possess.

From even the first couple of episodes, it’s clear to see that this was a massive case of making a mountain out of a mole hill. The real question is, why should the news of a comedy based around current soldiers be so taboo?

The wars in the Middle East are a part of daily life for hundreds of thousands of us, just as much as the church is or the office. So why shouldn’t we be able to look at the sillier side of things in this dark situation? It’s not as if the army has the world’s best PR image, so maybe showing of its members as fallible human beings might actually be a good thing.

What do you think about the release of Bluestone 42? Do you think it’s ok to have a comedy set in Afghanistan or not? Let us know in the comments section below.

 

Bluestone 42 starts tonight on BBC Three

Tagged in