100-461: Our Girl is a British television military drama series written and created by Tony Grounds . Its feature-length television pilot first broadcast on BBC One on 24 March 2013 and initially starred Lacey Turner as Molly Dawes , a young working-class woman, who joins the British Army after deciding her life is going down the drain. Following the feature-length pilot episode, a continuation show
200-411: A "complex" individual with a many layers. Danny-Boy Hatchard was cast as Rhett 'Cheese' Charlton, who was described as "confident", "cool", and someone with "many a practical joke up his sleeve". Josh Bowman earned the part of Dr Antonio. The pilot episode received mixed-to-positive reactions. Dan Owen of MSN praised Turner's performance, but criticised "some clunky moments and weird shortcuts" in
300-488: A "laissez-faire attitude" and is "happy in the presence of his lads", but takes his role "very seriously". Grounds added that Molly would fall "madly in love" with him, seeing him as "a whole different level to the boyfriends she's had before". Iwan Rheon was cast as 'Smurf', a character "at the heart of the platoon" and the "conflicted" "golden boy of the section". He described the platoon as being "close-knit" and teased that Smurf would become "smitten" with Molly throughout
400-473: A "laissez-faire attitude". Rheon billed Smurf as a "conflicted" "golden boy" who was "smitten" with Molly. After Turner left the show to return to her role as Stacey Slater on EastEnders , it was announced that Michelle Keegan had been cast as Georgie Lane , a new protagonist for the series. Keegan described her new role as a "big but exciting challenge". Keegan disclosed that to prepare for Georgie, she had met with army medics to hear their stories to gain
500-510: A 4-channel service received via satellite. The channels at launch were Sky Channel , Sky News , Sky Movies and Eurosport . They were initially free to receive, and Sky Movies was the first to move to a subscription early in 1990. Sky News was the UK's first dedicated news channel. The new service was the UK's first consumer satellite TV service, beating rival BSB , with which Sky would later merge to become BSkyB. Sky's satellite service grew to become
600-447: A 49-day period. Three sets were built for the series; a forward operating base , an Afghan village, and Camp Bastion, but the weather conditions caused multiple problems on set. Horn noted that the winds were very strong on some days, to the point that set buildings were blown over, with "specialist teams" being brought in to attach steel hawsers that would act as guy ropes to keep the sets from getting damages further. He mentioned that
700-615: A South African desert named Karoo . Preparation was completed in bootcamps in Sandhurst and South Africa. Actors were allowed to perform their own stunts. Scenes taking place in the Belizean jungle were shot in Malaysia, Bangladesh was chosen as the last location for the series to cut costs on transport film equipment, as Bangladesh could also be filmed there. Part 2 was filmed in South Africa and in
800-556: A better understanding of her character. Keegan described her character as follows: "Georgie is an experienced army medic. She is good at her job, very professional and she knows what she wants in her life. Georgie puts her work first and not afraid to get stuck in, especially with the lads as well. I wouldn't say she is the alpha, but she doesn't take anything lying down". After Grounds hinted on Twitter that Captain James would return, and Aldridge had also expressed enthusiasm to return, his return
900-477: A different tour. Before choosing Nepal as the first part of series' setting, he researched areas that were often struck with natural disasters and helped by the British Army. Grounds intended to call attention to emergency disaster relief for part 1. After Luke Pasqualino told Grounds that he would leave after part 1, Grounds wrote his character's death in to add additional drama to the second part. In May 2018,
1000-517: A few months. See List of British television series . 100 Greatest British Television Programmes was a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI), chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened. Although not including any programmes made in 2000 or later, the list is useful as an indication of what were generally regarded as
1100-416: A film about a female combatant but she is also a daughter and a sister. Every soldier is a citizen first and we explore their choices that lead them to an Army training camp and how the ensuing months will change their lives for ever". Turner added the upcoming drama was "a beautifully written drama of one girl's journey through life". Grounds was enticed to commission the plot after realising that "no conscript
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#17330860613411200-607: A greater total number of regional news programmes. Ofcom sets a quota for the BBC and ITV on the amount of regional programming required. Advertising on ITV1/STV and Channel 4 is regional. Channel 4 is split into 6 advertising regions, but has no regional programming. BBC Scotland and the Gaelic-language channel BBC Alba target Scotland, and the Welsh-language channel S4C targets Wales. In Northern Ireland, channels originating in
1300-405: A major overhaul in its main cast, as Aldridge, Brune-Franklin, and Bhambra all left the show. Keegan returned as Georgie. Kaine Zajaz received the part of Throbber, a new recruit who was billed as "a bit of a naughty character" and a "risk-taker" by Keegan. Amy-Leigh Hickman joined the series as Mimi Saunders, described by Keegan as a bit "like a younger Georgie". Nico Mirallegro was cast as Prof,
1400-636: A multiplex carrying channels from the Republic of Ireland can reach 71% of Northern Irish households from 3 transmitters. Local TV and radio is available to 54% of households from an additional multiplex via 44 transmitters, and an extra multiplex is available to 54% of households in Greater Manchester. Multiple vendors sell hybrid set-top-boxes or smart TVs which combine terrestrial channels with streamed (Internet TV) content. Internet-based TV apps such as BBC iPlayer , ITVX and Channel 4 are available via
1500-459: A new lead character, Maisie Richards, to be played by Shalom Brune-Franklin , was announced. She was described as "very outspoken and rebellious" and would "instantly" be at odds with Georgie. Pasqualino described the character as "a spanner in the works" of Georgie and Elvis's relationship. Other new cast members included Rudi Dharmalingam as Milan Dhakal, an engineer set to "catch Georgie's eye", and Harki Bhambra as Rab Khalil, described as being
1600-608: A phone's battery life. Alistair McKay of The Standard criticised the first episode of the Nigeria Tour , describing its depiction of army life as "almost teenage in its simplicity". Adam Sweeting of The Arts Desk awarded it 2/5 stars, concluding it as being "awfully silly all round". The third series received rampant viewer criticsm for a lack of Elvis, the ending of Captain James and Molly's marriage, as well as his eventual relationship with Georgie, several medical inaccuracies shown, and Bones's premature death. Television in
1700-417: A plot based on the combat medic as a result. The idea was commissioned with Ken Horn being brought in as producer and David Drury being brought in to direct it. The pilot was completed three years after the initial meeting. After the pilot episode aired, it was announced that a five-episode television series which would continue the story had been commissioned. For the new series, Grounds aimed to capture
1800-478: A short but intense period of training to get their heads into army life, and had to retain that focus throughout the shoot. They had to get on, bond and work together so that they became like a real platoon. We tried to utilise their youthful energy and it definitely worked to our advantage". Grounds teased that the series would showcase "how the deployment really makes [Molly] grow up", as despite being awestruck by Afghanistan's beauty, she would be changed forever by
1900-506: A smarter member of 2-Section. Olly Rix was cast as 'Bones' for the second part. The actor described him as "a tricky kind of guy" and "abrasive, brash and yet highly competent as a soldier". He concluded "for all his naughtiness, he's a decent man with a healthy disrespect for authority". Grounds billed Bones as a "flawed but dedicated" soldier "with a massive heart". Maisie, Rab, Sergeant King, Brains, Monk, and Fingers all returned, with their actors reprising their respective roles. Series 4 saw
2000-603: A soldier at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan . It consists of five sixty-minute episodes. In March 2013, the writer of the show's pilot episode teased that he would enjoy working on the show if the BBC commissioned it. When the pilot, which aired in March 2013, proved successful, the team were given the green light and the first series was put into production. It was announced in December 2013, with Lacey Turner set to reprise her role from
2100-427: A subscription platform through which Sky offer their own channels, pay-per-view services and channels from other broadcasters. Sky's digital platform launched in 1998, with the original analogue service closing in 2001. Sky was acquired by Comcast in 2018. Since 2012, Sky operate Now , an Internet TV streaming service offering subscriptions without a fixed-term contract. Sky's channel portfolio has grown greatly since
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#17330860613412200-463: A variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channels for consumers as well as on-demand content. There are six main channel owners who are responsible for most material viewed. There are 27,000 hours of domestic content produced a year, at a cost of £2.6 billion. Since 24 October 2012, all television broadcasts in the United Kingdom have been in a digital format, following
2300-428: A young soldier" and would "follow the extreme life-changing experiences [Molly] is forced to face both on tour and when she returns back home". The series was commissioned by Moore and Ben Stephenson , Controller of Drama Commissioning. The executive producers were Caroline Skinner and Tony Grounds . Horn returned as producer and the new series was directed by Anthony Philipson and Richard Senior. Grounds hoped viewers of
2400-500: Is a state-owned national broadcaster which is funded by its commercial activities (including advertising). Channel 4 has expanded greatly after gaining greater independence from the IBA , especially in the multi-channel digital world launching E4 , Film4 , More4 , 4Music , 4seven and various timeshift services . Since 2005, it has been a member of the Freeview consortium, and operates one of
2500-406: Is a subscription service operated by Sky Ltd , owned by Comcast , which launched in 1998 as SkyDigital. Compared to the previous analogue service which had launched in 1989, it provided more channels, widescreen, interactive TV and a near video-on-demand service using staggered start times for pay-per-view content. Innovations since have included high definition, 3D TV, a digital video recorder ,
2600-581: Is distributed as radio waves via terrestrial or satellite transmissions, or as electrical or light signals through ground-based cables. In the UK, these use the Digital Video Broadcasting standard. Most TVs sold in the UK (as well as much of the rest of Europe) come with a DVB-T (terrestrial) tuner. Set-top boxes are generally used to receive channels from other providers. All of the traditional services have integrated their broadcast TV with streamed channels or on-demand programmes when connected to
2700-479: Is forced to face both on tour and when she returns back home". When writing the series, Grounds wanted to write it from the perspective of foot soldiers in Afghanistan, involving looking at things from their point-of-view. His decision to keep Molly as the focus was justified as he found it interesting to write from the perspective of a newer recruit. He added that the series "opens up much more potential" to explore
2800-436: Is free-of-charge to view. It replaced the subscription service named ONdigital or ITV Digital, which ran from 1998 to 2002. Digital terrestrial television was itself the replacement for analogue terrestrial TV , which ran from 1936 to 2012. As of March 2021 , Freeview provides over seventy TV and radio channels, which are received via an aerial. It is operated by Everyone TV and DTV Services Ltd., joint ventures between
2900-431: Is merely a soldier - they are someone's child or sibling, parent or spouse". Grounds said that the concept was in his mind when he visited an army base and was told of a young woman who "was angry as a feral cat" at the start of her basic training , only to become a strong and competent combat medic who served in Afghanistan. He described this woman as "calm, logical, professional and a genuine life saver" as she had "found
3000-419: Is the name Ofcom uses. ITV plc or its predecessor companies created additional free or subscription channels, of which the oldest still running is ITV2 , having launched in 1998. Several older channels have since stopped broadcasting; the oldest of these is Super Channel which was launched by a consortium of ITV regional companies in 1987, was sold and eventually closed in 1998. Launched in 1982, Channel 4
3100-498: Is the oldest television society in the world. Free-to-air , free-to-view and subscription providers operate, with differences in the number of channels, capabilities such as the programme guide (EPG), video on demand (VOD), high-definition (HD), interactive television via the red button , and coverage across the UK. All providers make available the UK's five most-watched channels: BBC One , BBC Two , ITV ( ITV1 / STV ), Channel 4 and Channel 5 . Broadcast television
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3200-426: Is the world's oldest and largest broadcaster, and is the country's principal public service broadcaster of radio and television. BBC Television is funded primarily by a television licence and from sales of its programming to overseas markets. It does not carry advertising . The licence fee is levied on all households that watch or record TV as it is broadcast and the fee is determined by periodic negotiation between
3300-632: The Democratic Republic of the Congo . TV via the Internet can be streamed or downloaded, and consist of amateur or professionally produced content. In the UK, most broadcasters provide catch-up TV services which allow viewing of TV for a window after it was broadcast. Online video can be viewed via mobile devices, computers, TVs equipped with a built in Internet connection, or TVs connected to an external set-top-box, streaming stick or games console. Most of
3400-581: The Internet . Since 2022, broadcast-like TV services can be wholly-received via Internet-connected devices, which don't require an aerial, satellite or a traditional cable TV connection. The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board publish quarterly statistics of the number of UK households per broadcast TV platform. Aggregating the statistics for Q1 2020 show that 56% subscribe to one or more broadcast TV services, vs 44% who receive free TV. The primary digital terrestrial TV service, Freeview , launched in 2002 and
3500-495: The Pluto TV and Paramount+ Internet streaming services. Since 2012, additional local TV channels are available via Freeview channel 7 or 8. The channels are licensed by Ofcom, with 34 local TV channels licensed as of 2 July 2020. Nineteen of the licenses are held by That's TV, and eight are held by Made Television. The remainder are held independently. Each license contains the amount of local TV programming required. As an example,
3600-614: The Taman Negara jungle in Malaysia over a nine-month period. On occasion, actors filmed six-day weeks. In April 2019, filming commenced for the show's fourth series. Like series 1, which was also set in Afghanistan, series 4 was filmed in South Africa. Filming wrapped up in July 2019. In January 2020, before series 4 began airing, it was announced that Keegan would leave the show after that series to spend time with family. Speaking on her departure,
3700-411: The 'thing' she was brilliant at". Grounds disclosed that he "had always wanted to write about the young and disenfranchised finding the 'thing' they are brilliant at", and aimed to make it hopeful as he believed "there is something that everyone can excel at". The pilot was commissioned after John Yorke , an executive from the BBC drama department, asked if Grounds had any ideas for Turner. Grounds pitched
3800-505: The BBC's commercial units. Originating in 1992 with UK Gold , UKTV expanded its channels from 1997 onwards, with the BBC taking full ownership in June 2019. Unlike the BBC's public service channels, the UKTV channels contain advertising. ITV, branded as ITV1 or STV, is the network of fourteen regional and one national commercial television franchise, founded in 1955 to provide competition to the BBC. ITV
3900-457: The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. The transmitter network is predominately operated by Arqiva . The TV channels are transmitted in bundles, called multiplexes , and the available channels are dependent on how many multiplexes are transmitted in each area. The six national multiplexes are available to 90% of households from 92 transmitters; and three multiplexes are available to 9% of households from 1,067 transmitters. In Northern Ireland,
4000-545: The British Army don't face such problems as real life as they make walls out of rock and gravel, while those on set were constructed using straw. Caroline Skinner later explained: "for the first series we used the mountains of the wine region, which are very similar to Helmand Province for Afghanistan". Actors underwent boot camp training for preperation to play their characters, the first phase went on for fourteen weeks, plus an additional six months of specialist training in their character's area. The second phase of boot camp
4100-480: The Internet. In the article, Ofcom responded that the licensing scheme was inherited from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport . In April 2018, BBC News reported that "many of the stations have been ridiculed for the poor quality of their output or have been reported to Ofcom for breaching broadcasting rules". The local TV companies receive a subsidy from the BBC of £147.50 per local news story, funded by
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4200-569: The Republic of Ireland are available, including RTÉ One , RTÉ2 and the Irish-language TG4 . British television differs from other countries, such as the United States , in as much that programmes produced in the United Kingdom do not generally have a long season run of around 20 weeks. Instead, they are produced in a series, a set of episodes varying in length, usually aired over a period of
4300-775: The UK, offering a combination of subscription, rental and purchase options for viewing online TV. Most are available via any Internet connection, however some require a specific broadband connection. Some services sell 3rd party services, such as Amazon's Prime Video. BARB tracks the number of households subscribing to Netflix, Prime Video and Now, referred to as SVOD households. Their statistics for Q1 2020 show that 53% of households subscribe to at least one of these, and 24% to at least two. Netflix has 13.01 million subscribers, Prime Video (Amazon) has 7.86 million, and Now has 1.62 million, according to BARB's figures for Q1 2020. BARB's equivalent figures for broadcast TV show that 56% of households subscribe. The table following summarises some of
4400-472: The UK. As of 2 January 2022, the average daily viewing time per home was 3 hours 8 minutes (of BARB-reported channels, includes broadcast and Internet viewings). 15 channels have a 4-week share of ≥ 1.0%. As of 2 January 2022 , there are 10 broadcaster groups with a four week share of ≥ 1.0% (although BARB reports sub-groups of BBC and Paramount individually, and it's unclear what the 'ITV' group refers to). The British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC )
4500-532: The United Kingdom Television broadcasts in the United Kingdom began in 1932, however, regular broadcasts would only begin four years later. Television began as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection of free-to-air , free-to-view and subscription services over
4600-534: The ability to view recordings on other devices, remote operation via the Internet to add recordings, and on-demand content via the satellite-receiver's broadband connection of both Sky and third-party TV. The Sky subscription also includes access to Sky Go , which allows mobile devices and computers to access subscription content via the Internet. Freesat is a free satellite service operated by Everyone TV, who also operate Freeview. Like Sky, it provides high-definition content, digital recording and video-on-demand via
4700-508: The actors. In May 2017, the third series commenced filming. Part 1 was filmed in Kathmandu , Nepal, and its surrounding areas. Crew took advantage of filming where the story was set, as scenes were filmed in a village that was affected by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake , similar to the plot. The show's art department enhanced the damage on the village. Scenes taking place in Afghanistan were filmed in
4800-457: The actress commented that she "had the most incredible four years on the show" and "loved every second". It was reported that former EastEnders actress Jacqueline Jossa was in advanced talks to replace her as the lead should the show be greenlit for a fifth series. In August 2020, it was announced that the show would not return for a fifth series, with Grounds explaining that as series 4's final episode showed Georgie moving on, it felt right for
4900-424: The area, as some buildings were blown over and production equipment was often damaged. To account for the buildings, specialist teams were brought in to attach steel hawsers to act as guy ropes to prevent serious damage. Horn admitted that despite the constant rebuilding of sets, the show's construction team, who were from South Africa, had "a great 'can do' attitude" due to being used to the climate. While construction
5000-821: The available Internet TV services in the UK. For brevity, it does not include catch-up-only or amateur-only services, individual channels, distributors of illegal or adult content, services which solely redistribute free broadcast channels, portals, or services which don't target the UK. 'Free' refers to free at the point of consumption, not including fees for Internet connectivity or a TV licence. Other international streaming services with pricing in GBP include: Acorn TV, Arrow, BKTV, Crunchyroll, Dekkoo, Demand Africa, Docsville, Funimation Now, GuideDoc, Hayu, Hoichoi, Hotstar, iQiyi, iWantTFC, Mubi, NewsPlayer+, Revry, Shudder, Starz, True Story, WOW Presents Plus and ZEE5. The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) measures television ratings in
5100-487: The average viewership achieved by each broadcast during its run-time and do not include peak viewership. Notes : Our Girl series 1 The first series of the British military drama television series Our Girl began broadcasting on 21 September 2014 on BBC One , and ended on 19 October 2014. The series continues the story of the show's pilot episode , as protagonist Molly Dawes ( Lacey Turner ) navigates becoming
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#17330860613415200-420: The bit during the non-stop thriller". Cowan praised the series finale , as it ended with "drama, suspense and action". Euan Ferguson of The Guardian was critical of the third series, labelling it as having "dishearten[ed]" him. He further criticised the show's new characters and the script. Ed Power of The Telegraph awarded the first episode of series 3 3/5 stars, praising Keegan's portrayal but criticising
5300-513: The broadband connection of Freeview Play and Netgem devices. These also support optional subscription services such as Netflix and Prime Video. EE TV and TalkTalk TV offer additional subscription services for their respective broadband customers using Netgem or YouView devices. Saorview , the terrestrial TV service in the Republic of Ireland which launched in 2011, can be received in parts of Northern Ireland via overspill transmissions. Many regional companies developed cable-television services in
5400-460: The broadband connection. Freesat and Sky TV transmit from SES Astra satellites at 28.2° east ( Astra 2E / 2F / 2G ). As the satellites are in geostationary orbit , they are positioned above the earth 's equator ( 0°00′N 28°12′E / 0°N 28.2°E / 0; 28.2 ( Satellites transmitting Sky TV and Freesat to the UK and Ireland ) ) approximately 35,786 km above sea level ; this places them above
5500-425: The broadcast TV providers have integrated their set-top-boxes with Internet video to provide a hybrid broadcast and online service. Since 2006, UK channel owners and content producers have been creating Internet services to access their programmes. Often, these are available for a window after the broadcast schedule. These services generally block users outside of the UK. There are numerous online services targeting
5600-529: The channel name of STV for its two franchises in Scotland. ITV plc names the channel UTV in Northern Ireland, and ITV1 for the remaining regions, although UTV has used ITV or ITV1 branding since April 2020. The national breakfast-time franchise is held by ITV plc, which appears as an indistinguishable programming block across the network. Legally, the network has been known as Channel 3 since 1990, which
5700-474: The countries to achieve accuracy and authenticity of the struggles in the areas. It was produced by John Griffin and Lizzie Rushbridger, and executive produced by Grounds, Hilary Salmon and Mona Qureshi. A fourth series was confirmed in January 2019. The series was written and created by Tony Grounds , produced by Yvonne Francas, and executive produced by Grounds, Roberto Troni, Hilary Salmon and Mona Qureshi. In
5800-458: The crew to do the same. Piers Wenger , Controller of BBC Drama, commented that the BBC were "very proud of Our Girl " and thanked Grounds, Keegan, and the remainder of the cast and crew for their hard work over the years. For the pilot, Lacey Turner was cast as Molly Dawes , whom the actress described as "an interesting character who shows such strength and determination". A BBC spokesperson billed Molly as "colourful, unique and powerful". After
5900-423: The end of analogue transmissions in Northern Ireland. Digital content is delivered via terrestrial, satellite and cable, as well as over IP. As of 2003, 53.2% of households watch through terrestrial, 31.3% through satellite, and 15.6% through cable. The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It
6000-465: The experience. Turner added that her character "changed quite a lot really from the beginning", having grown up, finished her training and emotionally matured, while retaining traits of "disobedience", "feistiness", "fight", and "passion". Ben Aldridge was cast as Captain Charles James , 2-Section's commanding officer. Aldridge described his character as "an interesting mix of authority and fun" with
6100-403: The experiences of foot soldiers in Afghanistan, commenting that it allowed opportunities to explore the issues faced by them. It was set to air in 2014 and follow Molly through her first deployment as an army medic while the British Army withdraw from Afghanistan, with Turner reprising her role. BBC One controller Charlotte Moore teased the upcoming series would be "a rite-of-passage story about
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#17330860613416200-488: The first series a 7/10, considering Turner's performance as a positive as the actress "does a magnificent job of making her seem warm-hearted and funny". White also praised the writing of the characters, particularly Captain James. He concluded: "For all its occasional flaws and excesses, Our Girl paints a portrait of men and women in uniform who haven't allowed a long and bloody conflict to dampen one iota of their humanity". Kendall Hutt of Square Eyes commented that she "loved"
6300-448: The frequency used by Channel 5's new broadcasts. Channel 5 was the first terrestrial channel to also broadcast via satellite. From 2006 onwards, Channel 5 launched new digital channels and an Internet on-demand service. After changing ownership several times, in May 2014 Channel 5 and its sister channels were acquired by Viacom, an American media conglomerate , known as Paramount since 2022. By
6400-504: The government and the BBC. Its first analogue terrestrial channel was launched by the BBC Television Service in 1936. It rebranded to BBC1 in 1964 following the launch of BBC2 , the UK's third analogue terrestrial channel after ITV. BBC News 24 launched as an analogue cable channel in 1997, later rebranding to BBC News in 2008. BBC Parliament , which was originally an analogue cable channel known as The Parliamentary Channel,
6500-399: The issues of soldiers and veterans in the British Army. When asked his hopes on what viewers would take from the series, Grounds responded: "You just want them to understand what it must be like going out there as a young person, to feel what Molly must feel like to be suddenly thrown into this bewildering new world. It's more than just joining the army. You want the audience to sympathise with
6600-668: The late 1980s and 1990s as licences for cable television were awarded on a city-by-city basis. The mid-1990s saw the companies start to merge and the turn of the century only three big companies remained. In 2007 Telewest and NTL merged, resulting in the formation of Virgin Media , which is available to 55% of households. Cable TV is a subscription service normally bundled with a phone line and broadband. There are two distinctly-marketed direct-broadcast satellite (DBS) services (also known as direct-to-home (DTH), to be distinguished from satellite signals intended for non-consumer reception). Sky TV
6700-400: The launch of digital TV. Sky make their channels available via rival cable and Internet services as well as their own satellite service and Now. Channel 5 was the fifth analogue terrestrial channel to launch, in March 1997. Due to constraints with the available UHF frequencies at the time, many households had to retune their video recorders , which shared the frequency on their RF output with
6800-546: The license fee, paid whether the BBC uses the content or not. A June 2018 article on BuzzFeed claimed that That's TV was created "primarily to extract money from the BBC whilst delivering little content of useful value". BBC One, BBC Two and the ITV network (comprising ITV1 and STV) are split into regions in which regional news and other programming is broadcast. ITV1/STV is split into fourteen geographic licencees , with several of these split into two or three sub-regions, resulting in
6900-460: The license for Scarborough, which is held by That's TV, requires seven hours of local programming per week (one hour per day on average). Thirteen additional licenses were originally intended, but Ofcom decided not to advertise these in June 2018. The way Ofcom structured local television – being dependent on terrestrial transmission – was criticised in a Guardian article in 2015 for being "years behind in its thinking", as it does not account for
7000-458: The most successful British programmes of the 20th century. The top 10 programmes are: 100 Greatest TV Moments was a list compiled by Channel 4 in 1999. The top 10 entries are: The majority of special events attracting large audiences are often carried on more than one channel. The most-watched programme of all time on a single channel is the 1973 wedding ceremony of The Princess Anne , shown only on BBC1. The figures in these tables represent
7100-513: The new characters and 2-Section as they "spent most of the time larking, bantering and mucking about, like a heavily-armed stag party". Thomas Ling of Radio Times echoed the criticisms, particularly citing positive Twitter responses to Georgie's return and negative reactions to the new character Maisie Richards. The finale of part 1 was poorly received by audiences, partly due to the death of Elvis. Additionally, Alana Anderson of OK! magazine noted viewer criticisms towards plot holes surrounding
7200-423: The pilot "clichéd and schmaltzy", and deemed Molly's character development as unrealistic. He added that it was "naive, crude", and "practically a recruitment video for the army". Despite this, Wollaston found himself "swept along" by it, complimenting Turner's performance as being "gutsy" and "very watchable", overall concluding that the pilot was enjoyable. Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent commented that, despite
7300-435: The pilot and was due to follow her character "during her first deployment as an army medic while the British Army withdraw from Afghanistan ". BBC One controller Charlotte Moore teased the new series: "Our Girl is a rite-of-passage story about a young soldier beautifully captured by Lacey Turner. In the same year when our British troops withdraw from Afghanistan, the series will follow the extreme life-changing experiences she
7400-487: The pilot's success spawned the followup series, Turner reprised her role as Molly, describing her as "feisty", "disobedient", and "passionate", but that her character had become "more grown up". Turner was accompanied by two new main characters, Captain James and Dylan "Smurf" Smith, played by Ben Aldridge and Iwan Rheon , respectively, who would be involved in a love triangle with Molly. Aldridge described his character as "an interesting mix of authority and fun", possessing
7500-700: The pilot, scenes of basic training were filmed at Army Training Centre Pirbright and scenes taking place inside aircraft were filmed at the Royal Air Force Museum Midlands . Despite being set in Afghanistan , the first series was filmed over a 49-day period in a wildlife reserve called the Serra Della Camp in the Bonte Bok mountain range in South Africa . Horn explained that some days of production were impossible to work in due to strong winds in
7600-487: The plot being "familiar": "As recruitment films go, it was much better written and acted than the usual output" and that it "was so unequivocally approving of the benefits of joining up that it seemed entirely possible that viewers at a loose end might consider giving Army life a go". The first series was generally well-received. Dale Cowan of Cultbox awarded the series 5 stars, explaining "Director Anthony Philipson's visually stimulating direction continues to impress as does
7700-523: The refugee camp in the show was based on Dadaab . Keegan also confirmed that the mission was a humanitarian one and would last over a six-week period for 2-Section, and that the new series would contain nods to the original one. It was teased that the characters would quickly find the mission to be "full of surprises". On 5 October 2016, it was announced that the show would return for a third series . It contained twelve episodes. The series would also be split into two parts, with each focusing on 2-Section in
7800-442: The second part of series 3 was announced. Part 2 would follow 2-Section through Nigeria , Belize and Bangladesh . Grounds selected Bangladesh as the setting of the final part of the series after hearing stories about Rohingya Muslims crossing the border from Myanmar and living in refugee camps, and found drug lords to be an intimidating enemy. Grounds detailed that he spent a "long time listening to soldiers and people" from around
7900-465: The series as "bittersweet". Elliott Gonzalez of I Talk Telly praised Keegan's performance in the series premiere, saying "she did a really great job". Michael Hogan of The Telegraph gave the premiere a mixed review, 3/5 stars, praising the drama, "adrenalin-pumping action", "tantalising cliffhanger", and Keegan's "tough-but-vulnerable" performance, but criticised the dialogue, mainly the "clichéd sexist 'banter'", and underwritten characters. Julia Raeside
8000-570: The series taking place in a Kenyan refugee camp close to the Kenya / Somalia border, and focus on their conflict . Grounds called it "both daunting and exciting" to have a new series of Our Girl enter production. Grounds based the new series in Kenya as he believed its conflict with Somalia would be "an incredible setting for drama", and the characters would have never "faced anything like the situation they are confronted with". Actor Ben Aldridge confirmed that
8100-401: The series took place, for its first part, and Malaysia was used to portray Belize in its second. Across its run, Our Girl received mixed reception, with reviews leaning more positively for the show's pilot and first two series, and more negatively for its third and fourth. While its production, performances, and action sequences were generally praised by critics, they generally agreed that
8200-574: The series would understand what it was like to be stationed in Afghanistan as a young person: "It's more than just joining the army. You want the audience to sympathise with the soldiers but also love Afghanistan as well with a bit of hope and a way forward". In June 2015, it was announced that series 2 had begun production. The second series was commissioned by Charlotte Moore and Polly Hill. Executive producers were announced to be Caroline Skinner and Tony Grounds , and directors by Jan Matthys and Luke Snellin . Grounds also returned as writer. and teased
8300-432: The series, singing praises towards the characters, performances, and direction. Henry Tucker of Blueprint Review gave the series 4/5 stars, concluding that "if you like your military viewing with lots of bangs and gunfights then give this a very wide berth. If you would rather engage with the personal side of warfare and how it affects those in the middle of it, then this is for you". Cowan described Turner's departure from
8400-400: The show glamourised military life and suffered a confused tone as the series progressed. On 18 October 2012, it was announced that Lacey Turner would star in an upcoming 90-minute television drama following a young army recruit, with the pilot set to focus on Turner's character through army training and into service in Afghanistan . Series writer and creator Tony Grounds teased: "This is
8500-588: The show was a township in real life, with locals being used as extras. Series 2 began filming in January 2016. Actors had to attend boot camp in the UK for a few weeks to prepare. After that, they did another week of it in South Africa to get the cast used to the heat and uniforms. Advisors were employed to ensure military accuracy and to help the actors through the hardships of filming. Actors often performed their own stunts, including Keegan, who called them "very physical", but found it to be "liberating", despite finding them "quite extreme". Real weapons were used to train
8600-500: The six digital terrestrial multiplexes with ITV as Digital 3&4 . Since the advent of digital television, Channel 4 is now also broadcast in Wales across all digital platforms. Channel 4 was the first British channel not to carry regional variations for programming, however it does have six set advertising regions. Sky is a European broadcaster owned by global American media conglomerate Comcast . Sky Television launched in 1989, with
8700-508: The soldiers but also love Afghanistan as well with a bit of hope and a way forward". The series was commissioned by Moore and Ben Stephenson . Caroline Skinner and Grounds were brought in as executive producers and Ken Horn returned from the pilot as producer. The series was directed by Anthony Philipson and Richard Senior. Despite being set in Afghanistan, the series was filmed in the Bontebok National Park in South Africa over
8800-448: The sparkling direction from Jan Matthys well. The supporting artists are also very strong here". However, was critical of the episodes' lack of stakes: "despite the sense of urgency the episode tries to create, it seems to fall flat in places and doesn't have the necessary impact that we were hoping it would". Justin Harp of Digital Spy reported that the fourth episode had viewers "chomping at
8900-426: The story. Sarah Crompton of The Telegraph gave the episode 3/5 stars, calling it "a compelling 90 minutes", but criticising the depiction of the army as being more suited to "a glossy advertising campaign" than a drama, adding that the pilot "glamorised both its methods and its personnel". Despite mixed critical response, audience reactions were generally positive on Twitter . Sam Wollaston of The Guardian called
9000-485: The time it acquired Channel 5, Paramount already operated a large number of subscription channels in the UK, including the MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central channels, which are available via Sky TV, Virgin Media and Now. In terms of viewing share, the combined viewing across Paramount's channels make the group the UK's fifth largest broadcaster, according to BARB's viewing figures for 1 March 2020. Paramount additionally operates
9100-485: The writing from creator Tony Grounds, who has produced something truly wonderful". Cowan continued by praising the performances of the series, naming Sean Gallagher and Kerry Godliman's performances as "honest" and adding "emotional realism", and Turner's as being "warmth and human", describing it as "electric". However, Cowan criticised open ends left in the final episode of the first series , naming some plot lines as "unfinished". Julian White of The Least Picture Show gave
9200-447: Was acquired by the BBC in 1998. From 1998 onwards the BBC started digital TV transmissions, launching new channels and broadcasting via satellite in addition to terrestrial and cable. The BBC's Internet-based service iPlayer contains content from the BBC's TV channels, the Welsh-language public-service broadcaster S4C, as well as videos created from BBC radio programmes. UKTV is a commercial broadcaster owned by BBC Studios , one of
9300-453: Was also critical of the script, as it intailed "unpleasant sexist banter", but praised how "the romance manages to coexist with the military drama while still keeping its boots on the ground". Adam Starkey of the Metro reported mixed reactions on Twitter to Keegan's portrayal in comparison to Turner's. Cowan praised the second episode , commenting: "The musical score is subtle yet cinematic and aids
9400-418: Was being developed, the actors underwent training for the series, which went on for approximately 10 months. Series 2 was filmed near Cape Town in South Africa. Skinner explained that it looked different from the first series because the area was "dustier" and a more "desert-like just terrain 20 minutes outside of Cape Town". Skinner called South Africa "an incredible place to film". The Kenyan refugee camp in
9500-453: Was commissioned in 2017. The first four episodes, known as the Nepal Tour, began broadcasting on 10 October 2017. The remaining eight episodes aired consecutively from 5 June 2018. In January 2019, it was confirmed by the BBC that Keegan would return for a fourth series ; she also announced that it would be her last series. It began broadcasting on 24 March 2020. Following Keegan's departure, it
9600-422: Was commissioned, with Turner reprising her role for the first series , which commenced broadcast on 21 September 2014. Turner left her show after the first series, so when the show was greenlit for a second series , Michelle Keegan was cast as a new character, Georgie Lane , to serve as the series' protagonist. The second series began airing on 7 September 2016. A split third series , comprising 12 episodes,
9700-516: Was confirmed in August 2020 that the fourth series of Our Girl would be its last. Much of the show's filming and preperation took place in South Africa , with the location being used to depict Afghanistan in the show's first and fourth series, Kenya in its second, and being used to prepare actors for the conditions of filming while wearing heavy military attire. The third series was filmed in Nepal , where
9800-528: Was confirmed in March 2016. The third main character for the second series was revealed later in the same month to be a new character named Elvis Harte , set to be played by Luke Pasqualino , an ex-fling of Georgie's. Other cast members joining in series 2 included Royce Pierreson as Dr Jamie Cole, Rolan Bell as Sergeant King, Sean Sagar as Monk and Anthony Oseyemi as the Kenyan forces' Captain Osman. For series 3,
9900-407: Was in South Africa and involved getting used to the climate, particularly due to the heavy uniforms and long hours. Grounds appreciated the off-screen chemistry between the cast members, explaining: "They honestly became like a real section. They were thrown together for six months, not having met before, and, as with the army, what happens in that six months could change their lives. They went through
10000-437: Was the country's first commercial television provider funded by advertisements . Each region was originally independent and used its own on-air identity . Through a series of mergers following relaxation of regulation in 1990, thirteen of the franchises are now held by ITV plc , and the remaining two by STV Group . Since 2012, ITV plc produces the network nationally, with STV Group acting as an affiliate . STV Group uses
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