Interview with Tony Grounds (Writer and Executive Producer)
Interview with Tony Grounds, Writer and Executive Producer of Our Girl
Published: 28 September 2017
I love writing Elvis and Georgie. It’s a burning love story where they can’t function without each other or function with each other. It’s a passionate love.
How does this third series of Our Girl differ from the first and second series?
This is an emergency disaster relief mission after a devastating series of earthquakes in Nepal. There are no obvious enemies. You will see 2-Section also get involved with the issue of child trafficking. There are thousands of children trafficked from places such as Nepal, some of them voluntarily as they think they are heading to a better life.
Will 2-Section be back, and what new characters should we look out for?
Yes and we have two new recruits! Females are now allowed into the Army - not just as medics but the infantry. We have a female coming in as a specialist driver called Maisie and there’s another member who comes in called Rab.
Twelve episodes is a big commission but it will be separated into three different tours. How did you tackle writing three different stories?
It isn’t one story throughout all 12 episodes. I divided up the stories into separate tours, so you’ll see Nepal also leads into Afghanistan. Looking ahead, the second tour is also four episodes and this is two episodes in Nigeria and two in the Belize/Guatemalan border so there is movement.
Why did you set this mission in Nepal and Afghanistan and did you get to visit Nepal?
I’m fascinated by Nepal as there’s always been historic British involvement as we have links through the Gurkhas. Everyone knows about the big earthquake and there are smaller ones all the time. The Army aren’t just there to fight anymore; 90 percent of their work is humanitarian work. We’d never told a disaster relief story. I imagine a lot of our audience is the same age as 2-Section and might not know anything about Nepal.
I went to a village affected by the earthquake and that was the village we ended up shooting in. We needed to audition a child to play one of the villagers named Tara, and one of the young local girls wanted to do it so it was a no-brainer really! We also filmed in South Africa, of which some doubled as Nepal, and the little girl didn’t have a passport as she had never been out of the village, let alone the country, so the locals were a bit sceptical of us. When we were in the hotel in South Africa, she kept going up and down in the lift as she’d never been in a lift before!
What does Michelle bring to the role as Georgie Lane?
I think she's fantastic, she embodies Georgie Lane now. She brings a young modern girl to the Army who is committed to making the world a better place. I think it’s one in nine new army recruits are female so it’s going up all the time.
Viewers love the Elvis/Georgie storyline, do you enjoy writing that?
I love writing Elvis and Georgie. It’s a real burning love story where they can’t function without each other or function with each other. It’s a passionate love and its wonderful writing it for Michelle and Luke.
Character Biographies
Corporal Georgie Lane
Gutsy, passionate and unstoppable, Georgie is an army medic from Stockport who relishes the adrenaline that comes with the adventures of her work. Having completed a number of tours, she’s proven she has strength, courage and, above all, a big heart. Georgie’s decision to join the army has since led her to the front line in Afghanistan, where she met her first true love and heartbreak, Elvis. After another failed romance, Georgie has spent every waking moment devoting herself to her work - despite the fact that thoughts of what could have been are never far from her mind.
Elvis Harte
Elvis is a cheeky Londoner who has grown into a remarkable leader, joining the SAS selection after a number of tours with the army. Fearless, self-confident and cool under pressure, Elvis has worked across both covert and overt operations fighting for counter terrorism and drug operations in the Middle and Far East, Afghanistan, and, most recently, Syria. Having already broken Georgie’s heart, he’s determined to make amends.
Captain James
A charismatic leader and brilliant officer, Captain James is an army man to the core and well respected by the men who fight alongside him. The consummate professional, he had no problem keeping his private and his personal life separate - until he met army medic and now wife, Molly Dawes, while on tour in Afghanistan. However behind closed doors, Captain James battles many demons.
Private Maisie Richards
Brash and fearless, Maisie has always been front and centre of any group within which she finds herself. A free spirit, she often pokes fun at Georgie’s traditional ideas of love and romance. Maisie is from a typical working class background and has worked hard to become a skilled driver, but is eager to prove herself as a capable and fearless fighter. However, as confidence risks turning to recklessness, she soon finds herself pushed to her limits.
