Michelle Keegan on being back on the frontline as Army medic Georgie Lane for one last time as Our Girl returns for a new series… and she hints she could one day return!
As Our Girl returns to our screens for its fourth series soon, it’s the end of an era as actress Michelle Keegan recently confirmed this would be her final outing as plucky army medic Georgie Lane.
But there’s plenty of high drama in store as Georgie heads back to Afghanistan with some scores to settle…
As the series begins, newly promoted sergeant Georgie seems happy enough working with the Royal Army Medical Corps training medics in her native Lancashire, when she has a chance encounter with her old platoon, 2 Section, who are about to embark on a tour of Afghanistan.
Sergeant King (Rolan Bell) has got his hands full with new recruits including Mimi (Ackley Bridge’s Amy-Leigh Hickman) and Prof (Penance star Nico Mirallegro) and wants Georgie to join them – but she’s plagued by flashbacks of the bomb blast that killed her fiancé Elvis Harte (Luke Pasqualino).
As Georgie urges cautious young medic Mimi to face her fears, she realises she must take her own advice by joining the tour. But will it be a decision she lives to regret?
Michelle Keegan, 32, tells us more about the new series of Our Girl…
Where do we find Georgie at the start of this series?
"In herself, it looks like she's in a good space, she’s been promoted to sergeant and she’s enjoying training army medics in England. But it’s soon revealed that she’s still grieving for Elvis. As soon as Elvis died last series, Georgie threw herself back into her work but it’s obvious she hasn’t got through the grieving process yet and is suffering some sort of PTSD."
How does Georgie get along with the new recruits in 2 Section, particularly Mimi?
"Georgie definitely sees a lot of herself in Mimi. When Georgie started as a Lance Corporal, she was more advanced than Mimi but made a lot of mistakes. Georgie leads with her heart and makes decisions for the good of other people, which sometimes get her in a lot of trouble. But that's just built into her and Mimi’s the same. And it was great to have a new girl on set in Amy-Leigh."
Also new to the gang is Prof, played by Penance star Nico Mirallegro…
"Prof is very different to the rest of the squad. I can’t give too much away but he’s got a really good story arc. It was really refreshing having lots of newcomers on the show. They all just slotted in."
MORE: All you need to know about Channel 5's new thriller Penance
As Georgie urges young medic Mimi to face her fears, what makes her realise she needs to do the same and go back to Afghanistan?
"Georgie feels there’s unfinished business in Afghanistan, so she decides to go back there because she needs closure. Georgie and Elvis’s romance was so loved by the public, so for him to just to die and have Georgie suddenly get over it, that wouldn’t happen in real life. We're trying to reflect what happens in the army; we want it to feel real and, in real life, grief is never ‘over’. So we explore that this series."
The opening scene of this series features the members of Section 2 sitting in an upturned vehicle. What was that like to film? And do you enjoy doing your own stunts?
"Honestly, it felt like we were hanging upside down forever and the blood rushes to your head very quickly. The stunts on this show are a challenge but I really enjoy it. If I was on my own, I’d think: ‘Oh, I can’t do that’ but all the other cast are there and they’re like: ‘Come on, come on, you can do it!’ So I think we do it for each other because we’re a team. We have that real army spirit!"
What can you tell us about how Georgie’s story progresses?
"Georgie forms a bond with hospital administrator Dr Bahil, who is being targeted by Taliban warlord Omar – the man responsible for Elvis’s death! Georgie feels she has to protect Dr Bahil but, because there’s a personal link there, as the story progresses, she gets too emotionally involved."
Michelle Keegan could return to Our Girl...
Was it a tough decision to leave the show after this fourth series?
"Yeah, it was. I’ve had the most incredible four years. It was a very hard decision to quit, but I just felt it was time to explore other opportunities. And, who knows, it might not be forever."
Our Girl, starring Michelle Keegan, returns on Tuesday March 24 at 9pm on BBC1.
