As series four reaches a dramatic finale, Ben Aldridge, who plays Captain James, reveals how Georgie is caught in the crossfire of a terrible explosion and her life is left hanging in the balance....
They've survived hostage situations, jungle chases and enemy fire but as the series finale of Our Girl gets underway, Captain James, is horrified when his colleague Georgie, (played by Michelle Keegan), is caught in the crossfire of a terrible explosion.
With her life hanging in the balance, the Captain, played by actor Ben Aldridge, is devastated to see Georgie being stretchered into an ambulance.
Although still married to Molly Dawes, (played by actress Lacey Turner who left the series to return to EastEnders), it's become increasingly clear he's developed strong feelings for Georgie whose life was shattered when her boyfriend, Special Forces Officer Elvis Harte, (Luke Pasqualino), was killed by a suicide bomber.
Will Georgie survive the blast? Is Captain James in love with her? And what does the future hold for the pair of them?
What's On TV caught up with Our Girl actor Ben Aldridge for an exclusive interview to hear more about the gripping season finale...
What's On TV: There’s serious trouble brewing as we head to the final episode isn’t there?
Ben Aldridge: "Yes, Inspector Chowdry’s son is being held hostage by a group of drug traffickers and 2 Section have to try and rescue him in the hope that it will lead them to the drug runners. They team up with Special Forces to ambush the complex where the boy is being held but suddenly there’s a huge explosion."
WOTV: Unfortunately, Georgie gets caught up in the explosion. Tell us about that…
BA: "Yes, Georgie gets caught in the crossfire. It’s a terrorist bomb that goes off and Captain James is actually making his way to her as it happens. He’s got a sixth sense that she’s in trouble but obviously doesn’t realise how much. He’s running towards her just as the explosion happens so is the first person on the scene to try and save her. Georgie is rushed to hospital and he doesn’t know if she’s going to live or not. It’s touch and go and Captain James feels hugely responsible."
WOTV: What are his feelings towards Georgie at this point because we’ve recently seen them grow much closer?
BA: "Yes, absolutely, I think the death of Elvis has completely bonded them. The care and responsibility that James feels towards Georgie has developed into something else and now they’re both wrestling with guilt and their feelings for eachother. Things are on the rocks with his wife Molly and Georgie knows that because James has been very open with her. At the time of the explosion Georgie is the closest person to him, she means everything to him at that point."
WOTV: She's obviously stunning but what else does he find attractive about her?
BA: "She’s caused him a lot of trouble but he admires her boldness and her courage, he likes how strong she is and she makes him laugh too. She also saved him from death in the jungle so he owes her his life. Spending months on end together when there are really high stakes and you’re running on adrenaline, they have just been drawn closer and closer."
WOTV: How has it been working with Michelle Keegan?
BA: "It’s been amazing, we’re really good friends. I loved it when she joined the show. It’s a completely different energy from Lacey (Turner), they’re both incredible actresses and I’m so lucky to have worked with both of them. Michelle and I have such a laugh. Filming can be very high-octane and is very focused because of the time limit we have and the fact we’re dealing with big action scenes, but off screen there’s a lot of humour and fun and we genuinely all get on really well. Michelle cracks me up, she’s totally down to earth."
WOTV: Are you still in touch with Lacey?
BA: "We occasionally text and email. I sent her a congratulations email about getting married, stuff like that."
WOTV: What's it like filming the big action scenes?
BA: "The explosion scene involving Georgie was pretty hectic. There’s a car that is blown up, that was pretty hairy to film, it’s all well choreographed but you definitely get a shot of adrenaline when you’re in the middle of it. There are explosions going off, windows are shattering, and everyone is firing rounds off. We have Go-Pros attached to the guns which is a pretty cool way of filming that kind of content."
WOTV: Captain James has been battling PTSD. How do you think he is coping right now?
BA: "The thing he struggles with most is actually admitting to something that he himself sees as a weakness. He feels that having PDSD would be detrimental to his work. It’s still a sensitive issue within the army. When I was researching it there are Captains and Officers who are really suffering but are afraid to admit it. Even though there’s counselling and help on hand, there's still this feeling that it could jeopardise their positions within the army."
WOTV: What’s it like filming in the Malaysian jungle?
BA: "The climate is intense, it’s so hot and humid! We were in full kit, with the bulletproof vests and everything for a lot of the jungle scenes and we were absolutely melting."
WOTV: Did you manage to do any exploring while you were there?
BA: "Yes, I was able to do a bit of travelling so I hopped to Vietnam when I had a couple of days off, and I visited a few of the Malaysian islands. I did as much travelling and sightseeing as I could while I was over there which was fantastic."
WOTV: This is your fourth series. What do you enjoy most about being in Our Girl?
BA: "I just love the people I work with, the locations – we’ve been to South Africa, Nepal, Malaysia - we all get on and it’s great to be able to do the action scenes as well. I love the physical training and the fact Captain James is a very different character to me, very focused and straight-laced, I’m not like that at all! When I got the part I was doing a musical version of American Psycho and I’d never envisaged myself playing a soldier but I love it."
WOTV: What do you think the future holds for Captain James?
BA: "He’s already been given cause to question his whole future in the army and whether he actually good at his job –I think he’s always taken it for granted that he’s brilliant at it – but I think his mental health has started to interfere with his ability to make good judgements, he’s in fear of continuing with his career but at the same time he absolutely loves the army, it’s the only thing he’s ever done, it’s the only way he knows to live."
Series four of Our Girl concludes on Monday 23rd and Tuesday, 24 July, 9pm on BBC1
