• When is Our Girl back on TV?
• Our Girl’s Michelle Keegan: “I would have loved Georgie and Elvis to live happily ever after"
• Our Girl creator Tony Grounds explains THAT major character death

Corporal Georgie Lane (played by Michelle Keegan)

Who is Corporal Georgie Lane?

"Maybe I needed time to heal," says Georgie Lane in the opening moments of the new series of Our Girl. She's back after six months of leave and recovery from the shock of her on-off fiancé Elvis's death at the end of the last series.

Gutsy and dedicated to her job, she's an experienced army medic who's been on several tours with the army and relishes her work. But her professional life is often tangled up with her personal one. The Georgie we meet in Nigeria is still grieving her loss – but we wouldn't be surprised if there aren't future romantic entanglements in the not too distant future...

What else has Michelle Keegan been in?

She first found fame as Tina McIntyre in Coronation Street but, since quitting the soap in 2014, Michelle Keegan's career has gone from strength to strength. Soon after exiting the cobbles, she landed a lead role in the second series of BBC1 drama Ordinary Lies, before taking over from Lacey Turner for series two of Our Girl (after the EastEnders actress returned to the soap). Her debut as Georgie Lane was well received by critics and viewers and was rewarded by a 12-episode recommission, beginning with last autumn's Nepal Tour and followed in the new year by 2-Section's trip to Nigeria. She has also played Tina Moore – wife of footballing legend Bobby – in ITV's drama Tina & Bobby and kicks off the new series of Who Do You Think You Are? Keegan is married to former TOWIE star Mark Wright.

"Georgie had to go on leave to grieve and she was in Preston for six months – she didn’t want to go on tour again for a while – and then she comes to meet Captain James and 2-Section again after six months of leave. Georgie gets to put her head back into work and concentrate on that and I think she buries her head in the sand a lot of the time and pretends everything’s fine but deep down she’s totally heartbroken." Michelle Keegan

Captain McClyde aka Bones (played by Ollie Rix)

Who is Bones?

The first time we meet Bones he's threatening to snap a young boy in half – but fear not, he's not quite the nasty piece of work he first appears to be. Undercover, Special Forces Captain McClyde is a cruel mercenary but in real life he's on the same side as Georgie and 2-Section. Although, that doesn't exactly mean they get on – and he's got a long way to go to match Elvis's reputation with the gang.

"He's a tricky kind of guy. He's abrasive, brash and yet highly competent as a soldier," explains Rix. "Ultimately, for all his naughtiness, he's a decent man with a healthy disrespect for authority; he's extremely focused on his missions and bailing out 2-Section every five minutes."

What about his relationship with Georgie? "They have a turbulent friendship. But one that I think becomes mutually, albeit grudgingly, respectful in the end. They do a lot to test one another - Georgie does things that endangers others and compromises missions, and Bones definitely isn’t a fan of that. However on a deeper and more interesting level, there’s a maverick element about Georgie that is driven by quite a restless desire to help others. Bones has exactly the same streak and so I think he quietly finds it very admirable."

What else has Olly Rix been in?

Olly Rix made his TV debut in Death Comes to Pemberley playing Cartwright before moving onto The Musketeers (as Navas) and WPC 56 (as DI Harry Sawyer). He's also revealed that he originally auditioned to play Captain James for series one, but lost out on the role to Ben Aldridge.

Private Maisie Richards (played by Shalom Brune-Franklin)

Who is Maisie Richards?

Maisie Richards is fearless – but not always in a good way. The young private is bold, brash and often reckless but is the life and soul of any group and her advanced driving skills make her an asset to 2-Section. She rubbed Georgie up the wrong way at first thanks to her rash decision-making, but the two soon reconciled and Maisie is firmly one of the team. She's also caught the eye of young Rab who this series continues his incessant attempts to woo her.

What else has Shalom Brune-Franklin been in?

Born to a Mauritian mother and Thai-English father, Shalom Brune-Franklin is a relative newcomer to the scene. Growing up in St Albans, she moved to Australia as a teenager and studied drama in Perth. Since graduating, she's landed roles in Australian drama Doctor Doctor and Channel 4's miniseries The State, and had a small part in Marvel blockbuster Thor: Ragnorak – but Our Girl is her first major appearance on British television.

"Maisie is one crazy lady. She's rebellious, she loves to be the hero and bend the rules to save someone. She's a helper. She's outspoken, rebellious but good-natured." Shalom Brune-Franklin

Captain James (played by Ben Aldridge)

Who is Captain James?

Captain James is a strong leader struggling with the loss of his best friend. An army man to the core, he is a respected officer and has been a good friend to Georgie over the years – but feels the need to protect her more than ever after Elvis's death. In series one he met Lacey Turner's army medic Molly Dawes and the pair have since married. But could pressure on their relationship and a growing disillusionment with the army lead Captain James to consider his future?

What else has Ben Aldridge been in?

A member of the Our Girl cast since series one, Ben Aldridge is the link between Molly and Georgie. He's enjoyed a varied acting career over the last ten years, appearing in series three and four of the BBC's Lark Rise to Candleford, as well as showing up in US drama Reign and Stan Lee's Lucky Man. Fleabag fans might also recognise him as the on-off love interest for Phoebe Waller-Bridge's character in the breakout BBC3 hit.

"Molly and James are going through a tough time. They've been apart for months and that puts pressure on the relationship. James is also suffering from losing Elvis and although he's buried it from 2-Section, he is experiencing symptoms of PTSD and Molly is the only one who knows." Ben Aldridge

Private "Brains" (played by Simon Lennon)

Brains was always seen as the clever one in 2-Section – until the arrival of Rab. But as we pick up the new series, something else is troubling Brains as we see him fail to engage with the group and start snapping at his colleagues

Who is Simon Lennon?

Simon Lennon is yet to land much screen time but, in addition to his Our Girl role, has played Marcus Ruskin in an episode of Grantchester series three. He's also appeared on stage, most recently treading the boards in Our Town at the Almeida.

Rab (played by Harki Bhambra)

Who is Rab?

Along with Maisie, Rab was another newcomer to 2-Section last series, joining the rest of the unit in Nepal. "He's from Leeds and he's a Muslim," creator Tony Grounds told RadioTimes.com. "He's a young guy who could have gone to university but chose to join the army. Patriotic, funny, bright as a button – he puts Brains to shame because Brains has got a few GCSEs but Rab has got A levels."

The gang's tour to Nepal saw Rab and Maisie get closer – especially when Rab was injured – but will his endless attempts to strike up a romance have any effect?

What else has Harki Bhambra been in?

A graduate of Mountview drama school, Harki Bhambra has appeared in Drifters, Two Doors Down, Hospital People and a little known show called Doctor Who, playing Mike in 2015's The Magician's Apprentice.

Platoon Sergeant King (played by Rolan Bell)

Kingy kicks 2-Section into line, under the instruction of Captain James. Respected by the men, he knows how to joke around but can pull rank and demand authority when it's called for.

Who is Rolan Bell?

Rolan has played Kingy since the start of series two, but is also known for his six-month arc as Theo – Chelsea Fox's love interest – in EastEnders back in 2009. He's also popped up in Doctors, WP56 and Scott & Bailey.

Private "Fingers" Stille (played by Sean Ward)

Private "Fingers" has been with Our Girl since series one. He's one of the lads and – along with the rest of 2-Section – has been on several tours with plenty of experience of perilous situations, including Georgie's dramatic kidnapping in series two.

Who is Sean Ward?

Like his co-star Michelle Keegan, Sean Ward also hails from the Coronation Street cobbles, playing villainous Callum Logan on the soap between 2014 and 2015 and dating fellow Corrie actress and Strictly star Georgia May Foote. Ward has also played parts in Casualty, Doctors, Island at War and The Royal.

Private "Monk" (Sean Sagar)

Monk is a long-serving member of 2-Section, travelling on a number of missions with the rest of the men.

Who is Sean Sagar?

Besides Our Girl, Sean Sagar is known for playing Tareek in Top Boy, MC Poison in Trollied and Daniel in Just a Couple, as well as his role as Freddie in film Ill Manors.

Past characters:

Elvis Harte (played by Luke Pasqualino)

Elvis Harte and Georgie Lane's on-off relationship has dominated much of the last two series – but that all came to an abrupt end when he was blasted off a building and died in Georgie's arms. It was a particularly cruel twist as the two had just rekindled their romance – and engagement – and Elvis's sudden demise still haunts poor Georgie as the new series picks up. Here's Our Girl creator Tony Grounds explaining why he had to kill off one of the show's fan favourites.

Who is Luke Pasqualino?

Most of us first became aware of Luke Pasqualino when he played Freddie McClair in E4 drama Skins. Since then, he's gone on to bag roles in BBC1's big-budget Musketeers (playing d'Artagnan) and US series Snatch, opposite Rupert Grint. He's also cropped up in The Borgias, Drunk History and Miranda.

Our Girl airs on Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC1