Who is new Our Girl character Bones?
The Special Forces commander, played by Olly Rix, makes a big impression as dramatic events play out in Nigeria
If Our Girl's 2-section were under any illusion they were doing mighty fine work in Nigeria, Special Forces soldier Bones (real name Captain McClyde) is on hand to bring them straight back down to earth. Captain James is giving his team a collective pat on the back in episode two when Bones strolls into the room and asks, “why the f*** are you lot congratulating yourselves?” – his words dripping with disdain.
The Special Forces soldier was briefly glimpsed at the start of the new series where, on first impression, he was a thuggish mercenary, terrorising the local community. In fact, he was undercover, monitoring a group of schoolgirls taken hostage by the Boko Haram terrorist group – an operation blown by Georgie's off-piste rescue mission.
So, there's plenty more to be seen of Bones in upcoming Our Girl episodes...
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Who plays Bones in Our Girl?
That would be actor Olly Rix, who has been amassing a string of dramatic roles over the last few years, beginning with BBC drama Death Comes to Pemberley, playing Carthwright back in 2013. He moved onto parts in Midsomer Murders and Musketeers (as Navas), before playing DI Harry Sawyer in WPC 56. But his most substantial role to date is Of Kings and Prophets, an ABC drama co-starring Ray Winstone which aired in the States in 2015 before it was cancelled. Rix actually auditioned to play Captain James in the very first series of Our Girl: "Ben [Aldridge], of course, was a much better choice and the rest is history," he says.
What do we know about Bones?
In the words of Rix: "He’s a tricky kind of guy. He’s abrasive, brash and yet highly competent as a soldier. He’s somewhat arrogant and intolerant of what he sees as pointless bureaucracy or anything that prevents him from doing his job. 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."
Why does Bones hate Captain James?
It turns out the pair were at Sandhurst together, but while Bones excelled with an anarchic streak, Captain James was rather a goody two-shoes, a trait that Bones doesn't exactly warm to. We know from creator Tony Grounds that Captain James will begin to question his future in the army – will Bones' steady animosity do more damage to his old adversary's resolve?
Will Bones become Georgie's new love interest?
Important question. Our Girl is as much about its soldiers' personal lives as it is about day-to-day life in the army. And with Luke Pasqualino's Elvis breathing his last at the end of the previous series, there's a gap in the drama for a bit of romance. Is Bones the answer? Olly Rix is cryptic...
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. There’s a kindred-spirit sort of understanding in there somewhere, beneath layers of glaring at one another.
"Turbulent" seems an accurate description of their behaviour towards one another in episode two, but watch this space – we have a feeling Our Girl has introduced a dishy new Special Forces Captain for good reason.
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