BASE NUMBERS

Your guide to the residents in Aden…

MAJOR HARRY MARKHAM (Ben Miles)

Major Markham is the man in charge, and he takes great pride in never having lost an officer working for him – but is that a streak he’ll be able to maintain?

“He is a very traditional old-school Brit from a traditional establishment military background,” says Ben. “He genuinely believes in the British Empire as a benign civilising force in the world.”

MARY MARKHAM (Amanda Drew)

Major Markham’s wife Mary has a similarly prestigious position among the officers’ wives as the one the other women lean on for support.

“Unusually for me, she is a very strong, morally positive character!” grins Amanda. “It was nice to inhabit her sense of purpose and level of compassion. She has a lot of strength.”

LIEUTENANT ED LAITHWAITE (Stephen Campbell Moore)

Ed is very much a thinking man – but sometimes in the Army, too much free thought is frowned upon.

“Ed is quite disillusioned because his conscience is fighting what he sees happening around him,” sighs Stephen. “To be ‘a good soldier’ it is important to obey orders and the chain of command, but he also finds it impossible to turn a blind eye.”

ALISON LAITHWAITE (Jessica Raine)

Spirited Alison feels trapped, and the distance between her and husband Ed is growing.

“Everything about her is forward-looking and she needs constant entertainment and stimulation,” warns Jessica. “To be quite literally locked away on an Army base is hell for her, but she gamely tries to survive it by throwing herself into drinking and dancing.”