Bodyguard (British TV series)
Bodyguard is a British police political-thriller television series created and written by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions as part of ITV Studios for the BBC. The six-part series stars Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes, alongside Gina McKee, Sophie Rundle, Vincent Franklin, Pippa Haywood, Paul Ready, Tom Brooke, Nicholas Gleaves, Stuart Bowman, Stephanie Hyam, David Westhead, Matt Stokoe, Nina Toussaint-White, Ash Tandon, and Anjli Mohindra. The series began broadcasting on BBC One on 26 August 2018, achieving the highest viewing figures for a new BBC drama in the multichannel era and the highest BBC viewing figures since 2008.
The BBC commissioned the series from the then-independent World Productions in 2016. Since ITV Studios Global Entertainment acquired the company in 2017, they have handled international distribution for the series. Netflix agreed to a distribution deal to broadcast the show outside the United Kingdom.
The series is set around the fictional character of Police Sergeant David Budd, a British Army war veteran suffering from PTSD, who is now working for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London's Metropolitan Police Service. He is assigned as the principal protection officer for the ambitious Home Secretary Julia Montague, whose politics he despises. As the series unravels, the series comments on many issues regarding the controversy around government monitoring of private information and its regulation, and also on PTSD.
The series was met with critical acclaim, particularly for Madden's performance. The series received numerous award nominations including the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, with Madden winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama. At the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards the series was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series.
Cast and characters
Main
;Budd family- Richard Madden as PS David Budd, a Scottish Afghanistan war veteran and dedicated Principal Protection Officer at Protection Command. His wartime experiences have left him struggling with PTSD, mistrustful of politicians and prone to volatile behaviour. Assigned to protect Montague, whose politics he loathes, Budd is left conflicted over where his loyalties lie.
- Sophie Rundle as Vicky Budd, David's wife and the mother of their two children, who works as a ward sister at a London hospital. David's unpredictable moods and issues with PTSD since returning from Afghanistan left them estranged.
- Keeley Hawes as The Rt. Hon. Julia Montague MP, the Home Secretary and Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Thames West. Both Montague's political ambition and her controversial "Snoopers' Charter" RIPA 18 bill, which infringes civil liberties, leave her with many enemies.
- Vincent Franklin as Mike Travis MP, Minister of State for Counter-Terrorism, who grows increasingly resentful over being excluded from Montague's dealings with MI5.
- Nicholas Gleaves as The Rt. Hon. Roger Penhaligon MP, the Conservative Party Chief Whip, Member of Parliament for Surrey North and Montague's ex-husband. A staunch supporter of the Prime Minister, he becomes increasingly suspicious and wary of Julia's political ambition.
- David Westhead as The Rt. Hon. John Vosler MP, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party.
- Gina McKee as Commander Anne Sampson, Head of Counter Terrorism Command and Sharma's superior. Threatened by Montague's preference for MI5, Sampson enlists Budd's help.
- Pippa Haywood as CSI Lorraine Craddock, Budd's commanding officer at Protection Command who assigns him to protect Montague.
- Paul Ready as Rob MacDonald, Special Advisor to the Home Secretary, who has a crush on Montague.
- Nina Toussaint-White as DS Louise Rayburn, an SO15 officer working under Sharma who starts to work with Budd.
- Ash Tandon as DCI Deepak Sharma, a senior detective in SO15 leading the investigation into the recent series of terror activities. As things fail to add up, he becomes suspicious of Budd.
- Stuart Bowman as Stephen Hunter-Dunn, Director General of the Security Service, whose surveillance powers will be significantly enhanced by RIPA 18. Montague's preference for MI5 over SO15 puts him at odds with Sampson.
- Tom Brooke as Andy Apsted, a war veteran and friend of Budd's. Scarred both physically and mentally by his experiences in Afghanistan, Apsted leads the anti-war Veterans Peace Group.
- Michael Shaeffer as "Richard Longcross", an enigmatic MI5 agent working under Hunter-Dunn who becomes involved in a cat-and-mouse game with Budd.
- Stephanie Hyam as Chanel Dyson, the PR Advisor to the Home Secretary before getting fired by Montague.
- Matt Stokoe as Luke Aikens, a mysterious organised crime leader.
- Anjli Mohindra as Nadia Ali, implicated with her husband in an attempted bombing.
Recurring
- Matthew Stagg as Charlie Budd, David and Vicky's 8-year-old son.
- Bella Padden as Ella Budd, David and Vicky's 10-year-old daughter.
- Shubham Saraf as Tahir Mahmood, Montague's PR Adviser.
- Claire-Louise Cordwell as Constable Kim Knowles, a Protection Command bodyguard in Budd's team.
- Richard Riddell as Constable Tom Fenton, a Protection Command bodyguard in Budd's team.
Episodes
Production
The series was largely filmed on location in London, including the Whittington Estate for Budd's flat and Battersea for Montague's flat. The bomb scenes in the final episode were filmed around CityPoint near Moorgate and Woburn Square and Senate House in Bloomsbury.The train scenes in the first episode were filmed on the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
BBC journalists including Andrew Marr, John Pienaar, John Humphrys, and Laura Kuenssberg appear as themselves.
Reception
Viewing figures for the series were high, with 10.4 million viewers watching the overnight broadcast of the finale live on BBC One alone. As significant numbers of viewers watched the show on catchup service iPlayer after transmission, the series sparked a debate on how the media should handle spoilers. Radio Times revealed the fate of Montague in a cover story during the series's original transmission run.The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 95% approval rating, with an average rating of 8.31/10, based on 58 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "Bodyguard maintains a palpable tension throughout its pulpy proceedings to create an absorbing and addicting psychological thriller." On Metacritic, the series was given a score of 79 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".