Bodyguard (British TV series) explained

Bodyguard is a British 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 centres around the fictional character of Police Sergeant David Budd (Richard Madden), 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 (PPO) for the ambitious Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), whose politics he despises. The series draws attention to controversial issues such as government monitoring of private information and its regulation, the politics of intervention and terrorism, and PTSD.^[1]

The series began broadcasting on BBC One on 26 August 2018,^[2] achieving the highest viewing figures for a new BBC drama in the multichannel era and the highest BBC viewing figures since 2008.^{[3] [4]} 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.^[5] Netflix agreed to a distribution deal to broadcast the show outside the United Kingdom and Ireland.^[6]

The series was met with critical acclaim, particularly for Madden's performance.^[7] 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.^[8] At the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series^[9] and a second series is in development.^[10]

Cast and characters

Main

Budd family

• Richard Madden as PS David Budd, a Scottish veteran of the Afghanistan war and now dedicated Principal Protection Officer (PPO) at Protection Command. His wartime experiences have left him struggling with PTSD, prone to volatile behaviour, and mistrustful of politicians. Assigned to protect Julia Montague, whose politics he loathes, Budd is conflicted over his loyalties.^{[11] [12]}
• 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 resulted in their becoming estranged.^{[11] [13]}

Government

• Keeley Hawes as The Rt Hon. Julia Montague MP, the Home Secretary and Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the fictional constituency of Thames West. Montague's suspected desire to become Prime Minister, and her controversial additions to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, dubbed "RIPA-18" and "The Snoopers' Charter", which would give greater powers to the police and Security Services to investigate personal communications and information, have resulted in many enemies.^{[11] [14]}
• 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 Government 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 Montague's political ambition.
• David Westhead as The Rt Hon. John Vosler MP, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party.
• Paul Ready as Rob MacDonald, Special Advisor to the Home Secretary, who has a crush on Montague.

Police

• Gina McKee as Commander Anne Sampson, Head of Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) and Deepak 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.
• 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.
• Nina Toussaint-White as DS Louise Rayburn, an SO15 officer working under Sharma who starts to work with Budd.^[11]

Security Service / MI5

• Stuart Bowman as Stephen Hunter-Dunn, Director General of the Security Service (MI5), whose surveillance powers will be significantly enhanced by RIPA 18. Montague's preference for MI5 over SO15 puts him at odds with Sampson.
• Michael Shaeffer as "Richard Longcross", an enigmatic MI5 officer working under Hunter-Dunn who becomes involved in a cat-and-mouse game with Budd.

Criminals

• Tom Brooke as Andrew '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.^[15]
• Matt Stokoe as Luke Aikens, a mysterious organised crime leader. He seeks to eliminate the Home Secretary.
• Anjli Mohindra as Nadia Ali, implicated with her husband in an attempted bombing on a London-bound train service.

Recurring

Family

• Matthew Stagg as Charlie Budd, David and Vicky's 8-year-old son. Charlie attends Heath Bank Primary School in Camberwell.
• Bella Padden as Ella Budd, David and Vicky's 10-year-old daughter. Ella attends Heath Bank Primary School in Camberwell.

Government

• Shubham Saraf as Tahir Mahmood, Montague's PR Adviser.
• Stephanie Hyam as Chanel Dyson, the PR Advisor to the Home Secretary before getting fired by Montague.

Police

• 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.

Production

The series was largely filmed on location in London,^[16] 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.^[17]

BBC journalists including Andrew Marr, John Pienaar, John Humphrys, and Laura Kuenssberg appear as themselves.

Reception

Audience

Viewing figures for the series were high, with 10.4 million (peaking at 11 million) viewers watching the overnight broadcast of the finale live on BBC One alone.^{[18] [19]} 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.^[20]

Critical response

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 93% approval rating, with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 70 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "Bodyguard maintains a palpable tension throughout its pulpy proceedings to create an absorbing and addicting psychological thriller."^[21] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".^[22]

In a positive review, Varietys Daniel D'Addario describes the series as "Both juicy in its delving into character psychology and rippingly ready to tear up its playbook as it goes, it’s a six-episode ride that demands, and rewards, a quick binge."^[23] D'Addario further states that the series "excels at both the daring, gasp-inducing twist and the methodical construction of slower-burning thrills", and that Madden's performance "by turns tripping on his own empathy, and angrily operating beyond rationality, makes us believe anything is possible — a wonderful asset for a show that seeks above all else to keep us watching". Allison Keene, writing for Collider, lauds the performances of the cast, describing Madden's as "enthralling" and "absolutely heartbreaking", and depicts the series as "an exhilarating ride that truly showcases Madden as a major talent".^[24] Writing for Time, Judy Berman states that the series "subverts thriller tropes just often enough to earn its reliance on them",^[25] and in a five-star review Guardian critic Lucy Mangan expresses that "[<nowiki/>[[Jed Mercurio|Mercurio]]] has created something as dark and moreish as ever".^[26] Hanh Nguyen of IndieWire describes the series as "relentless", and the performances of Madden and Hawes as "mesmerizing".^[27] Robert Rorke of the New York Post writes that the series is "gripping" and that Madden "gives a magnetic performance".^[28]

In a more mixed assessment, Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Some elements of the series struck me as odd...and certain climactic revelations had me talking to the screen. But the action is well mounted and the tension tightly wound; it uncoils, when it does, with a satisfying snap".^[29] In a similarly mixed review, The Atlantics Sophie Gilbert acknowledged that "Hawes is elegantly unknowable as Julia...she gives just enough nuance in her performance to make you question whether she has a heart or is extremely deft at emotional manipulation", however she laments that "To watch Bodyguard’s six episodes is to suspend disbelief and submit to its surprises. It helps not to expect too much more than that, particularly when it comes to the show’s lavish employment of archetypes, which inevitably leads to its more questionable elements."^[30]

Intelligent Protection International Limited’s CEO Alex Bomberg on BBC Radio 5 Live^[31] said that the plot, in particular the personal relationship that Budd developed with his charge, would be frowned upon as both unprofessional and putting the charge at risk. Detective Chief Inspector Steve Ray, of the Royal and Specialist Protection Command (RaSP) told the BBC^[32] that “the relationship that we have with our principals is purely professional”, adding that anyone who crossed the line would quickly be identified and would not last very long in Protection Command or even in the police service”.

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
2018	RTS Craft & Design Awards	Best Sound – Drama	Dan Johnson, Simon Farmer, Jamie Caple, and Marc Lawes		[33]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Television Series – Drama	Bodyguard		[34]
		Best Actor – Television Series Drama	Richard Madden
2019	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Actor in a Drama Series	Richard Madden		[35]
	National Television Awards	New Drama	Bodyguard		[36]
		Drama Performance	Richard Madden
	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Drama Series for Non-Commercial Television	Steve Singleton for "Episode 1"		[37]
	Golden Reel Awards	Broadcast Media Longform Dialogue / ADR	Dan Johnson and James Gregory for "Episode 2"		[38]
	Broadcast Awards	Best Drama Series or Serial	Bodyguard
	Globe de Cristal Awards	Meilleure série étrangère	Bodyguard		[39]
	TRIC Awards	Best Crime	Bodyguard
	Broadcasting Press Guild	Best Drama Series	Bodyguard		[40]
		Best Actress	Keeley Hawes
	British Academy Television Awards	Best Drama Series	Bodyguard		[41]
		Best Actress	Keeley Hawes
		Virgin TV's Must-See Moment	Julia Montague assassinated
	British Academy Television Craft Awards	Best Director: Fiction	Thomas Vincent for "Episode 1"
		Best Editing: Fiction	Steve Singleton for "Episode 1"
		Best Sound: Fiction	Simon Farmer, Dan Johnson and Marc Lawes
	Banff Rockie Awards	Best English-language Drama Series	Bodyguard		[42]
	Monte-Carlo Television Festival	Best TV Series – Drama	Bodyguard		[43] [44]
		Outstanding Actor in a TV Series – Drama	Richard Madden
		Outstanding Actress in a TV Series – Drama	Keeley Hawes
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Drama Series	Bodyguard		[45]
		Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series	Jed Mercurio for "Episode 1"
	Seoul International Drama Awards	Best Mini-Series	Bodyguard		[46] [47]
		Best Actor	Richard Madden
		Best Director	Thomas Vincent and John Strickland
		Best Screenwriter	Jed Mercurio
	British Academy Scotland Awards	Best Actor in Television	Richard Madden		[48]

Red Nose Bodyguard

A skit titled Red Nose Bodyguard was filmed in support of Comic Relief, featuring many cast members from the series as well as performances from Joanna Lumley, Adrian Dunbar and Sanjeev Bhaskar.^[49] The skit was first broadcast on Red Nose Day 2019 on 15 March 2019.

See also

• List of fictional prime ministers of the United Kingdom

Notes and References

1. Griffiths . Eleanor Bley . Meet the cast of Bodyguard on BBC1 . . 3 August 2018 . 2 October 2018 . 0033-8060 . London.
2. Web site: Jed Mercurio on Bodyguard, jeopardy ... and the next Line of Duty . Sarah . Hughes . 12 August 2018 . . . 2 October 2018 . 0261-3077 . 1756-3224 .
3. News: Bodyguard is the biggest drama on British TV in over a decade . Corrodus . Corrine . 4 September 2018 . . 2 October 2018 . . 0307-1235.
4. News: Bodyguard most watched BBC drama since 2008 . 24 September 2018. 24 September 2018 . . . Hit BBC drama Bodyguard kept an average 10.4 million viewers on tenterhooks as the series drew to a close on Sunday. The audience reached its peak - 11 million - in its final five minutes. [...] No BBC drama has drawn a bigger audience since Doctor Who, whose Christmas Day episode in 2008 was seen by 11.7 million people..
5. BBC unveils brand new must-see dramas . BBC Media Centre . . 9 August 2018 . 15 July 2018 . Bodyguard (6x60') is produced by World Productions for BBC One. The series is Executive Produced by showrunner Jed Mercurio, Simon Heath for World Productions and Elizabeth Kilgarriff for BBC One. ITV Studios Global Entertainment manage international distribution of the series and Priscilla Parish is the producer..
6. News: Netflix Picks Up BBC Drama Thriller 'Bodyguard' Starring 'Game Of Thrones' Richard Madden. Andreeva . Nellie. White. Peter. 18 September 2018 . . . 18 September 2018 .
7. Web site: D'Addario. Daniel. 2018-10-10. TV Review: 'Bodyguard' on Netflix. 2020-07-06. Variety. en.
8. Web site: Bodyguard. 2020-07-06. www.goldenglobes.com. en.
9. Web site: Outstanding Drama Series Nominees / Winners 2019. 2020-07-06. Television Academy. en.
10. News: McCormack . Kirsty . Bodyguard 'confirmed for season 2' with Richard Madden to return for Jed Mercurio drama . 7 February 2022 . Daily Mirror . 17 September 2021.
11. Web site: BBC – Bodyguard – Media Centre. www.bbc.co.uk.
12. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/4dc4mN6vY71kM0Sv7dfJ9Xf/david-budd BBC One-Bodyguard-David Budd
13. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/5LsgbnvJB8KB12H9ZDP7ckv/vicky-budd BBC One-Bodyguard-Vicky Budd
14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/3gGBdZChCHzkwM2BPX5jpvy/julia-montague BBC One-Bodyguard-Julia Montague
15. Web site: Andy Apsted. . 18 September 2018.
16. News: Power . Ed . Shooting Bodyguard: the secrets of the hit show's filming locations . . . 0307-1235 . 7 September 2018 . 2 October 2018 .
17. News: Bennett . Daniel . 28 August 2018 . 2 October 2018 . Norfolk railway gets boost in TV requests after BBC Bodyguard success . Dereham Times . . Almost seven million viewers saw Dereham’s heritage railway station in the opening scenes of Bodyguard on Sunday evening. Filming was carried out in Dereham during January and February this year. . 24 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200924045137/https://www.derehamtimes.co.uk/what-s-on/mid-norfolk-railway-bodyguard-bbc-tv-requests-1-5670678 . dead .
18. News: Waterson . Jim . . Bodyguard audience peaks with 10.4m viewers for series finale . . 24 September 2018 . 2 October 2018 .
19. Web site: Bodyguard most watched BBC drama since 2008. BBC News. 25 September 2018.
20. News: Heritage . Stuart . . . The real Bodyguard conspiracy: when is it OK to reveal spoilers? . 12 September 2018 . 2 October 2018 .
21. Web site: Bodyguard: Series 1 Reviews. Rotten Tomatoes. 11 December 2018.
22. Web site: Bodyguard: Season 1. Metacritic. 11 December 2018.
23. Web site: D'Addario. Daniel. 2018-10-10. TV Review: 'Bodyguard' on Netflix. 2020-09-10. Variety. en.
24. Web site: Keene. Allison. 2018-10-23. 'Bodyguard' Review: Richard Madden Takes Charge in Netflix's Twisty New Thriller Series. 2020-09-10. Collider. en-US.
25. Psychological Thrillers 'Bodyguard' and 'Homecoming' Examine the Trauma That Haunts Veterans. 2020-10-22. Time.
26. News: Mangan. Lucy. 2018-08-26. Bodyguard review: Jed Mercurio's latest thriller is as dark and moreish as we hoped. en-GB. The Guardian. 2020-10-22. 0261-3077.
27. Web site: Nguyen. Hanh. 2018-10-24. 'Bodyguard' Review: Richard Madden Owns This Addictive Netflix Conspiracy Thriller That Set U.K. Ratings Records. 2020-10-22. IndieWire. en.
28. Web site: Rorke. Robert. 2018-10-24. Thrilling 'Bodyguard' is the show you'll be binging next. 2020-10-22. New York Post. en-US.
29. Web site: 2018-10-19. Reviews: With love, sex and mystery from the U.K., 'Wanderlust,' 'Bodyguard' and 'The Woman in White'. 2020-09-10. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
30. Web site: Gilbert. Sophie. 2018-10-24. 'Bodyguard' Is Tense, Twisty, and Totally Absurd. 2020-09-10. The Atlantic. en-US.
31. Web site: BBC Radio Five Live On The BBC Bodyguard Series . 2020-10-12. Soundcloud. en.
32. News: The Bodyguard: Meet the real-life close protection officer . BBC News. 2020-10-12. en.
33. Web site: Winners of the RTS Craft & Design Awards 2018 announced. Royal Television Society. 6 November 2018. 26 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181226111813/https://rts.org.uk/article/winners-rts-craft-design-awards-2018-announced. 26 December 2018. live.
34. Web site: Golden Globes Winners: The Complete List. Variety. 6 January 2019. 7 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190107061410/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/2019-golden-globes-winners-list-1203099006/. 7 January 2019. live.
35. Web site: Critics' Choice Awards Nominations: 'The Favourite' Tops With 14, 'Black Panther' A Marvel, 'First Man' Rebounds; 'The Americans' Leads TV Series. Hammond. Pete. Deadline Hollywood. 10 December 2018. 10 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181210173546/https://deadline.com/2018/12/critics-choice-awards-the-favourite-black-panther-first-man-1202516909/. 10 December 2018. live.
36. Web site: Here are all the big winners from the NTAs 2019. Harp. Justin. Digital Spy. 22 January 2019. 23 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190123002526/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a25986371/ntas-2019-winners-national-television-awards/. 23 January 2019. live.
37. Web site: ACE Eddie Awards: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' & 'The Favourite' Take Top Film Prizes – Winners List. Pedersen. Erik. Haithman. Diane. Deadline Hollywood. 1 February 2019. 2 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190202072810/https://deadline.com/2019/02/ace-eddie-awards-2019-winners-list-the-favourite-1202548088/. 2 February 2019. live.
38. Web site: Motion Picture Sound Editors Reveal 2019 Golden Reel Nominations. Pedersen. Erik. Deadline Hollywood. 18 January 2019. 18 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190118190932/https://deadline.com/2019/01/golden-reel-nominations-2019-list-motion-picture-sound-editors-1202266360-1202537608/. 18 January 2019. live.
39. Web site: Les Nommés 2019. Globe de Cristal Awards. 22 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190122020849/https://www.globesdecristal.com/les-nommes-2019/. 22 January 2019. live.
40. Web site: BPG Awards TV Nominations. Broadcasting Press Guild. 28 March 2019. 13 February 2019.
41. Web site: Bafta Television 2019. British Academy Television Awards. 28 March 2019. 28 March 2019.
42. Web site: 'Barry', 'Bodyguard' & 'Sharp Objects' Score Rockie Awards At Banff World Media Festival. White. Peter. Deadline Hollywood. 10 June 2019. 10 June 2019.
43. Web site: Golden Nymph Awards Nominees. www.tvfestival.com.
44. Web site: 'Escape At Dannemora', 'On The Spectrum', 'The Good Doctor' & 'My Brilliant Friend' Among Monte-Carlo Fest Winners. Denise. Petski. 18 June 2019.
45. Web site: Here's a Full List of the 2019 Emmy Nominations . The New York Times . Sara . Aridi . July 16, 2019 . July 16, 2019.
46. Web site: Seoul International Drama Awards 2019 Nominees Announcement . . July 26, 2019 . August 29, 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190829024100/http://www.seouldrama.org/EN/infoCenter/InformationView.aspx?pageNo=1&idx=917 . 29 August 2019 .
47. Web site: Seoul International Drama Awards 2019 Winners . . August 29, 2019 . August 29, 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190829023545/http://www.seouldrama.org/EN/infoCenter/InformationView.aspx?pageNo=1&idx=921 . 29 August 2019 .
48. Web site: 2019-09-25. British Academy Scotland Awards in 2019: Nominations Announced. 2020-12-25. www.bafta.org. en.
49. News: Bodyguard's Keeley Hawes returns from the dead in Red Nose Day spoof – and asks if she's in series 2. Adam. Silverstein. Digital Spy. 15 March 2019. 22 April 2019.