Bodyguard (TV Series)
Series Details:
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Police procedural, Political thriller |
| Season | 1 |
| Episodes | 6 |
| Release date | 26 August – 23 September 2018 |
| Running time | 56–75 minutes |
| Age rating | TV-MA |
| Starring | Richard Madden, Keeley Hawes, 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, Anjli Mohindra |
| Created by | Jed Mercurio |
| Directed by | John Strickland, Thomas Vincent |
| Written by | Jed Mercurio |
| Produced by | Priscilla Parish, Eric Coulter |
| Executive producers | Simon Heath, Jed Mercurio, Elizabeth Kilgarriff |
| Cinematography by | John Lee |
| Edited by | Steve Singleton (ep. 1–3), Andrew John McClelland (ep. 4–6) |
| Music by | Ruth Barrett, Ruskin Williamson |
| Casting by | Kate Rhodes James |
| Production Design by | Jamie Lapsley |
| Art Direction by | Steve Wright, Henry Jaworski |
| Set Decoration by | Annalisa Andriani |
| Costume Design by | Charlie Knight |
| Production location | London |
| Production Company | World Productions |
| Original Network | BBC One |
Cast & Character:
- Richard Madden as David Budd
- Sophie Rundle as Vicky Budd
- Vincent Franklin as Mike Travis
- Ash Tandon as DCI Deepak Sharma
- Gina McKee as Commander Anne Sampson
- Pippa Haywood as CS Lorraine Craddock
- Stuart Bowman as Stephen Hunter-Dunn
- Richard Riddell as PC Tom Fenton
- Paul Ready as Rob MacDonald
- Nicholas Gleaves as Roger Penhaligon
- Nick Robinson as Nick Robinson
- Nina Toussaint-White as DS Louise Rayburn
- Bella Padden as Ella Budd
- Matthew Stagg as Charlie Budd
- Anjli Mohindra as Nadia Ali
- Martha Kearney as Martha Kearney
- Sophie Raworth as Sophie Raworth
- Justin Webb as Justin Webb
- Keeley Hawes as Home Secretary Julia Montague
- Matt Stokoe as Luke Aikens
- Daniel Moore as SO15 Officer
- Tom Brooke as Andy Apsted
- Michael Shaeffer as Longcross
- Rosie Jones as Police Officer
- Claire-Louise Cordwell as PC Kim Knowles
- Stephanie Hyam as Chanel Dyson
- Shubham Saraf as Tahir Mahmood
- Sarah Malin as Nadia’s Solicitor
- David Westhead as Prime Minister
- Frank Gardner as Frank Gardner
- Laura Kuenssberg as Laura Kuenssberg
- Mishal Husain as Mishal Husain
- Vicki Young as Vicki Young
- Bailey Patrick as SO15 Officer
- Tina Chiang as Surgical Administrator
- Kerri McLean as Surveillance Officer
- Julian Firth as Rob’s Solicitor
- Gordon Corera as Gordon Corera
- Susan Rae as Susan Rae
- John Pienaar as John Pienaar
- John Humphrys as John Humphrys
- Sheyi Ryane as News Reporter
- Joti Patel as Reporter
- Michael Müller as Commissioner
- Gina Gangar as Passerby
- Oliver Devoti as SCO19 Officer
- Faraz Ayub as Subject
- Olwen May as Guard Sandra
- Timothy Knightley as SO15 Control
- Jonathan Nyati as MASTS
- Linda Hargreaves as Passenger
- David Carlyle as RASP Officer
- Renée Castle as OFC
- Mark Holgate as ARV Leader
- Joanna Burnett as BTP
- Chike Chan as Expo Officer
- Seamus Casey as Trauma Surgeon
- Harry Capehorn as SCO19
- Miriam Lucia as Shadow Home Secretary
- Peter Basham as SCO19
- Victoria Grove as Expo
- Russ Bain as Police Officer
- Darren Clarke as Security Guard
- Michael Ryan as Gun Dealer
- Gary Pillai as Security Manager
- James Staddon as College Dean
- Ben Wright as Ben Wright
- Wendy Albiston as Receptionist
- Natalie Dew as Reporter
- Andrew Marr as Andrew Marr
- Simon McCoy as Simon McCoy
- Annita McVeigh as Annita McVeigh
Storyline:
Bodyguard tells the fictional story of David Budd, a heroic but volatile war veteran now working as a Specialist Protection Officer for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. When he is assigned to protect the ambitious and powerful Home Secretary Julia Montague, whose politics stand for everything he despises, Budd finds himself torn between his duty and beliefs. Responsible for her safety, is he actually her biggest threat?
About Series:
The series was filmed extensively on location in London, with Budd’s flat scenes shot at the Whittington Estate and Montague’s at Battersea. The final episode’s bomb scenes were filmed around CityPoint near Moorgate, Woburn Square, and Senate House in Bloomsbury. Train scenes in the first episode were captured on the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
Broadcast on BBC One began on August 26, 2018, marking the highest viewing figures for a new BBC drama in the multichannel era and the best BBC ratings since 2008. Commissioned by the BBC from World Productions in 2016, the series’ international distribution rights were handled by ITV Studios Global Entertainment following their 2017 acquisition of World Productions. Netflix secured a distribution agreement to stream the show outside the UK and Ireland.
The series garnered widespread acclaim, particularly for Madden’s performance, earning multiple nominations, including the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama, with Madden winning for Best Actor in the category. It was also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, and a second season is in development.
With viewing figures hitting 10.4 million and peaking at 11 million on BBC One for the finale’s live broadcast, the series prompted discussions on spoiler management due to the high number of viewers catching up on iPlayer. Radio Times featured Montague’s fate in a cover story during the original run.
Episodes:
| Episode | Air Date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed, Oct 24, 2018 | After saving a train from a suicide bomber, Scottish Afghanistan War vet David Budd is assigned to protect the UK Home Secretary. |
| 2 | Mon, Aug 27, 2018 | A terrorist attack targets a public school, leading to chaos as a sniper opens fire on Home Secretary Julia Montague. |
| 3 | Sun, Sep 2, 2018 | With rising security threats, David Budd faces mounting pressure to protect Home Secretary Montague. |
| 4 | Sun, Sep 9, 2018 | The aftermath of a harrowing event unfolds for Julia Montague and her bodyguard, David Budd. |
| 5 | Sun, Sep 16, 2018 | David’s conspiracy theories gain credibility, but his psychological health and relationship with Julia come under scrutiny. |
| 6 | Sun, Sep 23, 2018 | David finds himself bloodied and framed in a corruption cover-up, fighting to clear his name and expose the truth. |