Bodyguard (British TV series)

Bodyguard
Genre
Created byJed Mercurio
Written byJed Mercurio
Directed by
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox television with "list_episodes" parameter using self-link. See Infobox instructions and MOS:INFOBOXPURPOSE.
Production
Executive producers
  • Simon Heath
  • Jed Mercurio
  • Elizabeth Kilgarriff
Producers
  • Priscilla Parish
  • Eric Coulter
Production locationLondon
CinematographyJohn Lee
Editors
  • Steve Singleton (ep. 1–3)
  • Andrew John McClelland (ep. 4–6)
Running time56–75 minutes
Production companyWorld Productions
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release26 August (2018-08-26) –
23 September 2018 (2018-09-23)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

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]

  1. ^ Griffiths, Eleanor Bley (3 August 2018). "Meet the cast of Bodyguard on BBC1". Radio Times. London. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  2. ^ Hughes, Sarah (12 August 2018). "Jed Mercurio on Bodyguard, jeopardy ... and the next Line of Duty". The Guardian. London. eISSN 1756-3224. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  3. ^ Corrodus, Corrine (4 September 2018). "Bodyguard is the biggest drama on British TV in over a decade". The Daily Telegraph. London. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Bodyguard most watched BBC drama since 2008". BBC News. BBC. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 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 (Press release). BBC. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 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. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; White, Peter (18 September 2018). "Netflix Picks Up BBC Drama Thriller 'Bodyguard' Starring 'Game Of Thrones' Richard Madden". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  7. ^ D'Addario, Daniel (10 October 2018). "TV Review: 'Bodyguard' on Netflix". Variety. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Bodyguard". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Outstanding Drama Series Nominees / Winners 2019". Television Academy. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  10. ^ McCormack, Kirsty (17 September 2021). "Bodyguard 'confirmed for season 2' with Richard Madden to return for Jed Mercurio drama". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 7 February 2022.