‘Bodyguard’ perfect puzzle
THIS is about to sound as clichéd as it gets, but it will get better. Sit tight. One day while lazing around, I decided to browse what was on offer on Netflix. The browsing lasted a good 15 minutes, until I stumbled across Bodyguard, which looked like a tall glass of water in the African desert. After watching the trailer, I watched three episodes with not a break. Just like quicksand, Bodyguard swallowed me up.
It is a British political thriller series created and written by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions, part of ITV Studios, for the BBC. Bodyguard was made by the creators of the successful, longrunning TV drama Line of Duty and has some elements of it.
The six-part series features an ensemble cast led by Richard Madden, best known for his role as Rob Stark in Game of Thrones, Keeley Hawes, Gina McKee, Sophie Rundle and Vincent Franklin among others. The series, first broadcast on August 26, achieved 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.
After ITV Studios Global Entertainment bought the company in 2017, they have handled international distribution for the series. Netflix agreed to a distribution deal to broadcast the show outside the UK.
The series focuses on the fictional character of Police Sergeant David Budd, a British army war veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, 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 (played by Hawes), whose politics he despises.
In the opening scene, Budd is on a train to London Euston with his son and daughter when he foils a suicide bomber’s plot to blow up the train. His heroism catches the attention of his boss and he is promoted to serve the home secretary.
Budd’s job becomes increasingly difficult as Montague becomes a target of terror attacks following her proposed “Snoopers Bill”. Add that to lines being blurred in the form of a sexual relationship between the two and things get very complicated. Let’s be honest, you’d also probably treat your bodyguard a lot differently if he saved you from a relentless man firing bullets at you.
With drama shows, every episode reveals something new. Not with Bodyguard. The show is fast paced, which can sometimes be overwhelming, but in this instance the pace is perfect. The episodes are 60 minutes.
The acting is fantastic.
Bodyguard is like a puzzle with a thousand pieces and just when you think you are almost done putting it all together, a few more pieces drop in your lap.