Bodyguard
Sun, mon / BBC1
My Sunday nights are about to get very tense as Keeley Hawes stars as controversial politician Julia Montague in this brilliantly taut six-part thriller penned by Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio. What hidden agenda does Julia’s bodyguard, David Budd (played by Game of Thrones star Richard Madden), have? We speak to Keeley….
NEW DRAMA Bodyguard sunday, monday / bbc1 / 9Pm
Keeley Hawes stands behind the desk of her glass office, a look of concern etched upon her face. She’s just been informed of a deadly terrorist attack in London and, as Home Secretary, the country will soon be looking to her for answers.
TV Times is visiting the set of Bodyguard, BBC1’S new thriller from Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio. Keeley plays politician Julia Montague, who’s guarded by personal protection officer David Budd (Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden). Sworn to protect her, could he be her biggest threat?
We spoke to Keeley, 42, for more about the much-anticipated drama, which kicks off with a double helping this week… what can you tell us about Julia? Julia is a very serious woman, in an incredibly serious job. She has this public façade but appears to have no life outside work, so we think, ‘Where’s the woman?’. But everyone has a story, and as the series unfolds we start to see chinks in her armour.
And what’s her relationship like with her bodyguard, David?
She’s blissfully unaware that he’s not keen on her politics – it’s not something they sit and discuss. But it’s his job to be in her house and her space all the time, which Julia finds irritating. That’s what these people do – they’re like ghosts. Then he starts to see that she’s a human being, and they slowly realise the other one isn’t the person they thought they were.
Have you ever had a bodyguard? No I haven’t, but I was staying at a hotel in America recently and there was one outside the room next to mine, wearing a bulletproof vest. I was a bit worried, and wondered if I should move rooms!
How did you research the role? Julia’s purposefully not based on anyone, but Amber Rudd was the Home Secretary when we were filming, so I watched a lot of her on Youtube. I even stumbled upon an interview with her sister, talking about their childhood. That opened my eyes, and
I started to see her as a person. At least there are women who’ve done these jobs now, because for a long time, playing this role would have been unusual. Did you enjoy playing Julia?
I really did, because it was so different to what I’ve done before. I soon realised that politicians don’t have conversations with people, they just tell you what they want you to know, which is a very different thing. Julia does lots of statements to camera and she even goes on The Andrew Marr Show, which was great fun!
Did Jed have any ideas about how you should play her?
I used a very posh accent at the start, because I’d just finished playing Mrs Durrell. Straight away, Jed told me to wind it in!
why did you want this role? Mostly it was working with Jed again [Keeley played DI Lindsay Denton in Line of Duty from 2014-2017]. I was like, ‘Yeah, okay,’ before I even opened the script! He’s a brilliant writer who pushes the boundaries of drama.
were you looking for something different from The durrells?
I love The Durrells, but it’s a long shoot in Corfu and after eight episodes in an apron, I was ready for something different. So when this came along, with car chases and lots of action, I couldn’t wait.
when you first saw the title, did you wonder if it was a remake of the famous movie with Kevin Costner and whitney Houston? Everyone has asked me that! Thank goodness it’s not,
because I can’t sing a note!