Aired: 26 August – 23 September 2018 on BBC

Created by: Jed Mercurio

Written by: Jed Mercurio

Starring: Richard Madden, Keeley Hawes, Sophie Rundle

Genre: Drama, thriller

Rating: 4.5/5

It’s the show everyone seems to be talking about, and the most-watched, as it had the biggest BBC drama overnight viewing figures since the Doctor Who Christmas episode of 2008. The big question is – is it worth the hype? The answer to that question is simply yes. This review will be relatively spoiler free, so don’t worry about seeing any in this post. If, however, you decide not to read on for fear of spoilers, take one thing away: go and watch this show.

Bodyguard follows the story of David Budd, who is assigned to protect the Home Secretary, played by Keeley Hawes. The story is set in London in a time when the terrorist threat to the UK is very high. The plot unfurls across six episodes, and maintains high tension and mystery throughout. Tension and suspense drives the thrill of this series, and boy does it have bucketfuls of suspense. There are lots of twists and turns with conspiracies, and I found it totally unpredictable in the most exciting way.

I liked that it wasn’t too violent. So many TV shows these days have unnecessary violence. There was one scene where rather a lot of blood got splattered about, and David Budd does seem to regularly walk about with injuries and blood on his face. But the suspense is built from tense scenes, rather than violence, which I really liked. Nothing felt rushed. The slow build of scenes meant that suspense took the forefront in this series.

I’ve talked a lot about the suspense, but another thing that makes the show great is the characters. The main character, David Budd, is an Afghanistan war veteran suffering from PTSD now working as a protection officer. Richard Madden did a great job at portraying his character, and aside from the main conflicts, another part of the story was seeing David’s developing relationship with his wife (whom he is separated from) and children.

It’s great to see the number of female characters in important positions. Not only is there the Home Secretary, but there are three key female characters within the police force, including the Head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command.

I haven’t quite given Bodyguard five stars, instead leaning to a 4.5 rating. Why? When I have heaped praise upon it? There was one scene in the last episode that seemed a little unrealistic to me. There were a couple of others things that were maybe little plot holes. But other than that, I can find little criticism for this show.

It was unpredictable, thrilling and totally worth watching. Although the main plot was resolved, there were a couple of loose ends that weren’t tied off, potentially leaving it open for another series. As it has proven so popular, I wouldn’t be surprised if we haven’t seen the last of Bodyguard.