Last night I watched the last episode of "Bodyguard" - courtesy of the BBC. Apparently, it was the most popular drama to appear on British terrestrial television in over a decade.
For those who haven't seen it or have no knowledge of it, it is a tense thriller set in modern times. The "bodyguard" of the title is an ex-soldier charged with protecting The Home Secretary - one of the loftiest political positions in the land. The incumbent is Julia Montague played by Keeley Hawes
They have an affair but that ends very suddenly and brutally when a jihadi bomb goes off as Julia is making a keynote speech. There is nothing that David Budd - the bodyguard, played by Richard Madden, can do to save her.
The plot has many twists and turns. Right to the end you don't know who to trust. It was all very cleverly written by Jed Mercurio, the creator of "Line of Duty".
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| Richard Madden as David Budd |
Customarily, I get heartily sick of stories of crime and killing and espionage. There's far too much of it around in my view and it seems far distant for the everyday dramas of ordinary people. Normally, I avoid reading crime fiction or watching crime dramas in the cinema or television. Usually, it's just not my cup of tea.
Nonetheless, I very much enjoyed "Bodyguard". What an achievement by the team involved - including the cast, the writer, the directors - Thomas Vincent and John Strickland, the production team and the camera operators. It's amazing what a bunch of creative people can do when they get together and work together.. Brilliant!
Two scenes especially stand out. Firstly, in the very first episode when Budd confronts a jihadi bomber in the lavatory of a moving train. Secondly, when Budd is beaten up and wakes to find himself in a suicide vest with his thumb taped to the detonator button. He gets himself up into the street with a blanket hiding his lethal vest and finds himself surrounded by the disbelieving forces of law and order. It is very tense stuff.
Will there be a second series? I hope not. It seemed complete to me and to extend it would effectively belittle this jewel of modern British television drama.
I have to say that I don't watch programmes like that either but after turning the television on when the first episode was showing I was mesmerised. I didn't watch it all and didn't watch the second episode until friends who have similar tastes said that it was the best programme they had watched for years. So I watched the full first episode and the second episode on catchup TV and was truly hooked. I think your post is an excellent tribute to a fine piece of theatre.
ReplyDeleteI hope you see it right through to the end Graham. It's worth it.
DeleteAfter I'd caught up with the first and second episodes on catchup I watched the others live and you are correct - it was worth it.
DeleteThanks for the recommendation - we just finished Line of Duty - thought it was very well done!
ReplyDeleteThat was he cake. "Bodyguard" is the icing.
DeleteKay and I thoroughly enjoyed it, however the national press spoiled it during the week by suggesting the Home Secretary wasn't really dead and would re-emerge at a significant stage of the plot. Right to the end I was expecting her to reappear. Like you, I did find the opening scenes memorable, but couldn't help thinking in real life he would not have been able to talk her down from detonating the suicide vest and, given what we found out at the end, she would have definitely detonated it. Still an enjoyable series though
ReplyDeleteI bet that you would have detonated the suicide vest if you had been caught in that predicament ADDY! But you would have been sorely missed by your daughter, your plumber and your blogging mates.
DeleteI haven't seen the last episode yet but we've been watching too and we like it a lot! Hopefully we'll finish it off tonight.
ReplyDeleteI hope I have not given away too much Steve.
DeleteLately every time we search Netflix for something to watch, Gregg and I turn to each other and say,"Why is everything so dark these days? It's all murder and terrorism or crime."
ReplyDeleteWe both feel like we can just watch the news if we want to feel hopeless and full of despair!
It's nice to watch drama that does not require the easy cartoonish ingredients of crime and killing. It's also nice to watch drama in which people laugh and live decent lives and in which the endings are happy.
DeleteMuch the same here too.. find all the crime & murder shows anything but entertainment, so good to get a thumbs up to view if it comes down under.
ReplyDeleteWe are away visiting family so internet access sporadic but I have enjoyed your posts particularly about your Dad and teaching.
We attended a NSW State schools choir event that our grandson participated in last night at the Sydney Opera House..just wonderful, lots of dedicsted teachers assisting cor that to happen.
Thank you for referring back to my "Dad" post Elle. How wonderful for your grandson to perform on the SOH stage and even more special as his grandparents were there to see him!
DeleteI like Keeley Hawes. I've not yet seen this series, but will catch up with it on one of my streaming services, when I'm looking for something else to binge on.
ReplyDeleteOn the weekend, I watched the Netflix doco, "Quincy"...on the life and work of Quincy Jones. It is absolutely brilliant...a brilliant exposé of a brilliantly talented man. Quincy Jones is extraordinary and has had an extraordinary career.
I'm now bingeing on "Tyrant" (and enjoying it). In between watching it, I'm also watching "Keeping Faith" The latter is a Welsh production and it's driving me insane (more than I usually am). It is so slow moving!!!!!!! I will watch it to the end...but at the rate I'm going it's going to take me a while...if I'm not locked away in the crazy house beforehand! I find many British series are slow moving and it drives me crazy! Move it along, folks!!!! Thank goodness for the "Fast Forward" button!
Bring back "Luther"!!!! I love Luther aka Idris Elba!!!
There's a lot of great TV drama around at this time isn't there? We British like to crawl on our bellies like garden snails.
DeleteThese past couple of years I've shied away from many contemporary crime shows as they've become too dark for me, with exception for the likes of "Vera" and "Shetland", probably because they don't go down the route of sadistic and preposterous plot-lines. Put the murder and mayhem into period costumes, however, and it's an altogether different animal and I'm usually hooked!
ReplyDelete"Bodyguard" hasn't come here yet but we recorded "Marcella" recently and have been watching that and I realised early on that it fell squarely into the camp of what I normally avoid, but in spite of the bodies piling up and the loathsome characters I'll see it to the end. It's good but every character so far is either a murder victim or a cold & heartless ne'er-do-well, so it's not a good tourism advertisement for London.
I understand that several tourists came to London this year and avoided mugging, kidnap or terrorism! Quite amazing!
DeleteHiya...newish reader here. This show sounds good. I really enjoy Keely Hawes as well. -hoping that this series can be found on Netflix US.
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