ROYAL MARRIAGES and babies aside, the news from Britain has been pretty grim these past few months. The steady drumbeat of Brexit, Brexit, Brexit has caused many to tune the subject out, with the always lively British media telling Britons they have never been so divided. Theresa May looks like a dead woman walking, with at least half her Cabinet seemingly plotting against her on a weekly basis.
Which is why The Bodyguard has been such a welcome relief to many. The BBC One drama has finally found the formula to bring the county together: rattling good TV.
Written by Jed Mercurio (best known for “Line of Duty”), the show debuted in the UK in late August and drew more than 10 million television viewers over seven days for its first episode, the best performance for a new drama since Downtown Abbey. The show stars Richard Madden (Rob Snow on Game of Thrones) as David Budd, an embittered Afghanistan war veteran assigned to protect the ambitious and icy Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), amid a fevered atmosphere of constant terrorist threats and endless political intrigue. In common with his archetype, Budd’s ice-cold professionalism is in contrast to his personal life, in which he deals with a tough separation from the mother of his two children while battling personal demons, PTSD and incipient alcoholism.
As the show unfolded six weeks, it filled countless pages in both the downmarket and quality press with columnists speculating on the twists, turns, implications and resolution of its maze-like plot, which gave viewers the added bonus of giving them something to talk about other than Brexit. “We’re back in the world of the water cooler — a bygone era when we all watched TV at the same time,” Zoe Williams wrote in The Guardian.
And real life politicians weighed in too, with Ms. May telling reporters rather sniffly that she switched off after 20 minutes, explaining: “I watch TV to unwind…I’m not sure a drama about a female home secretary is the best way for me to do that.”
Mark Lawson, a culture columnist for The Guardian, attributed the show’s success to its blend of gripping narrative and salaciousness. “Bodyguard” combines “the most popular genres in British TV” — the crime drama and the conspiracy thriller — while “also incorporating the always popular subplot of forbidden sex,” he wrote.
Now you can judge for yourself. Netflix, which acquired the series at an early stage in production, released it Wednesday in 190 countries, including the US.
So that’s your weekend sorted, then.
