In the last five minutes of the nail-biting last episode of the BBC drama, 'Bodyguard', the total number of viewers hit a record breaking 11 million. The series, starring Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes has Brits completely enraptured with such a love that has not been seen since 10.5 million devoted viewers eagerly awaited the final of the second season of 'Downton Abbey' in 2011. This size of audience has not been achieved since the 2008 Christmas special of 'Doctor Who', The Next Doctor', starring David Tennant and David Morrissey. While BBC News pointed out that the most watched program of 2018 so far continues to be the world cup game between England and Croatia, with 24,3 million spectators, this type of colossal sporting event is an extremely rare occurrence and is not representative of general television consumption. This therefore gives perspective to the relative and vast success that this series, written by the 'Line of Duty' screenwriter, Jed Mercurio, has achieved.
Madden plays the part of David, a bodyguard who hates everything that the politician, Julia, to whom is charged, stands for. David is thus conflicted between duty and morals, while caught up in a world of conspiracy, twists, and action which only escalates throughout each episode, culminating in the final moments which had the BBC audience locked to their screens.
And, after attracting an audience of such a size, what was the verdict? According to all the reviews on social media, this fiction managed to capture the attention of its fans at unprecedented levels; singer, Jonathan Blake, tweeted: "The final episode of 'The Bodyguard' taught us not to underestimate women and not to overestimate men's mental health while simultaneously making me feel like I either needed a stiff drink or a hug for 75 minutes straight. I can't remember a show this gripping in my lifetime."
The final episode of #Bodyguard taught us not to underestimate women and not to overestimate men's mental health while simultaneously making me feel like I either needed a stiff drink or a hug for 75 minutes straight. I can't remember a show this gripping in my lifetime.
? Jonathan Blake (@imjonathanblake) 23 de septiembre de 2018
Furthermore, critics also jumped on board the positive reviews with The Times, The Telegraph, The Sun and The Guardian shedding light on the incredible achievement that is capturing a live audience of this scale in such an era of online streaming.
#Bodyguard is so stressful I can't even eat dinner ? pic.twitter.com/sAHtzXfLsP
? Christopher Allen (@chris_allen) 23 de septiembre de 2018
Everyone in Britain watching #Bodyguard pic.twitter.com/Mez5jA5prW
? Madeleine Le Bourdon (@MaddyLeBourdon) 23 de septiembre de 2018
What is the future of 'The Bodyguard'?
Jed Mercurio, the series' creator, has been very clear that "if the ratings hadn't been quite so high, then possibly everybody involved including the BBC would have said, 'Well that was a nice little series but we're just going to leave it at that and there won't be any more", in his interview with The Sun, in which he also added that, after the success of the first season the series' plans also changed rapidly: "It's probably fair to say we would probably approach any thoughts of a second series with the idea that it would create an opportunity for a third or fourth."
Mercurio did not hold back in showing his appreciation for the public, saying: "we do feel very privileged and fortunate that there's been such a response that it gives us that opportunity to at least think about doing more."
