The Enemy Within?

Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden star in a heart-stopping new drama from the writer of Line of Duty

- Sean Marland

NEW DRAMA

Bodyguard

Sunday, Monday, BBC1 Hd, 9pm

Keeley Hawes stands behind a desk in a glass office, a look of concern etched upon her face. Her politician character has just been informed of a deadly terrorist attack in London and, as Home Secretary, she needs to provide the country with some immediate answers.

TV&Satellite Week is visiting the set of Bodyguard, BBC1’s new political thriller from Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio, and it looks like Hawes is set to recreate the intensity of their first collaboration, when she captivated viewers as the crooked DI Lindsay Denton.

‘The biggest reason I took the job was to work with Jed again,’ says Hawes. ‘I was thrilled when he asked me to read the script. He pushes the boundaries of drama and I couldn’t wait to get started. I was wearing an apron for months on end filming The Durrells so this is a nice change of pace.’

HAUNTED

In the six-part conspiracy drama, which kicks off with a double bill this week, the BAFTA-nominated actress plays Julia Montague, an ambitious Home Secretary.

‘Julia is a very serious woman in an incredibly serious job,’ explains Hawes. ‘She appears to have no life outside work, but everyone has a story and as the series goes on, we start to see chinks in her armour.’

Providing Julia with security is her personal protection officer, David Budd (Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden, see below). He’s sworn to protect her, but the war veteran is still haunted by the memories of his time in Afghanistan and he doesn’t agree with many of her policies.