Bodyguard BBC1 Sunday

[Stanfordian]

Loving it!

I hope this series has set a precedent for all Home Secretaries to look as gorgeous as Keeley Hawes; a former model.

[Serial_Apologist]

I think you can only set so many hares running in the conspiracy theory stakes before straining the bounds of credibility too far...

The impression given that some of them could be false spoilers is part of what keeps one viewing, I guess.

[Pianoman]

Implausibilities galore - but tremendous fun..

Mercurio surely having a sly laugh with a character named 'Hunter-Dunn' - 'furnished and burnished by Aldershot sun' (a la Betjamin ?)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Loving it!

Implausibilities galore - but tremendous fun..
Mercurio surely having a sly laugh with a character named 'Hunter-Dunn' - 'furnished and burnished by Aldershot sun' (a la Betjamin ?)

[LMcD]

I'm sure the Betjeman reference is a conscious one on JM's part. Perhaps the character in question likes to dress up for tennis at weekends, when he prefers to be known as Joan.

[kernelbogey]

The bonking plot turn seemed implausible - and while two are bonking, only one is going to be, er, shafted: experience suggests it won't be the cop; but who knows what surprises await?

Throroughly enjoyable, nonetheless.

[LMcD]

One yardstick for the popular (as against critical) success of a TV drama series is the drop-off between the 1st and 2nd episodes - the equivalent of the '2nd album syndrome' in the popular music business. In the case of 'Bodyguard' the drop was minimal - from 6.7 to 6.4 million - both very high figures by current standards. As it happens, the 'professional' reviews that I've read have also been largely positive.
(UPDATE) As it happens, BBC security guru Frank Gardner is at this moment discussing the plausibility of the series on the 'Today' programme. I'm sure Mr Mercurio will be flattered. According to FG, the large number of high-powered women is perfectly plausible, as is the plethora of initials/abbreviations/acronyms.

[Richard Tarleton]

The bonking plot turn seemed implausible

The first (very fictional) "bonking bodyguard" film I can remember is Ridley Scott's 1987 "Someone to watch over me" (we'll know Jed M has seen that if "Lavender" gives Budd a tie). Then came "The Bodyguard" with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston in 1992.

Re-reading Amber Rudd's amusing article in the Sunday Times I'm guessing she'd had a preview of episode 1 but not 2 - though I like her comment

While the show is sure to take this relationship to unrealistic levels....

Very restrained of the bodyguard not just to shoot that annoying aide in Episode 1 who was resisting being dismissed. More trouble on that front, I'd imagine.

[gradus]

Interesting comments on the plausibility of the plot from Frank Gardner on Today today. He wasn't sceptical about the idea that someone with ptsd related problems could elude vetting but thought the idea that MI5 and the Rozzers might compete and not cooperate unrealistic these days. Apparently all that ended decades ago.

[Conchis]

So far, this series is good non-nutritional fun.

I also wondered about the undetected issues and, more significantly, the fact that he's close pals with an activist who turns terrorist (surely he would have picked something up and taken preventive action?).

The sex bothers me less than I thought it would and it was clearly borne out of their shared experience when under attack in the car. They clearly didn't fancy each other when they met. Then again, if you looked like Richard Madden and your boss looked like Keeley Hawes, it's probably inevitable that you'd end up having sex with each other at some point....

Whoever signed off on the title 'The Bodyguard', though, should be forced to take a pay cut, as they seriously fell down. Not only is it the name of a well-known (and famously kitsch and crappy) big budget film from the cinematically execrable 90s, it also deterred a significant section of the casual audience from tuning it, as they assumed the film was being shown not a new series. I've spoken to several people didn't watch for exactly that reason.....

[Serial_Apologist]

Whoever signed off on the title 'The Bodyguard', though, should be forced to take a pay cut, as they seriously fell down. Not only is it the name of a well-known (and famously kitsch and crappy) big budget film from the cinematically execrable 90s, it also deterred a significant section of the casual audience from tuning it, as they assumed the film was being shown not a new series. I've spoken to several people didn't watch for exactly that reason.....

I'm surprised if that doesn't infringe copyright.

[LMcD]

The title is actually 'Bodyguard', the definite article presumably having been omitted for that very reason. The ratings are in fact very healthy - quite a bit better than for the excellent 'Unforgotten' (series 3).

[Serial_Apologist]

The title is actually 'Bodyguard', the definite article presumably having been omitted for that very reason. The ratings are in fact very healthy - quite a bit better than for the excellent 'Unforgotten' (series 3).

So that's how it avoids infringing copyright...

[Conchis]

The title is actually 'Bodyguard', the definite article presumably having been omitted for that very reason. The ratings are in fact very healthy - quite a bit better than for the excellent 'Unforgotten' (series 3).

Yeah, not really good enough.

I'm glad the ratings are healthy but I'm sure they could have been even better had they given it a better title. It's not that hard to think of punchy, original, attention-grabbing titles.

[LMcD]

So that's how it avoids infringing copyright...

As I understand it, titles cannot be copyrighted. That's why, for example, there are quite a few songs called 'Love Is All Around'. There are also numerous examples of films sharing a title, including 'Gladiator', 'Crash' and 'Twilight'. And there are at least two Pastoral Symphonies.