Richard Madden is to meet up with ‘Bodyguard’ creator Jed Mercurio in the next few weeks to discuss the potential of a second series.
The former ‘Game of Thrones’ star is planning to meet up with the BBC One drama show’s creator Jed Mercurio in the next few weeks to discuss where the programme can go, and he isn’t sure where the 52-year-old writer might like to take his character, personal protection officer David Budd.
He said:
“I’m going to meet Jed in a couple of weeks, to have a chat and see what’s in his brilliant brain.
“So I’m like, what can happen next? You know, with David. Because he had a hell of a couple months there. Where do you go with this guy?”
But Richard admits he could see a ‘Bodyguard’ revival whereby all of the same actors return – including Keeley Hawes, who played Home Secretary Julia Montague in the drama – but play different parts, in a similar vein to US horror series ‘American Horror Story’.
He said:
“I also thought, maybe it’s going to be like ‘American Horror Story’ where, in the second series, it’s a whole different incarnation of it, and I’m a royal and Keeley is on my protection team.
“And you get all the rest of the actors back, and we all do different things. But who knows what’s in Jed’s mind. I’m very keen to hear.
“Also I think, you know, David Budd, he walks about London with a bomb on. I mean, everyone definitely knows his face now. He can’t really slip back into police work again. What’s his life like after that?”
However, Richard admitted he could see the programme only lasting for one series, because he believes TV is “moving away” from the idea of a successful show spanning multiple seasons.
He added to Deadline:
“Yeah, a really contained little adventure. I think that’s a brilliant thing.
“It’s great, you’ve gone on a big old journey during that. And you go, ‘Right, OK, that’s great. Peace.’
“But I suppose it’s the landscape of TV; maybe we’re moving away from, ‘Oh, it’s good, let’s make nine series of it.’
“Are we going, ‘Oh, it’s good, let’s do something different next?’ I’m just really glad it got people watching television, nationally. You know, lots of people watching the same thing.”
‘Bodyguard’ was watched by more than 17 million over 28 days during its time on the BBC, making the programme the largest audience for a TV show that wasn’t a sporting or national event since 2010.