Will Budd be back to guard the Home Secretary, Julia? Will he do a better job of protecting his client this time? What would be the spine-chilling mystery that would encompass the storyline next?
The political thriller, Bodyguard was a huge ratings hit for BBC One, pulling in tens of millions of viewers every week. Of course, fans have been awaiting a renewal of the series! But when’s it going to be released?
Here’s everything we were able to gather about the show thus far!
Bodyguard series: Exclusive information!
The opening episode was the biggest new drama launch in the UK in 2018, the first series overall was the most-watched BBC drama in a decade.
While the finale (incredibly) became the most-watched piece of TV drama since records began, with an audience of 17.1 million (though to be fair, like-for-like records only began in 2002).
Bodyguard Season 1: Recap!
The first season of “Bodyguard” follows Budd as he is assigned to guard Home Secretary Julia Montague. She’s a driven yet divisive politician whose beliefs Budd strongly disagrees with.
Soon after he begins his new position, Budd starts uncovering a political conspiracy of terrorism, cybersecurity, and collusion, all while dealing with his own unraveling mind.
Throughout the first season’s six episodes, viewers experience shock after shock, and well, you have no idea what follows next. In season 2, the mystery shall be carried forward! But will there be a season 2? Let’s find out.
Bodyguard season 2: Will the show be renewed or not?
Shortly after Bodyguard hit Netflix, Madden seemed quite sure that season 2 would happen. In an interview with Deadline, in 2018, she said, “I’m going to meet Jed in a couple of weeks, to have a chat and see what’s in his brilliant brain.”
In mid-2019, Mercurio confirmed at the Banff World Music Festival, “season 2 isn’t officially greenlit, as of now”. (Per The Hollywood Reporter).
Nicholas Gleaves, who played Roger Penhaligon in “Bodyguard” Season 1, told RadioTimes that he spoke with a producer who “absolutely guaranteed” a second season, but until it’s official, it’s still up in the air.
Considering all of these statements made by the team of Bodyguard, we can’t really come to a conclusion as to whether season 2 might premiere or not. Without official announcements, we’re not sure of the renewal status.
Bodyguard season 2 release date: When’s it going to release?
The first season of “Bodyguard” was released in August and September of 2018. British shows are anyway produced at a slow pace, so fans, be sure that it will be a while before new episodes for season 2 come out.
Besides, we don’t have an official confirmation regarding the show’s renewal. As of right now, the series isn’t officially renewed or cancelled. But that doesn’t mean much, as Madden, Mercurio, and others involved with “Bodyguard” have been commenting on a second season ever since the first ended, and it seems practically guaranteed.
But again, we can’t be so sure. However, looking at the timeline, the earliest new episodes could come out is likely late next year or early 2023, unless BBC gets going on production really quickly.
Bodyguard season 2: What was the cast’s reaction while filming the first season?
Utopia star Ready is certainly happy to return to the role of special advisor Rob MacDonald, if Jed Mercurio asks.
“I loved playing that character,” he told Radio Times earlier this year. “I love playing kind of ambiguous, slightly shady characters like that. Yeah, if Bodyguard came back, and they wanted to write that character again, I’d definitely do it.”
“I thought it was great fun. It was great fun to play. Jed is a brilliant writer and obviously, I’ve been hooked on Line of Duty. I couldn’t have imagined how it would capture the audience’s imagination.”
“A hugely popular show. People would see me on the tube at the time and they’d go ‘I’m watching Bodyguard, don’t tell me! You’re the guy but don’t tell me whether you did it,’ and I loved that.”
Anjli Mohindra, who played the deceitful bomber Nadia Ali, has also suggested that she won’t be back for more Bodyguard. “I would return if I was asked, but I don’t feel Nadia has any more of a journey to explore,” she told Radio Times.
Indeed, Mercurio’s implied that, like Line of Duty, Bodyguard might feature a new supporting cast every year, with only a few regular characters continuing from series to series.
“We certainly weren’t the first [show] to rotate casts… but Line of Duty established that it works very well,” he again told Radio Times.
Pippa Haywood, who played David Budd’s boss Lorraine Craddock, has confirmed she won’t be back for a second run: “No spoilers… but I think we can probably count me out.”
Bodyguard season 2 cast: Who’s likely to be featured in the second edition?
The cast for Bodyguard season 2 hasn’t been confirmed by the makers, as of this writing. As soon as we receive any updates, we’re sure to inform you guys.
As per speculation, we expect most of the cast members (if not all) to return for the second season. That said, Bodyguard season 2 cast might include:
- Gina McKee as Commander Anne Sampson who is in charge of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command,
- Sophie Rundle as Vicky Budd,
- PS Budd’s estranged wife and the mother of their two children,
- Nina Toussaint-White as DS Louise Rayburn, a Counter Terrorism officer who appears to trust Budd despite the investigation against him,
- Ash Tandon as DCI Deepak Sharma, an intelligent investigator who believes that Budd is working with the terrorists.
- Hawes will not be returning as Montague
- Vincent Franklin as Minister of State Mike Travis,
- Stuart Bowman as Stephen Hunter-Dunn, Director General of MI-5,
- Pippa Haywood as crooked CSI Lorraine Craddock,
- Michael Schaeffer as the mysterious “Richard Longcross.”
Bodyguard season 2: Ratings?
Audiences and critics loved the series, with “Bodyguard” holding a solid 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes!
Bodyguard season 2: Where to watch?
You can watch this incredible series on BBC One and Netflix.
Watch this space for more updates. Cheers!
