There's A Very Good Reason There Hasn't Been A 'Bodyguard' Series 2 Announcement Yet

Bodyguard might well have been the show of 2018. The Richard Madden and Keely Hawes drama had viewers gripped hook, line, and sinker, right from its first second, as Madden played David Budd, the bodyguard to Hawes' character, the controversial Conservative home secretary Julia Montague. The show racked up millions of returning viewers each week, and Madden was even awarded a Golden Globe for his performance. All of that would suggest that there's no stopping the show, but when will season two of Bodyguard be out? You're probably on tenterhooks waiting for the answer, almost as much as when you were actually watching the show.

While there's a bit of an interim between seasons of Jed Mercurio's epic political drama, season five of his similarly hair-raising show Line of Duty is due sometime in April, according to the Radio Times, which might help you pass the time the before season two of Bodyguard. And don't worry, as Mercurio recently told the Radio Times, he's "optimistic" that there will actually be a second season.

Speaking at the INTV conference in Israel on Tuesday, March 12, Mercurio reportedly assured fans: “It would be great if there was a second season. We’d love to do more. We appreciate there’s a real hunger from fans to watch it." So, what's the delay in announcing it? Well, "There are a lot of logistics in terms of setting up a second season and we’re just working through those," he attests.

I really can't imagine that the BBC will be getting in the way of the show's season two recommission. As Bustle reported following season one's premiere in September, 2018, the show was a major record breaker. According to the BBC, the season premiere drew in a huge viewership of 10.4 million viewers, which the BBC wrote was "the highest launch figure for a new drama on BBC One since at least 2002, when current records began."

According to the same stats, Bodyguard also broke streaming records for the BBC, as it reportedly brought in 3 million streamers for the first episode alone. Its finale brought in even more, as it reeled in a 11 million viewership, according to Deadline, which made up 47.9% of the channel's share. If you were a commissioner, there's no way you'd want to let a show like that go.

Bodyguard's main man Richard Madden did confirm to Digital Spy earlier on in the year that "we're talking about it [a season two]," but that it wasn't really down to him, but rather to its creator. It's "all in Jed Mercurio's brilliant mind. So it's up to him what happens next. I can't wait to read it," he told the site.

In the meantime, you'll be able to watch Madden back in all his bodyguarding glory as he reprises his Budd character in a special Bodyguard Red Nose Day episode which will air on BBC1 on Friday, March 15, which'll no doubt make you thirst for season two even more. Don't worry, I reckon that announcement will be coming soon.