If you work in an office, go on social media, or actually just exist at all, you’ve probably heard about Bodyguard, the gripping BBC drama that’s obsessing the whole nation.
Starring Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes, the six-episode series follows police sergeant David Budd, a war veteran who is assigned to protect Home Secretary Julia Montague, whose politics he detests.
The cast is stacked with familiar names and faces you’ll recognise from other big TV and film roles. Here’s a little bit about them, and where you’ve seen them before.
Richard Madden (David Budd)
Madden stars opposite Hawes as her protector, Afghanistan war vet and Police Sergeant David Budd in Bodyguard, but he’s best known for playing Robb Stark in the first three seasons of Game of Thrones.
This isn’t his first BBC drama rodeo – he starred as Oliver Mellors in their 2015 production of Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
His other big roles include Prince Kit in Disney’s live action remake of Cinderella (2015) and Michael Mason in Bastille Day (2016) alongside Idris Elba.
Keeley Hawes (Julia Montague)
Hawes is a UK TV drama stalwart. She currently stars as Louisa Durrell in ITV’s The Durrells – a comedy-drama based on Gerald Durrell’s autobiographies about his time living in Corfu, and also played Lindsay in Line of Duty.
On the silver screen she’s appeared in The Bank Job (2008) with Jason Statham, High Rise (2015) alongside Tom Hiddleston and Death at a Funeral (2007) with her husband Matthew MacFayden.
Gina McKee (Commander Anne Sampson)
Mckee, who plays the head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, has a number of classic films on her resume.
She played Bella in Notting Hill (1999) and Sister Drummond in Atonement (2007), and was also Judy Molloy in Armando Iannuci’s political satire In the Loop (2009).
On TV she had a role in The Borgias and worked alongside Keeley Hawes in Line of Duty for three episodes.
Sophie Rundle (Vicky Budd)
Sophie Rundle was already a familiar face on British TV before taking the role of David Budd’s estranged wife.
She’s played Ada Shelby in Peaky Blinders, Alice Sharrow in Sky’s Jamestown, Eva in the BBC’s An Inspector Calls and Labia in Episodes.
Paul Ready (Rob MacDonald)
As Rob MacDonald, Paul Ready is the special adviser to Keeley Hawes’ Home Secretary, but before Bodyguard he was best known for playing Harry Goodsir in US series The Terror earlier this year and Lee in the Channel 4 series Utopia.
Ready also played Kevin in BBC Two comedy Motherland, which was written by Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) and Graham Linehan (Father Ted).
Vincent Franklin (Mike Travis)
Vincent Franklin is well equipped for playing a minister for counter-terrorism, since he had a role in The Bourne Identity in 2002.
To Brits, he’s probably best known as Chris Parsons in Doc Martin – a role he held for 13 years – Stewart Pearson in The Thick of It, and Nick in Twenty Twelve.
Franklin also played Andy Shepherd in series two of Happy Valley, had a role in E4’s Banana and Cucumber, and played Drawlight in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Pippa Haywood (Chief Superintendent Lorraine Craddock)
Haywood became a star in her role as Helen Brittas in the ’90s BBC comedy The Brittas Empire, but to younger viewers is probably best known for playing Joanna Clore in Green Wing.
She played Mrs Long in 2016’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and has also had roles in Porridge, Scott & Bailey and Grown Ups.
Nina Toussaint-White (Detective Sergeant Louise Rayburn)
Toussaint-White is a bit of a soap veteran – she’s been in EastEnders, Emmerdale, Holby City and Casualty, but playing Louise Rayburn is her most prominent role to date.
She was Shelly in the BBC comedy Uncle between 2014-2017 and also plays Lucy in GameFace, Roisin Conaty’s Channel 4 sitcom.
Nicholas Gleaves (Roger Penhaligon)
Nicholas Gleaves has been in BBC drama Survivors, Coronation Street and Scott & Bailey, but Bodyguard is definitely his biggest hit.
He plays Roger Penhaligon, the Conservative Party whip who also happens to be Julia’s ex-husband.
Tom Brooke (Andy Apsted)
Tom Brooke has played small roles is some of television’s biggest shows. He’s portrayed chemist Bill Wiggins in two episodes of Sherlock and is also Lothar Frey in Game of Thrones.
His biggest role to date was as Fiore in the US drama Preacher, starring Dominic Cooper.
Anjli Mohindra (Nadia)
Mohindra has popped up in a number of UK dramas, including ITV’s Dark Heart earlier this year and crime drama Paranoid on the same channel in 2016.
The Bodyguard terror suspect has worked with co-star Vincent Franklin before, on Cucumber, and has also appeared in a number of soaps.
David Westhead (Prime Minister John Vosler)
Westhead has never had a role quite so prestigious as Prime Minister before, but he does have history playing politicians – he was a Labour shadow minister in The Iron Lady (2011).
Like many of the cast, he counts BBC satire among his past work, playing Neil Reid in W1A, and he’s also popped up in the likes of Lovesick, Silent Witness and DCI Banks.
More on Bodyguard:
Bodyguard: the questions we still need answered in the BBC series – character by character
Bodyguard season 2: creator Jed Mercurio shoots down popular fan theory, and hints at drama’s return
Bodyguard is dazzling – but do we really need BBC journalists going from fact to fiction?
