As always, Mercurio knits a fiendishly tight plot, and Hawes is clearly a fan - having signed up for this after working across two seasons of Line of Duty (all four of which are currently on Netflix and Stan). Mercurio has written her another fine role here, and she delivers another fine performance. Julia is one tough nut. Not only does she defy the chief whip (who happens to be her ex-husband) and the prime minister she's out to usurp; she's also busy establishing herself a troubling extra-parliamentary power base by empowering MI5 creeps at the expense of Scotland Yard. Bodyguard is available to watch on Netflix. Hawes makes clear that Julia doesn't need anyone to like her - nor does she need to put on any pretense of vulnerability. What makes her intriguing is the ambiguity about the extent to which she's manipulating David. David, for his part, is beaten, bloodied, misdirected and abused from one end of the series to the other - but without ever losing his own glowering potential to change everything in a heartbeat. One nagging plot hole doesn't detract from the momentum, and it's almost uncanny how deftly the series shifts the weight of the viewer's suspicions without coming off too tricksy. Good stuff. Christine McConnell. The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell Netflix Just in time for Halloween comes this delightfully bonkers cooking-and-crafts series in which Christine McConnell - a baker, model and actor with a steep inclination towards the macabre - makes some astonishingly intricate edibles and decorations. And she does it all while dealing with puppet co-stars who include a hungry talking raccoon that she resurrected after it was crushed to death in a garbage truck, and a snarky, mummified cat that had previously spent several thousand years in an Egyptian tomb. Seeing is believing. Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar star in Unforgotten. Unforgotten Stan There's an appealing ordinariness in the way that London detectives Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) and Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) go about their business. There are no outsized personalities, no lightning leaps of deduction or intuition - just dogged, unspectacular police work that begins tugging on threads that lead to all points of the compass. This first season begins with the reopening of a 39-year-old cold case. Many lives will be thrown into turmoil, but it's not immediately clear how everyone is connected. Ritchie Blackmore, second from left, when he was part of the band Deep Purple. Rainbow: Total Rock Review Amazon Prime Video Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow had one of the most bizarre trajectories of any rock band. After leaving Deep Purple the eccentric English guitar maestro started out with albums full of fantasy rock epics with Ronnie James Dio singing about wizards and whatnot. Then Blackmore put the band through a series of sudden convulsions and reinventions - the first involving the incongruously yuppie-looking Graham Bonnet - and began chasing American radio success. This doco has plenty of rare footage to play as admiring musos drill deep. Kiernan Shipka stars as Sabrina. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Netflix, from Friday, October 26 Most of the time, folks making a new teen-driven drama - be it supernatural or mundane - need to take a pretty big punt on a relatively untried kid. Once in a while they have the luxury of casting an out-and-out star like Kiernan Shipka. Shipka, who has grown through Mad Men and Feud: Bette and Joan via the unsettling 2014 adaptation of Flowers in the Attic, arrives in Netflix's unlikely Archie-verse at the top of her game and proceeds to smash things out of the park. There are no big pyrotechnics, just a wonderfully engaged and sure-footed performance that combines perfect measures of nous and innocence, strength and vulnerability. Shipka is, of course, teenage witch Sabrina, who ought to be focusing on her forthcoming "dark baptism", at which she will pledge herself to Satan and become hugely powerful. Instead, she's preoccupied with her boyfriend and with changing the misogynistic culture of her high school. Her deliciously loopy and occasionally cannibalistic aunts (Miranda Otto and The Office's Lucy Davis) have their work cut out for them. Horror is judiciously delivered. Liv Tyler stars in season two of Harlots. Harlots SBS On Demand<doc-sep>The season one finale of Bodyguard was the UK’s most watched drama TV episode since records began, attracting 17.1 million viewers once BBC iPlayer is taken into account. The Richard Madden-starring thriller, about a police protection officer protecting a politician, was a hit right from the opening episode, and news of its success quickly reached American shores. But will US critics be as enamoured of Bodyguard as those in the UK generally were? Season one is released on Netflix for non-UK territories today (24 October). Here are the takes of the major US publications that have covered the show: Deadline, Dominic Patten “Bodyguard comes with the benefit and burden of having been a massive hit over in Britain. Yet, despite the BBC six-parter being watched by an audience of 11 million at its peak on the other side of the Atlantic, the series [...] is a stiffly mixed collection of conspiracy clichés.” “Virtually handing you a set of storyline binoculars if you can’t see the plot lines coming down the track, the Jed Mercurio-created Bodyguard finds itself more often than not heading towards the weaker aspects of a Designated Survivor.” “Unfortunately, full of filler where there should be thriller, Bodyguard just can’t get the job done, literally or figuratively.” The New York Times, Mike Hale “In Bodyguard, Mercurio’s breakneck story feels, at every moment, both carefully constructed and made up on the spot.” “It can also be a blast, if you’re all about the mystery and the forward momentum and your requirements for plausibility and psychological realism aren’t high. Whether American viewers will be sucked in the way British viewers were is a question that won’t get a definitive answer, since Netflix releases no numbers. British shows that hit it big in America tend to be raucous comedies.” Variety, Daniel D’Addario “This show excels at both the daring, gasp-inducing twist and the methodical construction of slower-burning thrills.” “With nearly as much sprightly imagination as fellow recent British thriller Killing Eve and a committed, gritty relentlessness all its own, Bodyguard makes for the most engaging sort of binge, and for a perfect fall-weekend Netflix series.” ✕ Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events NPR, John Powers “The show doesn’t seek to alert us to the dangers of terrorism and government malfeasance — by now, we’ve had all the warnings we need. Instead, Bodyguard reduces the things that scare us to shamelessly white-knuckled entertainment with a neat resolution. Don’t worry, it suggests: It’s just another thriller.” Collider, Allison Keen “Bodyguard is an exhilarating ride that truly showcases Madden as a major talent, one who is capable of not just leading Winterfell’s bannermen in Game of Thrones, but leading this breakout series and others — or even a certain movie franchise.” Los Angeles Times, Robert Lloyd Some elements of the series struck me as odd, including what seems an endorsement of the surveillance state, and certain climactic revelations had me talking to the screen. But the action is well mounted and the tension tightly wound; it uncoils, when it does, with a satisfying snap. Forbes, Merrill Barr “The action and style are what make Bodyguard accessible. The exploration of PTSD is what makes Bodyguard great. This is a show worth watching and one that we can only hope to see more of down the road. Netflix was right to bring this show to the States – especially when one considers how many veterans make up the streamer’s audience who might find much to connect to in the series as a whole.”<doc-sep>The finale of BBC series “Bodyguard” was the most-watched drama in the U.K. since current records began, and the box-set on the iPlayer is the most popular ever on the pubcaster’s catchup service. Netflix invested in the series and will launch it internationally this week The series launched strongly in the U.K., where it was the most-watched freshman drama for a decade. It stars Richard Madden (“Game of Thrones”) as David Budd, a war veteran-turned-cop who is assigned to protect a senior politician, Julia Montague, played by Keeley Hawes. In Britain, the series closer was watched by 17.1 million, the 28-day consolidated numbers show. The number of iPlayer requests for the show is currently at 38 million. “’Bodyguard’ continues to smash records and thrill new audiences every day via the boxset,” said BBC programming chief Charlotte Moore. The series was produced by ITV-owned World Productions. It was created by Jed Mercurio, who also made cop drama “Line of Duty,” a previous critical and ratings success in the U.K. He has spoken about “Bodyguard” as a returning series, but there is still no official word on a second season. “Both juicy in its delving into character psychology and rippingly ready to tear up its playbook as it goes, it’s a six-episode ride that demands, and rewards, a quick binge, and one that is as likely as any of Netflix’s overseas imports to find a breakout audience,” Variety said in its review.<doc-sep>Bodyguard (2018 TV series) type TV Show genre Thriller Beginning today, Netflix subscribers can see what the Brits have been so crazy about since August: the limited series Bodyguard, which stars Richard Madden as a troubled Afghanistan war veteran who has been assigned to protect Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes). We asked creator Jed Mercurio — a former doctor turned TV writer — to reveal the origin of the show and why there won’t be a season 2 (at least for now). ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you get the idea for this? JED MERCURIO: Well, I love writing thrillers. Here in the U.K., we haven’t had a thriller set in the political world for a long, long time. That was something the BBC got excited about when I first pitched it to them. It was really a case of trying to figure out the best way into the story. That led to the idea of the [Royalty and] Specialist Protection unit, an elite unit that looks after high-ranking politicians, royals, and diplomats, and protects them from external threats. Did you know early on that you wanted your protagonist to have PTSD? It was actually part of a development process of the character. I looked to find ways that he would be developed away from being a kind of one-dimensional protector who was just heroic in every respect. What we wanted to do was create a character who could plausibly be part of the threat toward the politician. And one of the ways we looked at that was psychological trauma, psychological instability, and a very specific backstory relating to U.K. military operations in the Middle East. When you pitched the show, did you only want to do six episodes? Yeah. It felt like that was the best way to find the focus of the story and to keep it very dynamic and fast-moving, and to be able to move through the twists and turns. There’s a lot of story to get through, but I like things to move fast, and that’s what we wanted to give to the audience. I think the result is a very dynamic piece of storytelling. Was it your idea to cast Richard Madden? I actually worked with Richard before [on Lady Chatterley’s Lover in 2015], so he was a name that I threw in very early on. People got very excited about meeting him. He really wanted to do it, and because I’d worked with him before, I knew the qualities he’d bring, and that he would be a really great leading man. He would be meticulously well-prepared and work very hard on the show. You feature so many women in high-power roles. I come from gender-balanced workplaces. I started off working in medicine, and when I went through med school, it’s 50/50 men and women. And when I started working as a doctor, it’s 50/50 men and women. So I’ve always been very accustomed to women occupying pivotal roles in the professional environment. What I’m doing is trying to show what’s going on in the real world. In terms of high-powered roles in the U.K., the head of the Metropolitan Police is female. The head of the National Crime Agency is female. We all know the prime minister is female. For most of the time when I was writing the script, the home secretary was female. There are great female role models out there, and I just feel very proud to be able to represent them in my work. How did the Brits react when the show debuted on the BBC? We were overwhelmed with the reaction to the show. I mean, as a content creator all you can do is do your best work, and then hope that it resonates somehow with an audience. But we kind of really hit the ground running with this. The first episode was the biggest launch of a new drama in the U.K. for over a decade. And then as the series went on, it just started breaking record after record, and then by the end of the run with the last episode, it’s the most-watched drama episode since modern U.K. records began. When you met with the network, did they want you to make it longer? Are they already asking you to make more? Not at all. One of the benefits of working for the BBC is that they’re very open to different formats. So with a drama season, we can do anything from four episodes to eight, as a standard first run. And six is kind of that sweet spot they like. How has this changed your life? I’m still driving the same car. To be honest, I’m in the very fortunate position that I’ve got another show that is a returning and is actually shooting. Was shooting. It’s great that there’s been a fantastic reaction to Bodyguard, but my first order of business is to get this other show going. It’s Line of Duty, on Hulu in the U.S. It’s on Netflix in the rest of the world, and on the BBC. We’re doing season 5. Bodyguard is currently streaming on Netflix. Related content:<doc-sep>
TV's British invasion has a new member: Netflix’s “Bodyguard.” The popularity of the six-episode BBC drama, which premiered globally Wednesday, is reflected in its ratings on BBC One in the United Kingdom, where it finished its run in September drawing comparisons to “Downton Abbey” and “Doctor Who.” Netflix could be forgiven for its Anglophile tendencies, as it has enjoyed success with recent British imports, including "The Crown" (Season 3 is due next year) and "The Great British Baking Show" (Season 6 arrives Nov. 9). "Bodyguard" stars Richard Madden (who played the late, great Robb Stark from "Game of Thrones") as David Budd, "a heroic but volatile war veteran" who's providing police protection to British Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes, "The Hollow Crown"). Torn between his duty and beliefs, Budd could become the biggest threat to the woman he's protecting. The September season finale drew 11 million viewers on BBC One, accounting for nearly half the audience watching TV, according to Variety. The series ranks as Britain's most popular drama since "Downton Abbey," and the finale was the biggest BBC drama since a 2008 episode of "Doctor Who," the industry news outlet says. "Bodyguard" has also pleased critics, earning a perfect 100 percent rating on the Rotten Tomatoes aggregation site and a more-than-satisfactory 79 on Metacritic. Variety's Daniel D'Addario rates "Bodyguard" as binge-worthy. "Both juicy in its delving into character psychology and rippingly ready to tear up its playbook as it goes, it’s a six-episode ride that demands, and rewards, a quick binge, and one that is as likely as any of Netflix’s overseas imports to find a breakout audience." Madden gets the ultimate English compliment from Collider's Allison Keene. "'Bodyguard' is an exhilarating ride that truly showcases Madden as a major talent, one who is capable of not just leading Winterfell’s bannermen in 'Game of Thrones,' but leading this breakout series and others – or even a certain movie franchise." Hint: Think 007.