'Bodyguard' recap: The story so far of the hit BBC drama

It’s the TV series that has made watercoolers cool again, so here’s a reminder of what’s happened so far in Bodyguard.

Written by Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio, Bodyguard has attracted more than 10 million viewers.

Ahead of the broadcast of episode 6 – the finale – of the BBC drama on Sunday night, check out this timely recap of why it has become the most talked about show on TV.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers of Episodes 1 to 5 of Bodyguard.

Episode 1

Easily the most riveting 20 minutes of television this year, terrestrial or otherwise, Bodyguard opened with a bang. Except, there was no bang.

Police sergeant David Budd (Richard Madden) was the right person in the right place at the right time when he foiled a terror attack on a train from Glasgow to London by talking down would-be suicide bomber Nadia (Anjli Mohindra), whose husband had locked her in a carriage toilet wearing a vest packed with explosives.

Budd’s reward for his cool head is a leap into politics – he is tasked with the role of personal protection officer (PPO) to home secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), an ardent supporter of increased security measures as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Her ex-husband, and the government chief whip, Roger Penhaligon (Nicholas Gleaves), believes Montague is using the ongoing battle against terror for her own political ambitions – it is rumoured she wants to become prime minister. She is trying to push the latest version of RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) through parliament, even though its opponents brand it a “snooper’s charter”.

Away from bodyguarding, Budd is trying to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan and his deteriorating relationship with his estranged wife, Vicky (Sophie Rundle), with whom he has two children.

Budd meets ex-army pal Andy Apsted (Tom Brooke), who is angry he’s now protecting a politician, saying they were the people who sent them to war.

Episode 2

In the fallout from Budd’s train heroics, Montague is told by the head of MI5 Stephen Hunter-Dunn (Stuart Bowman) that it has intelligence that the police officer’s children’s school is a potential terror target.

Montague keeps the information to herself, and to keep MI5 onside, hands them control of the investigation into the train plot, much to the annoyance of the police, headed by Commander Anne Sampson (Gina McKee).

Later, an attack is indeed carried out at Budd’s kids’ school, and five police officers are killed preventing it when the bombers detonate their device before reaching the building.

Budd’s wife and children are put in a police safe house and he is temporarily removed from protecting Montague, until she insists she wants him back on the job, while also pulling strings to find his son a place at a specialist school.

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While returning by car from a meeting of COBRA, Montague is attacked by sniper fire that kills her driver. Budd saves her life and enters a building to apprehend the sniper, only to find out it is Andy, who kills himself.

After the attempt on her life, Montague is placed in a hotel and Budd is given the adjoining room. They sleep together. Budd is later told by Sampson to start recording Montague’s meetings. Budd’s police superiors also tell him Montague knew his children’s school was a target and didn’t tell him.

Episode 3

Budd discovers that a man calling himself Richard Longcross has been to visit Montague in her hotel room. He has given her a tablet containing compromising information about either the prime minister or someone close to him.

Montague pays a late-night visit to the prime minister at Chequers, which results in a cabinet reshuffle, and her RIPA-18 bill passes a vote in the House of Commons.

Budd is interviewed by counter-terrorism police about the assassination attempt on Montague, and the pair keep making good use of that connecting door between their two hotel rooms.

However, Budd later grabs Montague by the throat on the bed in what appears to be some kind of PTSD fit. She says he needs to get help, but still wants him by her side.

She plans on giving a speech at St Matthew’s College in which it appears she will make her intentions clear about wanting to lead the country.

She tells Budd she knew the name of his children’s school because it was one of many on a potential terror targets list.

Before Montague’s speech at the college, Budd sees her advisor Tahir Mahmood (Shubham Saraf), who says he has some notes to give her in a briefcase. Budd looks at the contents of the briefcase then lets him through.

From behind, we see a figure stand at the side of the stage and watch Montague delivering her speech. Seconds later, a bomb explodes. Budd rushes to Montague, who is lying down in the aftermath of the blast.

Episode 4

It emerges that Montague was killed in the college bombing, along with Mahmood and bodyguard Kim Knowles (Claire-Louise Cordwell).

Budd takes her demise very badly, and tries to end his own life, but survives and finds out someone has switched the bullets in his gun with blanks.

Counter-terrorism minister Mike Travis (Vincent Franklin) is appointed acting home secretary and hands the investigation back to the police, causing consternation for MI5.

Travis tells Montague’s special advisor Rob Macdonald (Paul Ready) to stick to his story when talking to the police – Macdonald gave Mahmood the briefcase. It isn’t clear from CCTV footage if the explosion came from the briefcase he was carrying.

Budd is questioned by police over whether or not he inspected the briefcase carefully before the blast. He continues to try to track down the mysterious Longcross, whose visit to Montague’s hotel room has been wiped from CCTV footage.

Budd then helps police interview would-be suicide train bomber Nadia about her husband’s explosives supplier.

Episode 5

The police discover that the bomb used to kill Montague was not in the briefcase being carried by Mahmood, but under the stage.

Budd helps Detective Sergeant Louise Rayburn (Nina Toussaint-White) produce an E-FIT of the elusive Longcross. The shooter in the sniper assassination attempt on Montague is identified by police to be Apsted, who Budd served with in Afghanistan.

In another police interview, Nadia identifies Longcross as the man who met her husband. Budd discovers that the information passed to Montague by Longcross relates to compromising material which is linked to the prime minister.

Following pressure from Budd, Montague’s special advisor Macdonald goes back to the police and tells them he was involved in a political plot to embarrass the home secretary – but not murder her.

Budd goes to an arms dealer in an attempt to acquire the same kind of rifle used by Apsted in his assassination attempt.

Budd meets Chanel Dyson, the PR fired from Montague’s staff, who is seen to be associating with Luke Aitkens (Matt Stokoe), a figure in organised crime.

Budd is suspended from duty but recalls Montague’s instruction before she died that he should “go to the Death Star”. He sneaks into her flat and finds the tablet containing the compromising material behind a photo of her and David Cameron.

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