BBC Bodyguard: Government source lifts the lid on how accurate the TV drama really is

WARNING: contains spoilers
Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden in BBC drama Bodyguard
BBC
Katy Clifton5 September 2018

A Government source today sheds light on inaccuracies and the parts of the smash hit BBC drama Bodyguard that the show's producers have nailed to perfection.

The woman, with many years of first-hand experience working to support ministers, reveals her insights on the popular series starring Keeley Hawes as Home Secretary which has drawn in as many as 7 million viewers.

The first three episodes have seen the Home Secretary survive a shooting and a bombing and have boasted racy scenes with Game of Thrones’ actor Richard Madden.

Madden stars as personal protection officer David Budd, who is assigned to protect Home Secretary Julia Montague after a stint working as an army soldier.

The first three episodes show the ex-military officer devoting himself to keeping Montague safe while harbouring a bitterness for the Government and its part in war.

(BBC/World Productions/Sophie Mutevelian)
BBC

The father-of-two is torn between his dedication to his job and his anger towards what the Home Secretary stands for, something which could ultimately lead him to kill her.

Whether it be for the nail-biting action scenes or the show’s more raunchy moments, record numbers have been tuning in to watch the latest BBC drama.

Now, as the gripping series continues to fill a gap in the lives of Line of Duty fans, a Government source has spoken to the Evening Standard about how accurate the show really is.

From the top-secret meetings to jargon muttered by Budd into his microphone, here are the elements of the show that creator Jed Mercurio got right, and some that are slightly off the mark.

Jargon and terminology

“Skipper, it’s just come up on the box, an IED took out a MASTS team and an ARV in Camberwell,” a female officer tells David Budd in his earpiece after an edge-of-your-sofa moment in episode two.

Tense moments like this in the show are packed full of security jargon passed back-and-forth between officers, with the code name Lavender being used to refer to the Home Secretary.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, the Government source said they “must have had a good consultant” helping with the language.

The show uses accurate abbreviations such as JTAC for the Joint Terrorism Command Centre, something that consultants may have had to point scriptwriters in the right direction about.

She also points out the use of term DG or Director General, saying civil servants would use extended abbreviations depending on department, for example DGCT for the Director General of Counter-terrorism.

High-level security meetings

A number of scenes take place in the show’s version of the Home Office in the first few episodes, with some top-secret meetings being held in glass offices as Budd watches from afar.

A security adviser has said the depictions of the police operation surround the Home Secretary in Bodyguard are extremely accurate (BBC/World Productions/Sophie Mutevelian)
BBC

However, the Government source says high-level meetings between police and security services would never take place in a glass-walled office like the one in the show.

Confidential meetings taking place between the head of Counter Terrorism and the Director-General of the Security Service would be a lot more covert, she suggests.

The Home Secretary’s red box

The Home Secretary is often seen stepping out of her shiny chauffeur-driven car or leaving her office while firmly grasping her governmental red box.

The boxes, produced by Barrow Hepburn & Gale, are used by ministers in the British Government to carry official papers from place to place.

Although a seemingly accurate red box is featured in the programme, the source suggests ministers would never carry their own box, instead delegating this duty to a private secretary.

Women in high profile roles

The show boasts a number of women in top roles, with Line of Duty’s Gina McKee starring as Anne Sampson, commander of Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism Branch.

Line of Duty’s Gina McKee starring as Anne Sampson (BBC/World Productions/Sophie Mutevelian)
BBC

In recent years, this has been an accurate reflection of Government meetings, the source suggests.

“[It’s] great to see so many top positions filled by women - this has happened in the past,” she said.

“Within the last decade at the Home Office, there was at one time a female Home Secretary, Permanent Secretary, and several female private secretaries and director generals.”

Home Secretary's Special Adviser (SpAd)

The Home Secretary's Special Adviser, or SpAd is played by actor Paul Ready. His character has a crush on his boss but is slimy and insincere. Our source says his portrayal of a SpAd is "pretty accurate" but that he doesn't "shout or swear" nearly enough.

Paul Ready also played Kevin in the hit sitcom Motherland.

On the show's depictions of security matters, a spokesman for the BBC said the creators consulted with a number of advisors to ensure the show would be as accurate as possible.

Former police chief David Zinzan is one of the consultants, who has 30 years of experience with Scotland Yard.

Zinzan, who has advised on both the Bodyguard and Line of Duty, told the Telegraph that the hit show is realistic.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in