'Masterpiece' BBC crime thriller is the 'best series' and streaming on Netflix

A BBC crime thriller that aired in 2018 is still being hailed by fans, with one describing it as "underrated".

Bodyguard is a British political thriller television series created and written by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions as part of ITV Studios for the BBC. Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes star in the series, which was released in 2018, achieving the highest viewing figures for a new BBC drama in the multichannel era and the highest BBC viewing figures since 2008.

The series received critical acclaim, particularly for Madden's performance. It also received numerous award nominations, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Drama, with Madden winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama. Also, at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series.

The series synopsis reads: "War veteran David Budd finds work as a police sergeant with London's Metropolitan Police Service, in the Royalty and Specialist Protection branch. He is assigned to protect the home secretary, the Rt. Hon. Julia Montague MP, a controversial and ambitious politician who is described as "the sociopath" by one of her aides, and who has plans to introduce invasive new surveillance powers for security forces. Finding himself increasingly at odds with Montague's policies and personality, and dealing with physical and psychological scars from his time serving in Afghanistan, volatile Budd is torn between his beliefs and his duty to protect."

The series has an impressive 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics' consensus stating: "Bodyguard maintains a palpable tension throughout its pulpy proceedings to create an absorbing and addictive psychological thriller."

One audience reviewer described it as a "masterpiece", adding: "Due to a tremendous plot, it was catchy throughout all episodes. And a brilliant performance was given by Richard Madden, showing every emotion in detail".

Another expressed: "Best action conspiracy thriller series I've ever watched. It impressed me in the first seven minutes of episode one, and the finale was the best thing that I saw. Best series ever made. Watch it without any doubt. It's still underrated."

"Well written, highly engaging, and a wild ride from start to finish. I couldn't stop talking about this one for weeks," added a third.

Bodyguard is available to stream now on Netflix.