BBC’s ‘Bodyguard’ on Netflix: What to Know About Britain’s Biggest Hit Since ‘Downton Abbey’

Netflix announced last week that they had secured the international rights to Bodyguard, the BBC’s most explosive show in over a decade. The monster hit stars Game of Thrones hottie Richard Madden as David Budd, a former soldier who now works as a Specialist Protection Officer for the Royalty and Specialist Branch (RasP) of the London Police. Budd is disillusioned by his time overseas and the encroaching corruption he sees in the government. Nevertheless, he’s put in charge of protecting a high ranking member of government, Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes). The question is…could David be Julia’s biggest threat?

Bodyguard‘s been a wild runaway hit for the BBC. The show has shocked viewers with crackerjack twists and troubling questions about terrorism and the police state. The BBC released a report this morning that said Bodyguard‘s intense final five minutes (!!!) roped in 11 million viewers, for a 10.4 million average last night. That’s the biggest overnight ratings number for a drama in the UK since Downton Abbey‘s 2011 Season Two finale grabbed 10.5 million viewers. In fact, Bodyguard is the biggest BBC hit since Doctor Who‘s 2008 Christmas special.

In addition to those linear viewers, Bodyguard‘s finale also helped BBC’s iPlayer (aka BBC’s streaming service) net close to 12.6 million requests last night. While it’s tough to say how many of those requests were for the Richard Madden drama, early reports suggest that the show is still a massive hit.

Still, the show is not without its detractors. Some viewers are worried that storylines in the show depicting police corruption at the highest levels are bad for the public perception of police. The irony is the British Counter Terrorism police force is using the show’s success to boost recruitment.

Bodyguard is set to hit Netflix in the United Stated (and everywhere outside the UK and Ireland) on October 24.