Before Bodyguard there was Bodyguards

Tonight on BBC1 sees the start of new drama Bodyguard. Written by Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio and starring Richard (Robb Stark in Game of Thrones) and Keeley (a veteran of Line of Duty) Hawes. Madden plays the role of a war veteran turn protection officer who finds himself protecting a Home Secretary (played by Hawes) whose polices he despise. Those with a long memoary of British TV will remember an ITV drama by the name of Bodyguards. Created by Jeffery Caine credits also included such films as GoldenEye and The Constant Gardner and starring Sean (son of Jon the Third Doctor) Pretwee and Louise Lombard. The show ran for one series in 1997 after a pilot in 1996. It focused on a special unit handling senstive assignments. One episode was about the unit protecting a double agent who has returned from Russia to attend the funeral of a relative, the subject of the protection detail was played by Michael Williams whose wife Judi Dench had started to play James Bond's superior M.  Another piece of trivia about Bodyguard was that name of Lombard's character was Liz Shaw which was the name of the Third Doctor's first assistant as played by Caroline John.