Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio admitted he lied about the show

So what has Jed Mercurio been fibbing about?

bodyguard keeley hawes
Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
Share this:

Bodyguard was a huge hit with fans and critics alike, and has now been nominated for two awards at the Golden Globes 2019. In order to keep fans invested in the show the creator of the series, Jed Mercurio, previously admitted that he might have lied about the series in a few interviews to keep from spoiling the twists and turns. Chatting to The Sun about the huge fan response to the show, Jed said: "The thing is, I don't really feel a great responsibility to tell the truth, so it doesn't really matter what I say. I tell the truth where it's the ethical thing to do, but in terms of entertainment there's a certain fun and a certain enjoyment that can be added to the experience by a few judicious lies. I've lied before about Keeley (Hawes) and it may well be I will lie again."

richard madden david© Photo: BBC

Richard Madden has been nominated for Best Actor

Jed previously misled people on Line of Duty, when he confirmed that Keeley wouldn't be returning to the show, when actually her character does reappear. He explained: "We decided to keep secret the fact that Keeley Hawes returned… And the BBC publicists weren't permitted to lie. Their editorial guidelines say they're not allowed to mislead. However, both Keeley and I felt it was absolutely fine for us to lie. [We] gave an interview saying she wasn't in it. And we were able to progress this big, unexpected twist. So the odd well-judged lie I think is all part of the fun. It's all fair game."

READ: Bodyguard director finally responds to season 2 reports

One theory for the thriller is that Keeley's character, Julia, isn't in fact dead, and will return to season two. Jed has previously spoken about writing her out of the show after three episodes. At the time, he told Radio Times: "Keeley would have been available for the whole shoot, if we'd wanted her. But I'd already written the character to die after three episodes. That's what I wanted to do… I like to try to do things that move the story on, and with Bodyguard I wanted to have this event mid-series that would completely alter the dynamic."

READ: Bodyguard creator explains that shock twist