David Budd

Spoilers Ahead!  This Article Contains Major Plot Points for Season One of Bodyguard
  Work In Progress!  This article is not complete yet! Additional information will be added promptly

Police Sergeant **David Budd** is the main protagonist in the BBC Television Series *Bodyguard*. For the majority of the show, he acts as the Principal Protection Officer (PPO) for Home Secretary Julia Montague.

## History

Prior to working for the Metropolitan Police, PS Budd served 2 Tours with the Royal Albion Regiment in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in active combat during the Afghanistan War.

Upon his return he went to work for the Royal and Special Protection Command wing of the Met Police. Prior to his role as PPO for Julia Montague, not much is known about the people he protected other than that they were "high-profile dignitaries and the like".

Prior to Episode 1 of Season 1, PS Budd has been taking his children to visit their Grandmother in Scotland.

## Personality

PS Budd is shown at several points in the series to be dealing with severe emotional distress as well as serious mental health problems linked to his traumatic experiences serving in the Royal Albion Regiment in the Afghanistan War. His mental health had become so bad as to cause him to separate from his wife. It is very likely he suffers from PTSD as a result of his army days, alongside other illnesses, possibly even at times suffering from paranoid delusions.

Due to these mental health issues, at the beginning of the series he is unstable, and as time progresses he only gets worse as the terrorism threat rises in London. At the end of Season One, he speaks with a psychologist in Occupational Health, and begins treatment. Some time later, he makes up with his wife and is shown to be in much better spirits, and significantly more stable.

Despite his mental health issues, however, alongside his personal reservations on protecting the Home Secretary, he is shown to be incredibly good at his job, very loyal to his Principle (in this case Ms. Montague), and genuinely concerned with her well being despite his personal distrust and possible hatred of her.

## Relationships

### Romantic

#### Vicky Budd

PS Budd is married to Vicky, with whom he has two children. They have been separated for some time prior to the events of Season One. Their relationship is strained due to PS Budd's denial of need for medical treatment for the PTSD he incurred during his tours of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. At the end of Season 1, Vicky and David make up and take a journey together after David seeks help for his mental health problems.

#### Julia Montague

After the October 1st Attack, PS Budd is named Principle Protection Officer for Julia Montague, who is the target of much criticism and potential violence due to her ardent support of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2018 (Colloquially known as RIPA-18). Budd has a distrust of politicians in general, but especially for those who voted for the war, of which the Home Secretary is one.

After the Thornton Circus attempt on her life, both she and Budd are moved into the Blackwood Hotel for her protection, at which point they begin a sexual relationship which quickly blossoms into an infatuation on the part of PS Budd. This is cut short when Montague is killed by a bomb in the St Matthews Attack.

### Familial

#### Charlie Budd

PS Budd has an 8 Year Old son named Charlie who suffers from a learning disability for which he is bullied. Julia Montague arranges for his transfer to a Specialist Education School from which his application had previously been denied. Charlie was also a target of the failed Heath Bank School Attack

#### Ella Budd

PS Budd has a 10 Year Old daughter named Ella who was a target of the failed Heath Bank School Attack.

### Friendships

**Kim**

Kim, a female PPO colleague of Budd who had a good work relationship with him. Later in the series she is killed by a bomb in the St Matthews Attack.

#### Andrew Apsted

Andrew Apsted served alongside Budd during the Afghanistan War and they connected again shortly after PS Budd was appointed PPO to the Home Secretary. In a mix of anger over comments made by the Home Secretary on television the previous day, and a general distrust of politicians, he implies that he wouldn't stop Andrew if he attempted to kill the Home Secretary.

Apsted subsequently carried out this plot in the Thornton Circus Attack, where the Home Secretary's Driver is killed, and dozens of shots are taken at her car. PS Budd confronts him on the roof of a nearby building where Apsted commits suicide. In fear of being accused as an accomplice, Budd attempted to conceal his relationship with Apsted

### Professional

#### DS Louise Rayburn

Budd first meets Rayburn during the October 1st Attack, when she insists that he step aside so that Nadia Ali can be shot by a nearby sniper, an order which he refuses. At several points he assists Rayburn with her investigation into the recent spike of terror activity, until his relationship with Andy Apsted is revealed, at which point she begins a manhunt to find him.

Once his innocence his proven, she encourages Budd to visit Occupational Health for mental health treatment.

#### DCI Deepak Sharma

DS Rayburn's boss, Deepak Sharma is the head of the Counter Terrorism Command's SCO19 Unit, a highly trained group of armed police. He is suspicious of Budd from the start, and seemingly has his suspicions confirmed when Rayburn tries to hunt him down.

Once Budd's innocence is proven, he requests that Budd help in the final interrogation of Nadia Ali.

#### Commander Anne Sampson

PS Budd and Sampson have an icy relationship from the beginning of the series, as she repeatedly insists he spy on Julia Montague, leaving Budd conflicted between his duty to the force and his love for Julia. During the Saltmarsh Street Attack, she is of a mind to allow Budd to die as a result of the suicide vest fitted to him while unconscious.

However, once finding out how thoroughly Budd investigated the ties between Julia and the Security Service, she grows to respect him, and as per his previous urging to do so, covertly leaks the contents of the *kompromat* that embroils the Prime Minister and his inner circle in a serious scandal, and gets the Security Service in hot water as well for staging an attempted coup.

#### CSI Lorraine Craddock

Commander of the Royal and Special Protection Command, she is Budd's commanding officer, and she originally assigned him as PPO to Julia Montague. It was later revealed she did this as he would be the perfect "fall guy" for the assassination plot she had been undertaking with notorious organised crime boss Luke Aikens.

She was arrested by PS Budd in Episode 6, when she confesses to everything.

## Memorable Quotes

It would be redundant for me to say, "I know where you live."

I've been a soldier, I've been a copper, you get to spot a bloke whose word is his bond.

If you had a hand in her death you'll have me to answer to.

I'm making a proper go of civvy street.

Soapbox is not really my thing mate.

Rest assured ma'am, I'll do what's required.

My job's to keep you safe, ma'am. I won't tell you how to do yours.

Don't make a scene in front of all these people, it'll be all over social media before the hour's up.

Kettles ma'am, they can be quite the danger in untrained hands.