Column: I haven't seen the BBC's big hitters

I know everybody's talking about Bodyguard, the BBC Sunday night show, but I'm afraid I can't join in with the discussion because I haven't seen it.

I fear I may be the only person in the country who hasn’t, but I just didn’t get around to watching it.

Perhaps at this point I should also confess that I’m not watching Killing Eve, and I’ve never seen a single episode of Downton Abbey or Game Of Thrones either. But as I’m not a TV critic, I don’t suppose that really matters.

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Getting back to Bodyguard, I’m not sure how, or why, but I started watching Eight Go Rallying: The Road to Saigon which clashed with it in real time (I think).

Eight Go Rallying was quite good actually, but it didn’t quite generate the same amount of interest and discussion around the nation’s water coolers as the fictional Home Secretary’s fictional personal protection officer - Noel Edmonds is perhaps disappointed that he lost that particular battle.

He came out with some one-liners that were certainly worthy of the nation’s attention.

I have been watching Michael Palin in North Korea though, but again this doesn’t seem to be making people want to talk non-stop about it, while others shield their eyes and ears and shout ‘No spoilers! I’m watching it on catch up!!’

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In a way, it must be greatly reassuring for the BBC that they have produced a show which has captured the country’s attention in such a fashion.

With the endless competition it must be getting increasingly difficult to win market share of programming.

It’s even been reported that ‘the Bodyguard effect’ has caused a spike in interest for jobs in that field - having seen a picture of the actor, Richard Madden, bloodied and bruised I’m not entirely sure why!

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