Writer, producer, director and novelist Jed Mercurio is the brainbox behind many highly acclaimed television shows, including Line of Duty and Bodyguard. Here's everything you need to know about the writer, including his new ITV drama, Breathtaking.
Jed Mercurio Breathtaking
Breathtaking is a new Jed Mercurio show, coming to ITV on the 19th February. It's based on the memoir Breathtaking by Dr Rachel Clarke, detailing the early days of the pandemic and stars Joanne Froggart as Dr Abbey Henderson.
Who wrote Line of Duty?
Jed Mercurio has been the Line of Duty writer since the beginning. With actors Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar in the lead roles, the show has also cast a high calibre of British actors, including Keeley Hawes, Lennie James, Daniel Mays, Thandiwe Newton, Jessica Raine, Kelly Macdonald, Anna Maxwell-Martin and James Nesbitt to name a few.
Will there be a series 7 of Line of Duty?
We hope that will be a series 7 of Line Of Duty and we will see Ted Hastings, Kate Fleming and Steve Arnott again... After all, the BBC did release viewing figures stating that the final episode of the last series was watched by an average of 12.8 million viewers, making it not only a record for the show but for television itself, as it became the most watched episode of any drama since modern records began, (not include soaps).
Speaking of the potential for a new series of Line of Duty and The Bodyguard, Director of Drama for the BBC Piers Wenger said: “Of course, we're all massive fans of the show - we'd like to see both of them return. Jed is thinking [about it] but I can't really say much more than that. He hasn't committed to writing either of them.”
Jed Mercurio Bodyguard
In 2018, viewers went wild for the BBC political drama Bodyguard, which starred Keeley Hawes as the Home Secretary Julia Montague MP and Richard Madden as PS David Budd, a war veteran who becomes her Principal Protection Officer (PPO).
Just like LOD, it's full of twists and turns which get audiences gripped to the edge of their seats.
Other characters included Sophie Rundle (Peaky Blinders, Happy Valley, Before The Flood) as Vicky Budd and Gina McKee (Notting Hill, Line of Duty) as the Head of the Counter Terrorism Command.
Is there going to be a series 2 of Bodyguard?
In an interview with Deadline in 2019, Richard Madden announced that Bodyguard series 2 was in the works. "When we did the show, it was just going to be a one-off, its own thing, because Jed was still writing the show as we were doing it,"
"But the show’s engaged with so many people, and it’s engaged with me, because I’m fascinated by that character. I’m fascinated by a man who’s gone through so much, and I’m very keen to see what happens to him two years later."
However, five years later there has still been very little news of this upcoming sequel.
Jed Mercurio productions
Jed Mercurio co-owns HTM Television with Hat Trick Productions and has worked on many shows including Trigger Point and Payback.
Jed Mercurio Trigger Point
Jed Mercurio has worked with actress Vicky McClure for many years, most recently on the high-octane drama Trigger Point, for ITV.
Vicky plays the lead role of Lana Washington, an ex-military bomb disposal operative.
Jed Mercurio Payback
Payback was a 2023 ITV drama, executively produced by Jed Mercurio. It follows Lexie Noble (Morven Christie) as she becomes entangled in a police investigation to topple Cal Morris (Peter Mullan), a notorious crime lord who has played a part in her husband's disappearance.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who enjoys cooking and spending time with her many pets.