Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Bodyguard writer Jed Mercurio rejects Islamophobia accusations

'If the show were set in the recent British past, the attackers might be Irish Republicans'

Jack Shepherd
Tuesday 11 September 2018 15:04 BST
Comments
(BBC)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Bodyguard writer Jed Mercurio has rejected criticisms that the new BBC drama is Islamophobic.

Concerns were raised on social media during the first episode, with viewers alleging that the depiction of a Muslim woman being controlled by her jihadi terrorist husband perpetrated racial stereotypes.

“You need to watch the whole drama for a comprehensive idea of who is plotting to do harm and who is responsible for the terror event,” Mercurio told the Radio Times

“The other thing is, unfortunately, the reality of our situation is that the principal terror threats in the UK do originate from Islamist sympathisers,” he continued.

“I do understand that’s different from the religion of Islam, but it’s the reality of who the perpetrators are of the majority of the offences. If the show were set in the recent British past, the attackers might be Irish republicans.”

The writer then pointed to his other series, Line of Duty, which he says explored the possibility that British foreign policy helped trigger the Islamist threat.

Those to have criticised the show include ITV News security editor Rohit Kachroo, who called the idea of a Muslim woman being controlled by a man “one of the great cliches in depictions of modern Islamist terrorism”.

Bodyguard has been a ratings hit for the BBC, the first episode being watched by 10.4 million people. The series continues on Sunday on BBC1.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in