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Bodyguard star Richard Madden ‘couldn’t leave his house’ after fame from BBC show

‘There was a WhatsApp group in his street, with friends saying: ‘It’s bad today, stay in.’ It was really bonkers,’ said actor Matthew Macfadyen

Ellie Harrison
Friday 26 July 2019 10:58 BST
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Golden Globes 2019: Richard Madden wins Best Actor in a TV Drama for The Bodyguard

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Bodyguard star Richard Madden “couldn’t leave his house” because of how famous he became after the BBC1 drama aired.

The show, which starred Madden as the man charged with protecting a controversial home secretary played by Keeley Hawes, became the most-watched drama since records began when its finale attracted 17 million viewers.

Reflecting on the public’s intense reaction to the show, actor Matthew Macfadyen – who is married to Hawes – said: “It was peculiar. Richard Madden couldn’t leave his house! There was a WhatsApp group in his street, with friends saying: ‘It’s bad today, stay in.’”

He told The Guardian: “It was really bonkers.”

In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Macfadyen also revealed how strange it was to be out in public with Hawes after her character was killed off.

“For a long time, people would shout at Keeley on the street,” he said, explaining that they would yell: “Oi, Keeley, are you dead? Are you dead, Keeley?"

Macfadyen can now be seen The Current War, in cinemas from today, and will reprise his role as try-hard Tom Wamsgans in season two of Succession, which premieres on Sky Atlantic on 12 August 2019.

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