Bodyguard opening episode sparks online debate about female job roles - and train times

Viewers were gripped on Sunday night by the 20-minute-long opening scene of BBC1's new thriller Bodyguard, in which Richard Madden's Army veteran tackled a terrorist onboard a train.

But while the general consensus seemed to be that the latest series from Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio was very promising, there was one area that sparked debate – the number of women seen in positions of authority or responsibility.

• Watch a clip from the incredibly tense opening scene of Bodyguard
• Bodyguard's Home Secretary Keeley Hawes reveals how she learned to face down the real Andrew Marr
• Keeley Hawes reveals she demanded equal pay with male co-star for BBC's Bodyguard

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbs-Pk9dtKb9yvH8DwGTgy4LMlp046hTM

Keeley Hawes played Home Secretary Julia Montague, alongside a female police chief, suicide bomber, police markswoman, bomb disposal expert– not to mention train manager – and it had some viewers crying 'political correctness gone mad!'.

https://twitter.com/Razz70/status/1033813842726404096

https://twitter.com/RoisinWilliams/status/1033815304839856128

https://twitter.com/gingerlin5/status/1033814711014510593

https://twitter.com/seg2501/status/1033812061665611776

Others, however, pointed out that perhaps Mercurio wasn't portraying such an unrealistic view of the world after all...

https://twitter.com/tomasth89/status/1033832344434688001

https://twitter.com/trevwilson19/status/1033827048559718401

...while others still suggested it was certain viewers, rather than the show's creators, who needed to work on their outlook...

https://twitter.com/FrankieCrossley/status/1033826507704152065

https://twitter.com/JC_GreenArrow/status/1033819800701689861

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM-hpdYvJbQ

But as the debate raged on, there was one part of the drama the British public could agree was unrealistic...

https://twitter.com/asdDHRA/status/1033814662054379522

https://twitter.com/jamessflee/status/1033807608883421184

https://twitter.com/rubystaton64/status/1033807421582520320