Jed Mercurio says "no one is safe" in his shows.
Jed Mercurio
The 53-year-old screenwriter admitted he has no problem killing off major characters after the on-screen deaths of Maneet Bindra (Maya Sondhi) and undercover officer John Corbett (Stephen Graham) in his BBC show 'Line of Duty', and Keeley Hawes' Home Secretary alter ego Julia Montague midway through the first series of 'Bodyguard'.
Jed admitted that he doesn't mind offing his characters as he often deals with characters who work in dangerous situations, and so he wants to do what he can create a realistic portrayal of their world while adding to the tension felt by viewers.
Speaking to the Telegraph newspaper about his choices, he explained: "Creating a genuine sense of jeopardy. These characters operate in a dangerous world so it has the effect of showing no one is safe."
The 'Bodies' writer noted there are some shows in which character is put in danger but it is "obviously fake" as the individual is essential in upcoming plotlines.
He said: "In some series out there, that jeopardy is obviously fake. You know something bad isn't going to happen to the character because they've got to be in the next episode."
Jed often explores morally compromised characters and in the latest episode of 'Line of Duty' audiences saw Superintendent Ted Hastings, head of an anti-corruption unit, grilled by DCS Patricia Carmichael who suspects he is a corrupt officer.
When asked whether it was "inevitable" that Adrian Dunbar's Hastings would eventually be involved in this type of plot line he said: "What we have to do is show that public servants often have conflicting agendas. We all face moral grey areas whether we lie to protect ourselves or our relationships."
Tagged in Keeley Hawes John Corbett Stephen Graham