And Breathe. From a nerve-shredding suicide vest scene to the reveal of a police mole and a final twist about the murder of Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), the finale of BBC’s Bodyguard left viewers with plenty to think about.

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But for many fans, the show’s most poignant moment came at the very end, with Richard Madden's David Budd – the gun-toting, terrorist-chasing hero of the series – finally seeking help for his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

At the close of the final episode, viewers saw Madden’s character preparing to open up to a mental health counsellor about the condition he developed fighting in Afghanistan.

“My name’s David Budd,” he said in the show’s final minutes, face crumpling as he finally admitted the truth: “And I need some help.”

And viewers congratulated the series for showing an action hero seeking help, a rarity in TV and film drama...

They also praised the BBC for highlighting male mental health and encouraging people to speak out about it...

And despite some thinking that the scene highlighted how underfunded mental health services are in the UK...

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....most were just happy the issue was being portrayed on TV...

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Authors

Thomas LingDigital editor, BBC Science Focus

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.

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