Bodyguard star Richard Madden posts picture of himself enjoying a pint while STILL wearing his suicide vest

Bodyguard star Richard Madden posed with a pint while wearing a suicide vest to thank fans of the show for making it the BBC's most watched drama in a decade.

Madden - who played Sergeant David Budd - posted a snap on Instagram wearing the suicide vest he donned during a gripping scene of last night's show. 

Fans praised his performance as 'awesome' as they responded to the post, in which he said support for the programme had been 'overwhelming'.

He appeared with  fake blood splattered across his face as he propped up a bar in London after the audience for last night's finale peaked at 11million, making it the biggest TV drama since Downton Abbey and the broadcaster's biggest in 10 years.

The programme has gripped the nation in recent weeks, pulling in a bigger audience than any other show this year aside from the World Cup, making the Sunday night show the focus of Monday morning conversations in workplaces across the UK.

Its nail-biting BBC1 final instalment drew an average of 10.4million and a 47.9 per cent share - the biggest overnight figure for the entire series. 

The six-part show concluded with a revelation about the fatal explosion which killed the home secretary, played by Keeley Hawes. 

It was finally revealed that female jihadist Nadia was working with criminal Luke Aitkens, who was aided by police insider CSI Lorraine Craddock.

The revelation came at the end of a tense episode which saw Army veteran and close protection officer Sergeant David Budd himself strapped into a suicide vest.






MailOnline