Vincent Franklin has defended his “skullduggerous” character from the hit drama Bodyguard as more trustworthy than any British politician today.
The actor, 52, played Mike Travis in Jed Mercurio’s BBC One thriller, the secretary of state for counter-terrorism promoted to home secretary following Julia Montague’s assassination.
But Franklin, who has also appeared in The Thick Of It and The Bourne Identity, said he understood his character’s loyalty.
Speaking at the press night of Admissions at Trafalgar Studios, he said: “I’m going to defend my secretary of state for the home office in that, actually, he’s a very loyal man who thinks this is not the way politics is done.
“It just so happens that when you play the game of politics well you can look skullduggerous.
“I think we’d rather have people like him in charge than the people we have at the moment.”
He added he didn’t think Travis would return for a second series of the show, which starred Richard Madden as PS David Budd.
Asked whether viewers should expect to see him reprise the role, Franklin said: “There’s just far too much history of that man to bring him back.
“His story has been burnt and if you brought that character back you would have so much history and baggage to bring along.
“I’m expecting Jed will do a brilliant thing and move him somewhere else.”
Admissions, featuring Doctor Who star Alex Kingston, runs until May 25.
The play follows Kingston’s Sherri, an admissions administrator, as she tries to diversify a private school.
