Vigil release date: Latest news on BBC One thriller from makers of Line of Duty
Everything you need to know about the star-studded submarine drama, including the cast, trailer and plot detals.
After getting off to a brilliant start over the Bank Holiday Weekend, Vigil continued with another riveting episode on Sunday – as Amy Silva and Kirsten Longacre continue their quest to the bottom of who killed Craig Burke.
We're now incredibly already at the halfway stage, and there are still plenty of people who are firmly under suspicion. The most recent characters to fall under the spotlight were Elliot Glover (Shaun Evans) and Tiffany Docherty, whose secret relationship was exposed after Amy solved a coded message from Kirsty.
Meanwhile, Vigil episode three also posed many other questions as lots more information came to light about a vital incident that occurred when the Vigil crew had been on shore leave in Florida, as well as new revelations about the boat that had been tracking Vigil and MI5's role in the conspiracy.
Before the series started Suranne Jones recently described the six-parter as "boys-y kind of thriller, but with two female leads" - and it's living up to that billing so far.
Intrigued? Read on for everything you need to know about BBC One's Vigil, including plot details, cast and much more.
When is the next episode of Vigil? Episode 4 release date
Vigil continues to air at 9pm on Sundays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Episode four will air on Sunday 12th September.
The first two episodes of Vigil aired over the bank holiday on Sunday 29th August and Monday 30th August, followed by the third on Sunday 5th September.
The drama was announced in January 2020 with a full cast in place, but the subsequent pandemic delayed production substantially.
Filming had to be temporarily halted as the television industry adapted to a new way of working, but picked up again in late August 2020 and has since been completed.
How many episodes are in Vigil?
Vigil is six episodes in total, with the season finale, episode six, airing at the end of September 2021.
Vigil cast
The lead role, that of DCI Amy Silva, is played by Gentleman Jack star Suranne Jones, who said that the script feels "fresh and relevant".
She said, "Tom Edge has created a thrill of a story, set in a world I knew nothing about. The cast and crew World Productions have put together to tell this story is so exciting.
"Amy Silva is a brilliantly complex character, thrown into a highly charged situation where her authority is weakened. We watch as she navigates her own personal trauma and loss, all at a time when she’s questioning her relationships and life choices."
Rose Leslie, best known for her turns as Ygritte on Game of Thrones and Gwen Dawson on Downton Abbey, will also play a key role in the Vigil cast. She said of her involvement: “I was weaned on BBC drama and it is thrilling to be back working at a place that feels like home with Tom Edge's complex and gripping script. It will be a real honour to work with Suranne and I am looking forward to be filming back in Scotland."
The pair certainly have a lot of chemistry, and the trailer seemed to hint at a potential romantic relationship between the two.
A host of other stars have also signed onto the project, including Bodyguard's Anjli Mohindra, Endeavour's Shaun Evans, who revealed his Vigil character has a secret, and Martin Compston as Craig Burke – Compston is well known to BBC One audiences as Steve Arnott on Line of Duty.
They are joined by Paterson Joseph (The Leftovers, Peep Show), Connor Swindells (Sex Education, Jamestown), Adam James (Doctor Foster, Deep State), and Gary Lewis (His Dark Materials, Billy Elliot).
- For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.
Vigil plot
The series is set in Scotland and revolves around the events after the mysterious disappearance of a fishing trawler and a death onboard a Trident nuclear submarine. The two incidents see a conflict between local police and British security officers, with the Navy also involved.
DCI Amy Silva steps in to lead the investigation, which according to the plot synopsis, "leads an investigation on land and at sea into a conspiracy that threatens the very heart of Britain’s nuclear deterrent."
(And in case you're confused, yes – ITV also has a nuclear submarine-based thriller on the way, but that one's called Tenacity.)
Vigil trailer
The BBC dropped a brand new trailer for the moody thriller in July, and it certainly looks as promising as it sounds.
We had already got our first glimpse at Vigil on Sunday, 2nd May, when the first trailer was released – on the same day that the sixth series of Line of Duty drew to a close on BBC One.
Who wrote and directed Vigil?
The series was created by Tom Edge, whose previous writing credits include 2019 biopic Judy and episodes of The Crown, while Ed Macdonald (The End of The F***ing World) and Chandni Lakhani (Dublin Murders) have also contributed episodes.
Edge said of the series: "I'm completely thrilled to be making this series with the talented people at World Productions and BBC Drama. The ‘Continuous At Sea Deterrent’, better known as ‘Trident’, has been a contentious part of national life for half a century now, a stock of nuclear missiles kept hundreds of feet below the sea surface.
"But this world has rarely been explored on screen. I can’t wait to take a BBC One audience down with us, into the pitch-black icy waters of the unseen Atlantic, where tomorrow’s geopolitical struggles are already being played out.”
Learn more about Tom Edge, the man who wrote Vigil.
Behind the camera, directorial duties will be shared by BAFTA-winner James Strong (Broadchurch, Vanity Fair, Liar) and Isabelle Sieb (Shetland, The Athena).
Want more Vigil content? Find out who sings the Vigil theme song or discover where Vigil is filmed with our location guide.
Vigil continues on Sunday nights at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. For more to watch, check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
