Vigil BBC series: when is drama starring Suranne Jones on TV, cast, trailer and how many episodes are there?

Fans of Line of Duty, Time and Baptiste will be hooked by new BBC crime drama Vigil.

Starring Suranne Jones and Martin Compston, Vigil has now aired three episodes and viewers have had a mix of opinion about the crime conspiracy thriller.

So, what is the new six-part series about and who else stars in it?

Here’s what you need to know.

What is Vigil about?

From the makers of Line of Duty, Bodyguard and The Pembrokeshire Murders, Vigil is a thriller series set in Scotland.

DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) is tasked with solving a suspicious death on board the Trident nuclear submarine HMS Vigil, as well as the suspicious disappearance of a fishing trawler.

What is promised as a straightforward mission soon becomes a desperate attempt to uncover a dark conspiracy at the heart of the UK police force and the Royal Navy.

The story is set against the backdrop of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which has been a politically divisive issue for some decades.

The six-part series was filmed in Scotland and supported by Screen Scotland.

Who is in the cast?

Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack, I Am Victoria) leads as DCI Silva, alongside Martin Compston (Line of Duty) as c, a serving member of the Royal Navy.

Jones is accompanied by Game of Thrones actress Rose Leslie, who plays her colleague, DCI Kirsten Longacre.

The supporting cast includes Anjli Mohindra (Bodyguard), Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones), Shaun Evans (Endeavour), Paterson Joseph (Safe House) and Connor Swindells (Sex Education).

Vigil is written and directed by Bafta-nominated writer Tom Edge and Bafta-winning director James Strong, alongside Isabelle Sieb.

The series is produced by Angie Daniell, Simon Heath and Jake Lushington for World Productions, and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC.

When will it be released?

The BBC announced the drama was in the making in January 2020, but the first Covid lockdown brought filming to a halt. Production of the series resumed in August.

The first trailer was released at the end of the final episode of Line of Duty season six on 2 May, with the second sneak-peak teased on July 3.

It has now been revealed that episode one will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 29 August, with episode two airing at 9pm on Bank Holiday Monday (30 August).

Vigil will then continue each Sunday night, with new episodes premiering weekly on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

What happens in the trailer?

The newest trailer, released on 3 July, shows DCI Silva being deployed on the submarine, before she tells crew members that a recent unexpected death was a murder.

She is told: “If you are asking: who is capable? Anybody.”

DCI Kirsten Longacre can be heard saying : “This was a co-ordinated attack.” She is told: “Everybody knows it’s a cover-up.”

Compston’s character Craig Burke then shouts: “Are you going to let them die?”

The first official trailer, released in May 2021, showed DCI Silva in shock at being told she must join HMS Vigil, in a “perfectly safe” mission to uncover the truth surrounding a death on-board the vessel.

But, according to Burke, there are at least 20 ways to kill the submarine’s crew.

The deeper you go, the darker it gets. You can watch the first trailer now, here.