Scripted series · BBC One
Vigil
The deeper you go, the darker it gets.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Suranne Jones
DCI Amy Silva
12 eps
Rose Leslie
DS Kirsten Longacre
12 eps
Shaun Evans
Elliot Glover
6 eps
Romola Garai
Eliza Russell
6 eps
Anjli Mohindra
Tiffany Docherty
6 eps
Martin Compston
Craig Burke
6 eps
Gary Lewis
DSU Colin Robertson
12 eps
Paterson Joseph
Commander Newsome
6 eps
Chris Jenks
Callum Barker
6 eps
Connor Swindells
Simon Hadlow
6 eps
Jonathan Ajayi
Wes Harper
6 eps
Adam James
Lt Commander Mark Prentice
6 eps
Amir El-Masry
Daniel Ramsay
6 eps
Lolita Chakrabarti
Branning
6 eps
Oscar Salem
Captain Sattam Abdul Kader
6 eps
Stephen Dillane
Shaw
6 eps
Dougray Scott
Marcus Grainger
6 eps
Lauren Lyle
Jade Antoniak
6 eps
Hiba Medina
Sabiha Chapman
4 eps
Craig Anthony-Kelly
Gunner Patrick
1 eps
Martin Bell
Gunner Jansen
1 eps
Jack Hesketh
Gunner Simmonds
1 eps
Shannon Hayes
Nicole Lawson
5 eps
Anders Hayward
Colin Dixon
1 eps
Nebras Jamali
Ali Bilali
6 eps
Angus Yellowlees
Clothier
3 eps
Tommy Sim'aan
Firas Zaman
4 eps
Orla Russell
Poppy Silva
5 eps
Jordan Young
Compton
3 eps
David Elliot
Ross Sutherland
5 eps
Noof Ousellam
Paul Townsend
4 eps
Tania Rodrigues
Emma Millington
1 eps
Dominic Mafham
Sir Ian Downing
2 eps
Nowras Tharb
Wudyani Airport Officer
1 eps
Naomi Stirrat
Arlene Royce
2 eps
Malek Alkoni
Faisal Ghazali
2 eps
Armin Karima
Nader Waheed
1 eps
Keira Lucchesi
Laura
1 eps
Khalid Laith
Abdulah Ghazali
2 eps
Kamal Mustaffai
Mutaz
2 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Vigil actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Vigil reads strongest on Character Depth, Serialized and Emotional Weight.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
The mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on-board the submarine HMS Vigil bring the police into conflict with the Navy and British security services. DCI Amy Silva and DS Kirsten Longacre lead an investigation on land and at sea into a conspiracy that goes to the very heart of Britain’s national security.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E01
Episode 1
When a crew member is found dead aboard the Trident nuclear submarine HMS Vigil, Detective Amy Silva is flown out to investigate.
- Directed by James Strong
- Written by Tom Edge
S01E05
Episode 5
Vigil is forced into lockdown as disaster strikes. With communication lost, Kirsten desperately hunts for clues to the source of the threat to Vigil.
- Directed by Isabelle Sieb
S01E02
Episode 2
With Vigil in danger, Amy must fight to continue her investigation. Meanwhile, Kirsten’s enquiries lead to tragedy.
- Directed by James Strong
- Written by Tom Edge
S01E06
Episode 6
Amy is trapped and running out of time, but will assistance arrive too late? On land, Kirsten chases down the traitor’s accomplice. When the traitor on Vigil puts their plans into action, the crew are forced to fight for their lives.
- Directed by Isabelle Sieb
S01E03
Episode 3
Kirsten’s investigation takes her into the heart of Scottish politics, but when she unearths a navy cover-up, it leaves Amy questioning who she can trust on Vigil.
- Directed by James Strong
- Written by Ed MacDonald
S02E01
Episode 1
When a weapons test turns deadly, with allies from the Middle East among the dead, all eyes are on DCI Amy Silva, who tries to ignore the politics to get to the truth.
- Directed by Andy de Emmony
- Written by Tom Edge
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S02E05
Episode 5
- Directed by Andy de Emmony
- Written by Ryan O’Sullivan, Matilda Wnek
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
Tom Edge
Showrunner
- Photo unavailable
Roderick Seligman
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Gaynor Holmes
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Simon Heath
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Leslie Finlay
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Jake Lushington
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Ryan O’Sullivan
Writer
Chandni Lakhani
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Matilda Wnek
Writer
- Photo unavailable
James Smythe
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Maryam Hamidi
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Ed MacDonald
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Roderick SeligmanExecutive Producer
- Angie DaniellProducer
- Gaynor HolmesExecutive Producer
- Simon HeathExecutive Producer
- Tom EdgeExecutive Producer
- Leslie FinlayExecutive Producer
Writing
- Ryan O’SullivanWriter
- Chandni LakhaniWriter
- Matilda WnekWriter
- James SmytheWriter
- Tom EdgeWriter
- Maryam HamidiWriter
Direction
- Andy de EmmonyDirector
- Joss AgnewDirector
- James StrongDirector
- Isabelle SiebDirector
Cinematography
- Matt GrayDirector of Photography
- Ruairí O'BrienDirector of Photography
- Nic LawsonDirector of Photography
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Peacock PremiumStreaming
- Peacock Premium PlusStreaming
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Watch Next
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Never stop watching
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