Popular BBC drama hailed as a 'must see' with production underway on third series

Production for the third series of a popular drama is now underway, with further cast members being announced. The BBC has announced that Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie will return for the hit drama Vigil, as production is now taking place in Svalbard and Scotland.

The six-part series will see Jones and Leslie return as DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre as their new case takes them to a remote Arctic research station, where a member of a covert British special forces mission has been shot dead.

Amy and Kirsten are on a mission to catch the killer and diffuse a potential international confrontation, which is driven by a land-grab for energy and resources in the changing polar climate, putting both their careers and relationship on the line.

Gary Lewis (Franklin, A Thousand Blows) returns to reprise his role as Detective Superintendent Robertson, and Dominic Mafham (Little Disasters, Killing Eve) also returns as Sir Ian Downing alongside Orla Russell (Deadwater Fell, Outlander) returning as Poppy, Amy and Kirsten's daughter.

The new cast for the third series includes Jeppe Beck Laursen (The Last, The Trip), Tornike Gogrichiani (Extraction 2, Drops of God), Steven Miller (Dept. Q, Shetland), Benjamin Wainwright (Maigret, Belgravia: The Next Chapter), Artur Zai Barrera (The Old Man, Lucky), Jordan Duvigneau (Mood, Stolen Girl), Kaisa Hammarlund (Hijack, Grace), Adam Fidusiewicz (FBI International, A Gentleman in Moscow), Naomi Yang (Under Salt Marsh, Wolfe), Eric Godon (In Bruges, Anna), Conor Berry (Karen Pirie, Schemers), Amy Manson (Rebus, Bodies), Jason Tobin (A Thousand Blows, The Balled of a Small Player), Steven Cree (All of You, Heads of State), Killian Coyle (Shetland, Endeavour) Derek Riddell (Industry, Happy Valley), Alma Prelec (Secret Service, Fifteen Love) Dawn Sievewright (Undertow, Shetland) and Shereen Cutkelvin (Summerwater, Crime).

Premiering back in 2021, when Silva was enlisted to solve a murder on a navy submarine in Scottish waters, Vigil has become one of the UK's most successful dramas this decade, which the BBC has cited due to its nomination for Best Drama Series at the 2022 BAFTA Television Awards, and Emmy win for Best Drama Series, alongside the nearly nine million viewers that pressed play on series two, making Vigil within the BBC's top three most watched dramas of the year.

Fans too have hailed the series, one wrote on Rotten Tomatoes: "Love the suspense. It just keeps getting better."

Another person said: "So good I watch it twice. Vigil season one is a must see if you enjoy crime dramas. I really liked the storyline and how the flashbacks to the past were incorporated and certain details helped the investigation in present time."

"Absorbing and fast-paced, Vigil is a top-tier thriller," a third added.

Writer Tom Edge said: "I'm grateful to the BBC and World Productions for backing the ambition of a story that takes Vigil to the Arctic. This series grapples with the issues that will define tomorrow's world: melting ice caps, conflict over resources, energy wars, and lives put at risk in pursuit of peace and profits."

Jake Lushington, executive producer for World Productions, said: "We are thrilled to be kicking off filming series three of Vigil with Suranne and Rose in the epic arctic landscapes of Svalbard and welcome our most multinational cast to date, as well as featuring new and established Scottish talent."

Vigil will be back on our screens sometime in 2026.