Created by Tom Edge.
Vigil premiered on August 29, 2021.
Distributed by ITV Studios.
Vigil TV Series Review
Vigil is a gripping British crime thriller following DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre as they investigate cases involving military secrets and national security.
Season 1, The strongest season, with Amy investigating a suspicious death aboard a nuclear submarine.
Its claustrophobic setting creates excellent tension.
Season 2, The story moves to military drone technology and a Scottish airbase.
It remains entertaining, although it loses some of Season 1’s intensity.
Season 3, Amy and Kirsten investigate a murder in the Arctic.
The setting is impressive and the mystery remains intriguing, but the story becomes more complicated.
Overall, Vigil is worth watching for fans of British crime thrillers, especially for its strong performances and unusual settings.
CR Rating: 7.5/10.
Vigil Actors
Suranne Jones as DCI Amy Silva
DOB: August 27, 1978.
Bio: English actress, writer, and producer born in Chadderton, Greater Manchester.
Her birth name is Sarah Anne Jones.
She developed an interest in acting at a young age and trained through the Oldham Theatre Workshop before beginning her professional career.
Role: DCI Amy Silva is the central character of Vigil and a highly experienced Scottish detective with a strong investigative instinct.
In Season 1, Amy is sent aboard the Trident nuclear submarine HMS Vigil after a crew member is found dead, forcing her to investigate while the submarine remains on patrol.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-3 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: Jones has maintained a close connection with theatre throughout her career despite becoming best known for television.
Notable Works: Doctor Foster, Scott & Bailey, Gentleman Jack, Coronation Street, Save Me.
Rose Leslie as DI Kirsten Longacre
DOB: February 9, 1987.
Bio: Scottish actress born in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Her full birth name is Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie.
She grew up near her family’s ancestral home, Lickleyhead Castle, in Aberdeenshire, and attended Millfield before studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), where she graduated with honours in 2008.
Role: DI Kirsten Longacre is a Scottish police detective and Amy Silva’s partner, both professionally and personally.
She works alongside Amy on major investigations and provides an important link between Amy’s work in the field and the wider police operation.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-3 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: Leslie developed her acting skills through formal training at LAMDA and has continued to work across television, film, and theatre.
Notable Works: Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, The Good Fight, The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Gary Lewis as DSU Colin Robertson
DOB: November 30, 1957.
Bio: Scottish actor born in Easterhouse, Glasgow, and his birth name is Gary Stevenson.
He grew up in Glasgow and initially pursued social sciences, graduating with honours from Glasgow College of Technology, now Glasgow Caledonian University, in 1983.
Role: DSU Colin Robertson is a senior Scottish police officer who works closely with Amy Silva and Kirsten Longacre.
He provides senior-level support during their investigations and helps coordinate the wider police response while Amy and Kirsten handle cases in the field.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-3 (12 eps).
Interesting facts: Lewis did not immediately pursue acting as a career.
He worked as a street sweeper and in a library before becoming more seriously involved in theatre.
Notable Works: Outlander, His Dark Materials, Granite Harbour.
Orla Russell as Poppy Silva
DOB: N/A.
Bio: British actress whose screen work has mainly focused on television.
Russell made her television debut as Emily Kendrick in the four-part drama Deadwater Fell in 2020.
She later joined Vigil as Poppy Silva and appeared as Angelica Lyle in Outlander.
Role: Poppy Silva is Amy Silva’s daughter and an important part of Amy’s life away from her police work.
Poppy’s presence highlights the personal responsibilities Amy has to manage while investigating dangerous cases.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-3 (13 eps).
Interesting facts: Russell has kept much of her personal life away from the public spotlight. She is known primarily through her television performances.
Notable Works: Outlander, Deadwater Fell.
Oscar Salem as Captain Sattam Abdul “Sam” Kader
DOB: N/A
Bio: Oscar Salem is an actor known for television roles in productions including Vigil, House of the Dragon and Des.
His work has increasingly included internationally set dramas requiring him to portray characters involved in military, political and security-related stories.
Role: Captain Sattam Abdul “Sam” Kader is a Royal Wudyani Air Force drone pilot based at the Al-Shawka Air Base in Wudyan.
He was in control of one of the remotely piloted aircraft involved in the RPAS demonstration at Dundair that went disastrously wrong.
Seasons & Episodes: S2 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Salem’s role in Vigil required him to work within a storyline involving military technology, international politics and drone warfare.
Notable Works: House of the Dragon, Des, Deep Water, The Lady of Heaven, Doctors, Robin Hood.
Lorne MacFadyen as Chief Petty Officer Matthew Doward
DOB: May 27, 1990.
Bio: Scottish actor known for his work across television, film and theatre.
MacFadyen is particularly known for dramatic television roles, including characters involved in crime, military and historical stories.
Role: Chief Petty Officer Matthew Doward is a Warfare Specialist Submariner in the Royal Navy who is transferred from HMS Virtue to HMS Vigil as the replacement for Chief Petty Officer Craig Burke.
As a sonar operator and mapping specialist, Doward is part of the submarine’s specialist warfare team and has knowledge of its sonar operations.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: MacFadyen’s performance in Vigil required him to work within the show’s deliberately confined submarine environment.
Notable Works: Shetland, On The Sea, The War Master, Starstruck.
Jonathan Ajayi as Wes Harper
DOB: 1996.
Bio: British actor known for his work in television, film and theatre.
He studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and began gaining wider attention with roles in productions such as Noughts + Crosses, where he played Lekan.
Role: Wes Harper is an American software engineer working at Al-Shawka Air Base in the fictional state of Wudyan.
He is involved in the technical side of the remotely piloted aircraft systems programme that becomes the focus of Amy Silva’s investigation in Season 2.
Seasons & Episodes: S2 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Ajayi was among the new principal cast members introduced when Vigil moved from the submarine investigation of Season 1 to the Air Force story in Season 2.
Notable Works: Noughts + Crosses, Wonder Woman 1984, The Man in My Basement, Alien: Earth.
Stephen Dillane as Rear Admiral Shaw
DOB: March 27, 1957.
Bio: English actor born in London.
He studied history at the University of Exeter before training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Dillane has built an extensive career in British theatre and television and is particularly respected for his stage work.
Role: Rear Admiral Shaw is a senior Royal Navy officer and the head of the Royal Navy Submarine Service in Season 1.
He represents the military establishment surrounding HMS Vigil and becomes an important figure as Amy’s investigation begins to challenge the official version of events.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Dillane has an extensive theatre career and has performed in productions of Shakespeare’s plays as well as other major stage works.
Notable Works: Game of Thrones, John Adams, The Tunnel, The Crown.
Nebras Jamali as Colonel Ali Bilali
DOB: N/A.
Bio: An actor known for television roles in productions including Vigil, Hijack, Our Girl, Baghdad Central, The Looming Tower, The Agency and Surface.
He has regularly appeared in dramas centered on military, intelligence and international security.
Role: Colonel Ali Bilali is a senior Wudyani military officer who is involved with the events surrounding the RPAS weapons test at Dundair.
He is part of the Wudyani delegation present when the demonstration goes disastrously wrong, killing seven people, including two Wudyani personnel.
Seasons & Episodes: S2 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Before Vigil, Jamali appeared as Poya in Our Girl and as Parodi’s Interpreter in Baghdad Central.
Notable Works: The Agency, Surface.
Lois Chimimba as Chief Petty Officer Tara Kierly
DOB: August 16, 1991.
Bio: Scottish actress born in Glasgow.
She trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London and has built a career across television and theatre.
Chimimba was also nominated for the BAFTA Scotland Television Actress award for her performance in Group in 2020.
Role: Petty Officer Tara Kierly is a Royal Navy Warfare Specialist Submariner serving aboard HMS Vigil.
She is trained in sonar mapping and operates equipment used to track and identify potential threats around the submarine.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Chimimba has worked in both acting and writing and has contributed original work to Alzheimer Scotland.
Notable Works: The One, Trust Me, Coldwater, Nightsleeper, Still Up.
Bobby Rainsbury as Cronin
DOB: N/A.
Bio: British actor known for his television work, including Vigil.
His role in the first season places him inside the highly controlled environment of HMS Vigil, where the crew becomes central to Amy Silva’s investigation.
Role: Cronin is a member of the crew aboard HMS Vigil in Season 1.
The character is identified as Heather Cronin, a Leading Seaman and logistics steward serving with the Royal Navy Submarine Service.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Rainsbury’s Vigil role is one of his notable television credits.
Notable Works: Filth, Last Breath.
Cristian Ortega as Anderton
DOB: N/A.
Bio: British actor known for his work in television and film.
He is best known for playing Anderton in the BBC thriller Vigil, appearing in all six episodes of the first season.
Role: Anderton is a member of the crew aboard HMS Vigil in Season 1.
He is one of the submarine personnel Amy Silva encounters while investigating the death of Chief Petty Officer Craig Burke.
Seasons & Episodes: S1 (6 eps).
Interesting facts: Ortega appeared in all six episodes of the first season, making Anderton one of the more consistently present supporting members of the submarine crew.
Notable Works: Marbella, Annika, One of Us.
More Actors
• Shaun Evans as Warrant Officer Class One Elliot Glover.
• Martin Compston as Chief Petty Officer Craig Burke.
• Romola Garai as Acting Squadron Leader Eliza Russell.
• Jeppe Beck Laursen as Henrik Becken.
FAQ – Vigil TV Series
What is Vigil about?
Vigil follows DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre as they investigate mysterious deaths and cases involving the British military and national security.
Is Vigil a crime drama or thriller?
Vigil is primarily a crime thriller and police drama, with strong military and political elements.
Is Vigil based on a true story?
No. Vigil is a fictional police thriller, although its stories draw on real-world military and national-security themes.
How many seasons of Vigil are there?
Vigil has three seasons, with six episodes in each season.
Where can I watch Vigil?
In the UK, Vigil is available through BBC iPlayer, while availability in other countries varies by streaming service.
Conclusion
Vigil remains an engaging British thriller with strong performances and compelling mysteries.
While Season 1 remains the standout, Seasons 2 and 3 continue to offer suspense, action and ambitious stories.