Vigil
When a crew member dies aboard HMS Vigil, a Trident nuclear submarine on patrol, Police Scotland sends DCI Amy Silva to investigate at sea, cut off from the shore. Her colleague DS Kirsten Longacre works the case on land, where it soon collides with the Royal Navy, MI5 and a missing fishing trawler.
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Vigil isn’t streaming, or for rent or sale, on any service we track here right now.
Checked 25 Oct 2026. Services change their catalogues often; the service’s own page has the final word.
Our take
When a crew member dies aboard HMS Vigil, a Trident nuclear submarine on patrol, Police Scotland sends DCI Amy Silva to investigate at sea, cut off from the shore. Her colleague DS Kirsten Longacre works the case on land, where it soon collides with the Royal Navy, MI5 and a missing fishing trawler.
Why watch The first series is a smart closed-circle mystery in an extraordinary setting, with Suranne Jones carrying both the investigation and Silva's private grief. Each series moves to a new world: the second to military drones, the third to the Arctic. It suits fans of Line of Duty, which comes from the same production company, and anyone who likes thrillers with institutional stakes.
What to know
Tom Edge created Vigil for World Productions, and it premiered on BBC One on 29 August 2021. The first series of six episodes features Shaun Evans, Paterson Joseph, Martin Compston and Gary Lewis alongside Jones and Rose Leslie.
The second series, also six episodes, premiered on 10 December 2023 and swaps the submarine for a land-based story about a compromised prototype combat drone, adding Dougray Scott and Romola Garai. A third series was commissioned in February 2025, filmed from September that year, and premiered on 30 August 2026; it sends Silva and Longacre to an Arctic research station on Svalbard to investigate the death of a British special forces officer.
Where to start
Each series is a self-contained case, but the relationship between Silva and Longacre develops across all three, so the first series is the place to begin. It is also the most claustrophobic and the most distinctive of the three.
Seasons & episodes
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Season 3
Cast & crew
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Suranne Jones
DCI Amy Silva
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Rose Leslie
DC Kirsten Longacre
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Gary Lewis
Superintendent Colin Robertson
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Dominic Mafham
Sir Ian Downing
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Shaun Evans
Chief Petty Officer Elliot Glover
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Anjli Mohindra
Lieutenant Tiffany Docherty
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Paterson Joseph
Captain Neil Newsome
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Connor Swindells
Lieutenant Simon Hadlow
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Adam James
Commander Mark Prentice
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Lolita Chakrabarti
Lieutenant Commander Erin Branning
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Lorne MacFadyen
Chief Petty Officer Michael Doward
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Stephen Dillane
Rear Admiral Shaw
More like this
More from BBC One
Quick answers
- Where can I watch Vigil?
- In Canada: Starz. In Australia: Stan and Apple TV (buy). In the US: Peacock. In the UK: BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Apple TV (buy) and Prime Video (buy).
- What is Vigil about?
- When a crew member dies aboard HMS Vigil, a Trident nuclear submarine on patrol, Police Scotland sends DCI Amy Silva to investigate at sea, cut off from the shore. Her colleague DS Kirsten Longacre works the case on land, where it soon collides with the Royal Navy, MI5 and a missing fishing trawler.
- Who is in the cast of Vigil?
- Vigil stars Suranne Jones as DCI Amy Silva, Rose Leslie as DC Kirsten Longacre, Gary Lewis as Superintendent Colin Robertson, Dominic Mafham as Sir Ian Downing and Shaun Evans as Chief Petty Officer Elliot Glover.
- When did Vigil start?
- Vigil premiered on 29 August 2021 and ran until 2023, with 3 seasons.
Before you go