Vigil, the new BBC drama from the producers of Line of Duty and Bodyguard, kicks off tonight with the first of a bank holiday double bill. Watch the trailer below:
The series stars Suranne Jones as Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva, who must investigate the death of a crew member on board the Trident nuclear submarine HMS Vigil, along with colleague DS Kirsten Longacre, played by Game of Thrones' Rose Leslie.
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You'll also spot Line of Duty favourite Martin Compston in the cast, alongside the likes of Shaun Evans, Paterson Joseph, Adam James, Connor Swindells, Gary Lewis, Lolita Chakrabarti, Anjli Mohindra, Daniel Portman, Lorne MacFadyen, Stephen Dillane and Lauren Lyle.
Filmed and set in Scotland, the show comes from World Productions - the producers behind popular series including Line of Duty, Bodyguard, The Pembrokeshire Murders and Save Me - and writer Tom Edge.
A synopsis from the BBC says: "When a crew member is found dead on board the Trident nuclear submarine HMS Vigil, police in Scotland are called in to investigate.
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"The catch? The UK's nuclear deterrent must remain unbroken, so the submarine stays on patrol and Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) must go aboard to begin an investigation.
"Although the death was written off as an accidental overdose, Amy suspects foul play. But when the crew close ranks in the face of Amy's questioning, a new threat overshadows her inquiry."
Edge said he was joined by a 'host of talented writers and producers, directors, cast and crew', adding: "There aren't many companies who have World's experience making twisting, turning thrillers and they assembled some world-beating talent, on and off-screen, to bring Vigil to life.
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"We hope you enjoy it!"
Lead star Suranne Jones explained how she did all her own stunts for the show, revealing she ended up getting whiplash and putting her back out, while also being 'covered in bruises' during filming.
She said: "When I first read the script I was like, 'Oh my god this sounds amazing - I get to do all these stunts!'
"But I forgot how old I was. I thought I was 23 when I was reading it, and that's not true anymore! So I had to do a lot of working out just to build up my strength in order to do those scenes.
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"And then we had a gap partway through filming because of lockdown, and anyone who had a bit of lockdown belly will know it's quite hard to get your strength up after that.
"Most of the stunts were when we were coming back after the break, so that was quite hard to build myself back up. I got whiplash, I put my back out a couple of times... I was covered in bruises.
"Everytime I went home my husband was like, 'What the hell have they done to you now?'
"It was fun to do and I watch the finished series and go, 'Oh, Amy's great!' But I was hobbling home and having Epsom salt baths during filming!"
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Saying why he believes people will enjoy Vigil, Compston added: "It's got a wonderful cast and fantastic scripts that make for a truly original thriller.
"With all the lockdowns taking their toll, new television on this scale has been a little less common so far this year.
"Everyone's been desperate for new and original content, and they're certainly going to get that with Vigil."
Vigil starts tonight (Sunday 29 August) at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with episode two airing on Monday 30 August at 9pm. The series will then continue every Sunday night, with new episodes available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: Drama, Entertainment, TV and Film, BBC