WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the first episode of Vigil
To those who don't know, Vigil is the BBC's most watched drama of 2021 and fans are interested to know what elements of the show are actually realistic.
The show 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.
Advert
The BBC worked with a credit Naval Advisor with extensive submarine experience to ensure the drama was true-to-life, but viewers may still took to social media to question how close some aspects of the series were to reality.
For example, in the first episode, Craig Burke's (Martin Compston) dead body is stored in the torpedo tube in the submarine... but does that actually happen?
In order to compare what is real from Vigil and what isn't, the Mirror interviewed a source from the Royal Navy to find out what actually happens if someone dies on a submarine.
Asked if the crew would all stay onboard the submarine if someone died, he said: "If we do suffer a fatality, and the submarine was off operation we would come home, but if we were on patrol at the time and there was a death, it would become a crime scene and we'd remain at sea.
Advert
"Because it's a working environment everything gets positioned and the body will be lifted and put in the fridge, not in the torpedo tube like on Vigil.
"Photographs are also taken as it's classed as a crime scene."
In Vigil, the Coxswain mentions that the crew of HMS Vigil chose not to store Burke's body in the galley freezer, saying it was 'too full of food' as the submarine had only recently begun its mission.
Advert
The Navy source continued: "We need to look after the state of the body which will need to be looked at by a coroner, so the fridges are emptied out and the longest endurance products and things like milk and potatoes will be put into domestic fridges in the submarine.
"There's probably about eight normal sized fridges like you have in your home so it's all about prioritising food in this case."
It is said that a medical officer will inform the crew members on what temperature to have the fridge at.
Advert
The source added: "The fridge is the size of a garden shed for reference, and the freezer is about the size of a single garage, this is of course because we prepare for a reasonable period of time at sea."
If the submarine is in operation, it is said that the crew could be on board for days or even weeks following a death.
Advert
Also if the ship becomes a crime scene, the Mirror say that almost nothing in connection with the crime can be touched.
So the tense scenes in Vigil mostly seem pretty close to real life.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: TV and Film