IF you’re longing for a new TV fix packed with twists, compelling characters and plenty of action, look no further than the Beeb’s latest thriller Vigil.
Vigil dropped its first teaser trailer after the finale of Line of Duty‘s series 6 – promising fans of the show more top-tier, gritty British drama was just months way.
Fortunately, the submarine-based murder mystery doesn’t disappoint – and we think it’ll keep audiences gripped across the country in the coming weeks.
Fear not, this review doesn’t contain any big spoilers, so if you plan on watching the show but don’t want it ruined, consider this safe reading.
Let’s start with a brief overview – Suranne Jones plays DCI Amy Silva, a Scottish police detective tasked with investigating a suspicious death on submarine HMS Vigil.
The stakes are high, with the vessell carrying £66m worth of Trident missiles and enough secrets to land those on board in even deeper water should they ever emerge.
Unsurprisingly Silva gets scant cooperation from the sub’s Commander Newsome (Paterson Joseph) and even less from his pompous, obtuse Lt Commander Mark Prentice (Doctor Foster’s Adam James).
Still, the DCI is a woman who is not afraid to butt a few heads and with the capable, if slightly grouchy, help of colleague and former partner DS Kirsten Longacre (Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie) back on dry land, all sorts of skulduggery begins to emerge.
Jones’ portrayal of Silva is superbly nuanced, with her no-nonsense copper persona offset by painful demons from her past rearing their head.
In fact, there’s not one lackluster performance in the entire premiere, with the supporting cast all pulling their weight.
It also has to be said that the production values of Vigil really are top-notch.
Between Silva descending from a helicopter in shots to rival a Bond movie, to the incredibly detailed and claustrophobic rendering of the submarine itself, the entire experience is cinematic and epic in scale.
The opening scene, which sees a trawler dragged underwater along with its crew, certainly sets the tone in terms of stunts and effects – but more importantly, it sets in motion a chain of unanswered questions central to the series’ sense of paranoia.
While its early days, Vigil’s debut episode also touches on a complex love story in the form of flashbacks, rounding out the more adrenaline-packed moments with plenty of heart.
Played out against a larger backdrop of CND demonstrations, missing trawlers and a timely Trident renewal debate in Westminster, Vigil couldn’t be more relevant.
Don’t let the blockbuster budget and killer performances get all the credit – this series has a powerful, current message about national security and global tensions at its core, and the writers deserve credit for that.
Very few dramas pull off a blend of action, mystery and romance to this calibre. Suffice to say we’re already hooked.
Vigil kicks off on Sunday night on BBC One at 9pm, with episode two airing on Monday.
