# Vigil (2021)

> Two British detectives probe a missing trawler and a death aboard a submarine, uncovering a conspiracy that runs into the heart of national security.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/104593

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 18
- Episode runtime: 58 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: crime, thriller
- Created by: Tom Edge
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Oscar Salem, Suranne Jones, Rose Leslie, Gary Lewis, Shaun Evans, Paterson Joseph, Adam James, Connor Swindells
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11846996/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, paranoid, bleak, gritty

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive overall, with viewers appreciating the cast and the conspiracy plot while noting cliched moments and uneven later seasons.

## Synopsis

Vigil is a British television crime thriller created by Tom Edge for BBC One, now a returning series running from 2021 to the present. Detectives DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) and DS Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) lead an investigation that begins with the disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death aboard the submarine HMS Vigil. Their search forces them onto land and to sea, pulling them into open conflict with the Royal Navy and the British security services. Captain Sattam Abdul Kader (Oscar Salem) and Colin Robertson (Gary Lewis) sit among the figures whose loyalties grow harder to read as the case widens. The engine of the show is a steady escalation of suspicion, where every interview and classified door hints at a conspiracy reaching the top of the state. Across three seasons of six episodes each, the series keeps a tense, procedural rhythm, with flashback memories carrying the partnership between its two leads. The mood is paranoid and claustrophobic, shifting between windswept Scottish coast, cramped submarine corridors and institutional offices. Fans of Line of Duty, Bodyguard and Spooks will find resonance in its blend of police investigation and national security intrigue, with a grounded, unsentimental register that rewards close attention.

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