Season 2 will see DCI Amy Silva head high in the skies rather than deep underwater.

By Molly Moss

Published: Tuesday, 21 March 2023 at 12:00 am

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Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie are set to return for the second season of BBC drama Vigil, while Dougray Scott and Romola Garai are among nine new cast members joining the show.

The first season, which launched in August 2021, saw Jones take on the role of DCI Amy Silva, who was tasked with uncovering the cause of a suspicious death on board the titular nuclear-powered vessel. DS Kirsten Longacre (Leslie) was also involved in investigating the death – but on land.

Season 2 will present the leads with a very different mission as they’re tasked with entering the hostile ranks of the British Air Force and uncovering the cause of multiple unexplained fatalities at a Scottish military facility.

Garai (Becoming Elizabeth, The Hour) and Scott (Crime, Enigma) will take on major roles in season 2, as will Amir El-Masry (SAS Rogue Heroes, Limbo), David Elliot (The Liberator, Bulletproof), Chris Jenks (Sex Education, Karen Pirie), Tommy Sim’aan (The Midwich Cuckoos, Doctors), Oscar Salem (House of the Dragon, Des), Jonathan Ajayi (Noughts + Crosses) and newcomer Hiba Medina.

Shooting on season 2 is set to kick off in Scotland and Morocco in the spring.

Romola Garai said: “It’s a huge privilege to be welcomed in as a part of Vigil series 2 and to be playing such a layered, complex character. I can only hope to do justice to the shows continued fascinating, challenging and thrilling storytelling.”

Dougray Scott added: “I’m delighted to be joining the cast of Vigil series 2 – the first was so highly regarded and widely watched, and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with Tom Edge and Andy De Emmony. Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie are great talents and I’m excited to be working with them.”

Meanwhile, Suranne Jones said she was “thrilled” to be returning to the drama. “We have brilliant new scripts and some amazing additions to the cast. Buckle up. It’s quite a ride”

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Her co-star, Rose Leslie, praised creator and writer Tom Edge for creating “another gripping case” in the upcoming season, and echoed Jones’s comment that she is “delighted” to be back.

Edge said of the new season: “I’m delighted that Suranne and Rose are returning to reprise their roles as DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre, and am grateful to the BBC for the opportunity to take them on a thrilling new adventure. World Productions have built a fantastic reputation for twisting, turning thrillers and this one corkscrews with the best of them.”