Everything you need to know about the filming locations for the gripping submarine-set drama.
BBC One’s latest drama Vigil has already captivated audiences around the country two episodes into its run, with millions of viewers all asking the same question: who killed Craig Burke?
The character, played by Line of Duty star Martin Compston, was dramatically killed off inside the first 10 minutes of the thriller’s opening instalment, with detective Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) brought on board the titular submarine to work out which of his crewmates was responsible for the death.
But that’s not the only query fans have had so far, and viewers are also keen to find out where in Scotland the series was shot – read on for everything you need to know.
Vigil filming locations
Although several of the show’s scenes unfold onboard the titular nuclear submarine, filming didn’t actually take place on a real submarine – with an elaborate studio set constructed to resemble the real thing.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, writer Tom Edge explained, “Tom Sayer the production designer was able to provide blueprints, floor-plans for what the set would be, based off early drafts and the conversations that we had with him about which things felt essential to us.
“And [going onto the set] was a really joyful experience. It did leave us kind of giddy, it was incredible, just lovingly recreated. So the actors when they were working in that space travelling through it, there were no sort of missing fourth walls really, it was that feeling of enclosure and even I felt that on my visits to the set.”
The show’s lead director James Strong added that it was vital to “create a big enough space to contain the action and be big enough to work in and yet retain all the claustrophobia of a real submarine.
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“Creating HMS Vigil was an enormous endeavour, brilliantly carried out by designer Tom Sayer and his team,” he said. ” It looked incredible, was a great place to shoot and yet always felt utterly real.”
As for the land-based parts of the series, the bulk of filming took place in Glasgow – and throughout the show you might be able to spot some of the city’s landmarks including Blythswood Square and the Squinty Bridge (which crosses the River Clyde) as well as streets including Finnieston Street and Hamilton Park Avenue.
The naval base that is key to the series, Dunloch, is not actually a real place – but is based on Faslane, the home of HM Naval Base Clyde on the Gare Loch, although Faslane itself was not actually used in production.
Various other parts of the West of Scotland were used to film these rural scenes, including Cumbrae, a small island off the coast of Largs, and Hunterson a small town in Ayrshire.