The Doctor Foster actress plays a police detective investigating a suspicious death aboard a submarine.
Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack) has described her upcoming BBC One submarine drama Vigil as a “boys-y” thriller, “but with two female leads”.
In the star-studded Vigil cast, Jones plays lead character DCI Amy Silva, who boards the titular submarine to investigate a suspicious death.
Speaking at the BFI & Radio Times screening for Vigil, Jones explained that the gripping drama, co-starring Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie, combines fast-paced action with a slow-burn romantic story told in flashbacks.
She explained: “A backstory of a relationship, that’s quite a tricky thing to fully realise, especially on its own, but [in later episodes]… it becomes full. So I think that, you know, it’s a full show, as in it’s a boys-y kind of thriller, but with two female leads that are part of it – it has a romantic story. And it has that element of the thrills that come through to the last episode, [which] are amazing. And quite shocking. So it’s got it. It’s a really bold task.”
Speaking at the same event, creator Tom Edge said that he deliberately chose a female detective as his lead character, as he hoped to emphasise Amy Silva’s “outsider” status in the “traditionally very male world” of a submarine.
“In this show, we wanted a character who is made to feel like an outsider, and the truth of these submarines is that it’s often half a dozen women and a lot of men, and they’re traditionally very male worlds as well. So, for a female detective to step into that space, there is a novelty, even with the female officers,” he said.
The first two episodes of Vigil will air over the bank holiday on Sunday 29th August and Monday 30th August at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The remaining episodes will air each week on Sunday from then onwards.
While you’re waiting, check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.