vigil

Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie returned for the third Vigil adventure that brings about death and drama from a remote Arctic research station

The third series of all action BBC drama Vigil has arrived and co-leads Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie are understandably proud of what they have achieved.

The adventures and investigations of DCI Amy Silva (Suranne) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose) which began on a submarine in 2021 attracted over 13 million viewers and despite TV audiences splitting across streaming platforms and huge choice, more than nine million viewers saw series two in December 2023 on BBC1.

Now they are back again for a new case that takes them to a remote Arctic research station, where a member of a covert British special forces mission has been murdered.

“This is kick-ass,” Suranne said of the project. “I’m always saying this is why I wanted to take this job on. This is a big, ballsy, prime time BBC show that’s like fronted by not just one, two women. And not just one, two women in a same-sex relationship. I mean, it’s great. It’s big. It’s brilliant. And then the drama that comes with it. I am proud that people still love it.

“We’re proudly representing two women that are now together, they’re married, they have two children. Rose and I have always taken the personal scenes and made sure that there is some weight to them so that we can really play, even if it’s one or two scenes, we try and make those count because it’s about our connection and always has been.

“I think fans can relate to Amy and Kirsten because they hope for the best in every situation and they try to see the good in everything. They keep fighting, which is hard these days, but they feel quite hopeful as a duo to change the world. It is the systems around them that let them down.”

Turning to her character and filming in Svalbard, she added: “We’ve seen Amy underwater, we’ve seen her fighting drones, and now series three is set in the Arctic.

“We had the opportunity to go to Svalbard, which was such an experience. It was so beautiful and we filmed those scenes at the beginning of the shoot, which allowed us to get a real feel of the world that we were inhabiting.

“Rose and I felt like we were just on top of the world because we went to places that tourists don’t normally visit since we were filming in such remote locations. There were reindeer outside the breakfast room every morning, we got to drive the snow buggies, and we really had to layer up – the problem was when we got back to Glasgow we were too hot because we still had to film with all our layers on!”

The two actors clearly enjoy working together and on screen their characters now have two children, something Rose has replicated in real life.

A mother herself, 48-year-old Suranne is now a TV veteran with hits including Doctor Foster, Gentleman Jack and Scott & Bailey since moving on from Coronation Street in 2004.

On her co-star Suranne said: “Rose has been through two pregnancies in the seasons, so you know that we bonded over because they’re big life experiences. I shared the hormones! I’m on the other end of the perimenopause. But yeah, I think it’s great.

“It’s been so lovely to develop and you’ll see when we actually get screen time together. It’s an interesting relationship.”

For 39-year-old Rose, a former star of Game Of Thrones, the job of working on dramas has changed and is now combined with bringing up a young family. She married her Game Of Thrones co-star Kit Harrington in 2018 and they have a son born in 2021 and a daughter born in 2023.

Rose continued: “I feel incredibly grateful that I had jobs to go back to post giving birth. That was incredible, and that was a kind of mental safety net to be like, oh my gosh, okay, there can still be money coming in despite the fact that I’m now growing a family. That was amazing.

“I think what it shows about working mums is that we’re f***ing lionesses. You’re juggling it all. Like you’re grappling with who you were prior to that. You’re also wanting to raise a little human who feels that they are worthy and loved, without you always going off to work. But you’re coming home. You’re trying to instil a sense of peace and calm within them, But yeah spinning many plates.”

Despite it being very cold in between takes, the two leads enjoyed the time chatting and catching up after several years between the series. Suranne said: “Rose is always my standout of filming Vigil because it’s always gorgeous to see her and work with her. We didn’t stop talking the whole time. We got to spend a lot more time together in this series in comparison to the previous ones, because Amy joins Kirsten in Svalbard midway through and they work on the case together.

“What’s also lovely is having a new cast for every series of Vigil because we’re in a different world every series, so the entire cast changes except for a few of us. The new characters for this series are brilliant and such fun. Eric Godon (plays Mayor Korotayev) used to bring his own coffee onto set and he’s from Belgium, so he’d sometimes bring Belgian chocolates in.

“We’re just like a band of brothers and we’re all in it together so we’re a real team – that involves the crew too. I loved going into make-up first thing in the morning, it’s my favourite place as they’re so great and they really get you going at the start of the day.”

Grinning Rose added: “I think it comes down for me certainly to the fact that Suranne is utterly divine. Being opposite her and also working alongside of her, and the kind of the energy that she brings and the joy that she brings.

“It’s interesting, particularly with series three the fact that we get to share more screen time has been awesome, so I feel really for series three that our relationship has developed more than in one and two.”

The pair don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but it is fair to say the series continues where the previous two left off with explosions, death and devious characters involved.

Amy and Kristen – fresh back from maternity leave – will need to catch the killer and defuse a potential international confrontation, as different nations compete for control of the Arctic and its resources in the changing polar climate. It is a challenging and dangerous situation with both their careers and relationship seemingly on the line.

Suranne concluded: “Each series also brings new challenges with Amy not knowing her surroundings – she’s constantly put into these new worlds, with new rules and new characters and so she’s always trying to figure out where her authority is in that. I also think Amy and Kirsten are kept in the dark with what they’re being told and it’s their job to find the gaps and piece it together.

“I think fans can relate to Amy and Kirsten because they hope for the best in every situation and they try to see the good in everything. They keep fighting, which is hard these days, but they feel quite hopeful as a duo to change the world.”

Vigil Series 3 returned on August 30 on BBC1 with episodes one and two on BBC iPlayer.

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BBC Vigil is back and a lot has happened since fans last saw DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre.

BBC Vigil fans have been quick to point out an indication of Amy and Kirsten’s relationship status.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from BBC Vigil season three.

As well as the intense international murder investigations, Vigil fans have loved watching the blossoming romance between DCI Amy Silva (played by Suranne Jones) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie).

The couple have come a long way since they met in series one of the BBC crime thriller, overcoming both personal and professional struggles.

But it didn’t take long before viewers got the update they were waiting for in the debut episode of BBC’s Vigil, which is now ready to stream on BBC iPlayer.

When Amy and Kirsten first appear onscreen, they are in their bedroom with their young son Fergal, Kirsten folding clothes and Amy lying in bed with him.

They lovingly muck about and in a later scene after Kirsten is told she is flying out to Svalbard, she hugs her adopted daughter Poppy.

Before they part ways, Amy and Kirsten share a long embrace and reciprocate their “I love you”.

Fans flocked to X to share their love for this insight into the couple’s home life, with one person writing: “Seeing our #Silvacre ladies being a family with Poppy & Ferg is super lush.”

Another said: “This mutual I love you and hug were perfect”, as fellow fans commented they are “super cute” and have an “amazing bond”.

But these scenes are particularly eye-opening as eagle-eyed viewers have noticed that Amy and Kirsten are wearing rings, indicating that they got married during the three-year hiatus.

A viewer jokingly shared: “Me everytime their rings came on screen trying to get a closer look.”

Quoting Amy who tells the chief of Svalbard’s police to “look after my officer”, a fan said: “One Amy Silva please. That’s the WIFE.”

As someone else commented: “The worry, Poppy, the rings, the little one, the foundations for future arguments…Silvacre is back.”

But it’s not all good news for the happy family as they are now separated as Kirsten ventures to Svalbard to investigate the murder of a British soldier.

So how will Kirsten fare up on the frontline following her maternity leave and when will Amy join her in Norway?

Vigil is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Vigil is back on the BBC after a three-year hiatus with another complex case to crack.

BBC’s Vigil season three airs tonight but it’s going to look very different from the first two series.

Since BBC fans last saw DCI Amy Silva (played by Suranne Jones) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie), they have built a life together, welcoming their young son but it doesn’t take long before a new case lands on their laps.

The second series saw Amy travel to the Middle East following a drone attack but this time around, it’s Kirsten who is investigating a case in far colder temperatures.

After a British officer on an undercover special forces mission is fatally shot abroad, it’s up to Kirsten, as well as Amy back home, to find out what really happened.

As the countdown begins until its debut, here’s all there is to know about the filming locations for Vigil season three.

BBC Vigil season 3 filming locations

BBC Vigil season three is primarily set in Svalbard in the Arctic Circle which is where the series was also filmed.

Svalbard is part of Norway and a remote Arctic archipelago situated between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

Its largest island Spitsbergen is the home of its largest settlement Longyearbyen which has a population of around 2,600.

Describing the experience to the BBC, actress Suranne Jones shared: “Rose [Leslie] and I felt like we were just on top of the world because we went to places that tourists don’t normally visit since we were filming in such remote locations.

“There were reindeer outside the breakfast room every morning, we got to drive the snow buggies, and we really had to layer up.”

While most of the action takes place in Svalbard, this wasn’t BBC Vigil season three’s only filming location.

When Amy and Kirsten aren’t abroad investigating murder cases, they are at home in Scotland where Vigil is also shot.

The cast and crew were also seen filming extensively in and around Glasgow in areas including the West End and West Princes Street.

Vigil season three premieres on Sunday, August 30, at 9pm, on BBC One.

Aug. 21 (UPI) — Two Hong Kong activists who organized vigils to commemorate those killed in a crackdown by the Chinese military on the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests were facing up to 10 years in prison after being convicted Friday of inciting subversion.

Chow Hang-tung, 41, and Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, who had been in custody since 2021, “incited other persons to organize, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting state power.”

The two leaders of the now-dissolved Hong Kong Alliance organized the vigils, which had been held annually on June 4 since 1990, after they were banned in 2020 after a tough new National Security Law was imposed from Beijing, following huge street protests that rocked the territory the previous year.

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Albert Ho, 74, who was charged alongside Chow and Lee, pleaded guilty at the start of the trial in January.

Amnesty International expressed dismay at the verdicts saying it demonstrated how the national security law was being used to go after people for peacefully marking the anniversary of one of the most sinister events in the history of China, in the only place in the country where it was permitted.

It said the decision marked another “grim milestone in the government’s deliberate campaign to erase that legacy and silence those who seek truth, justice and accountability.”

Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said Chow and Lee’s “crime” was not one that would be recognized anywhere else.

“The Hong Kong authorities should quash these convictions and end the ongoing persecution of people seeking to keep the memory of Tiananmen alive. Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan are prisoners of conscience who should never have been prosecuted in the first place. They must be released immediately and unconditionally.”

The Foreign Office in London issued a statement criticizing the case saying it was not in line with the “one-country-two systems” treaty Britain signed with Beijing for the return of its former colony which guarantees the rights and way of life of Hong Kong people for 50 years after the handover in 1997.

“This verdict is a further demonstration that even peaceful acts of remembrance in Hong Kong are now treated by the authorities as threats to national security. The extensive use of Beijing’s national security law to punish and restrict peaceful expression undermines the commitments China made to Hong Kong under the 1984 Sino-British joint declaration,” said Indo-Pacific minister Rosie Winterton.

“We reiterate our call for the national security law to be repealed, and for rights and freedoms to be respected in the Hong Kong special administrative region,” she added.

The peer is an ex-Labour MP and secretary of state for culture, media and sport as well as a former chairman of the Environment Agency.

Downing Street declined to say “at this stage” whether Prime Minister Andy Burnham was considering an inquiry, reiterating that it was “a moment for reflection”, and that it was right for “the usual processes” like an inquest, to conclude.

An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of death, which could take several weeks, London Inner South Coroner’s Court said.

Once complete, the coroner will confirm if an inquest will take place.

Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said he was angry about what happened to Arday, and the university establishment – not just Cambridge – should have “done the robust due diligence and checking that should happen with any senior academic appointment”.

Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, the shadow housing secretary said he felt Arday was used as “bragging rights by some universities”, and that people spoke of his “age and his ethnicity rather than his talent”.

Sir James – who was Britain’s first black home secretary and foreign secretary – said much of the coverage surrounding Arday was “quite possibly” motivated by racism, but that the questions over plagiarism were legitimate, regardless of motivation.

The plagiarism row began after another academic – self-defined “race realist” Nathan Cofnas, who was sacked from his Cambridge role in 2024 – said he found numerous instances of plagiarism in the professor’s work.

Cofnas’s post had been terminated amid a backlash to his view that under a true meritocracy black people would “disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment”.

Cambridge had celebrated Arday’s appointment as a young black professor, one of a tiny and visible minority in academia. Only 1% of professors in UK universities are black, making each appointment hugely significant.

On Sunday, more than 200 people attended a vigil at Cambridge that was organised by Arday’s postdoctoral students.

BBC’s hit thriller Vigil will soon be back on screens with a new trailer available to whet fans’ appetites

TV fans won’t have long to wait for the return of Suranne Jones’ acclaimed BBC thriller.

A third series of Vigil is set to arrive over the bank holiday weekend, with the six-part drama premiering on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from Sunday, August 30.

The latest trailer offers a glimpse at the dangerous new case DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre must solve.

Played by Jones and Rose Leslie, the two detectives are once again at the centre of an investigation which takes them far from home. This time, they travel to a remote Arctic research station after a member of a secret British special forces operation is discovered dead from a gunshot wound.

What initially appears to be a murder investigation soon develops into a potentially explosive international situation. With nations increasingly competing for influence over the Arctic and its resources as the polar climate changes, Amy and Kirsten must work quickly to uncover the truth before tensions escalate.

Their investigation will not only put them up against a potentially dangerous killer but could also have serious consequences for their own careers and relationship. As events begin to spiral, the pair are forced to reconsider who they can rely on.

Alongside Jones and Leslie, Dominic Mafham will return as Sir Ian Downing, while Gary Lewis is back as DSU Robertson, who remains closely involved with Amy and Kirsten’s work.

The third series also brings a number of new faces to the drama. Jeppe Beck Laursen plays Henrick Becken, the Chief of Police in Svalbard, while Naomi Yang takes on the role of Shen Jia, a microbiologist.

Tornike Gogrichiani appears as Russian Colonel Fyodor, with Steven Miller and Benjamin Wainwright playing Special Boat Service operators Mark Cunningham and Oli Pickford.

Danusia Samal joins the cast as Jasmine Kelly, who works alongside Sir Ian Downing, while Eric Godon plays Mayor Korotayev and Amy Manson stars as geologist Lorna McCallister alongside a brilliant cast.

The latest instalment of Vigil consists of six 60-minute episodes and has been produced by World Productions in partnership with ITV Studios for the BBC. The production company is known for dramas including Line of Duty, Until I Kill You and Showtrial.

Filming for the new series took place in Svalbard and Scotland, helping to create the remote and unforgiving setting at the heart of the story.

The new trailer promises another tense chapter for Amy and Kirsten, with a murder in the Arctic setting the detectives on a dangerous path involving international rivalry, hidden agendas and a race to discover who can be trusted.

With their investigation carrying consequences that extend well beyond the murder itself, the third series looks set to deliver another high-stakes mystery when Vigil returns to screens.

Two episodes of Vigil will be available weekly on BBC iPlayer from Sunday 30th August, with the series airing Sunday and Monday nights at 9pm on BBC One from this date.