Vigil stars Suranne Jones and Rosie Leslie on filming the new series

The third series sees DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones), who hails from Greater Manchester, and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) return 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.

Amy and Kirsten 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, with both their careers and relationship on the line.

This is what the two main characters have to say about the new BBC drama.

:DI Kirsten Longacre (ROSE LESLIE), Amy Silva (SURANNE JONES) (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

Suranne Jones (Amy Silva)

(Image: BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

For those coming to Vigil for the first time, who is Amy Silva and what challenges does she face in series three?

Amy Silva is a detective. She is feisty, she’s a maverick, she’s straight talking, she has a really good heart and a strong belief for the need for the world to be good.

All of the Vigil series are about fighting for truth, coming up against the bigger picture and wanting the world to be a better place, so that really attracted me. 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.

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, so when we came back to Scotland to continue filming, it was easier to imagine all of that.

Tell us more about what it was it like filming in Svalbard?

Svalbard was amazing. 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 people and the crew in Svalbard were incredible and we tried some moose and reindeer, which is part of the local cuisine – I had moose stew! Overall, it was such an incredible experience and a great start to the shoot.

Did you get to explore much of Svalbard outside of filming?

We were shooting pretty much the whole time we were there. I had one day to acclimatise. I went to a husky café where you get to have a coffee and meet retired husky dogs!

Do you have any highlights or standout memories from filming?

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 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.

What item(s) could you not live without on the shoot in Svalbard/in-between takes?

When we were filming in Svalbard, our gloves were swapped out for heated gloves and we also had heated gilets, which was amazing. At the end of the day, Rose and I would have the soup from the hotel we were staying in, and it was everything you would hope somewhere like Svalbard would have – a warm open fires and throws – it was just gorgeous to warm up at the end of the day.

Did you do any research before filming?

I love research, I’m quite geeky about that, so with my other roles like Gentleman Jack I had the diaries or with Doctor Foster I went to see a GP, but with Vigil I didn’t have to. James Strong, one of the directors for the first series, was quite adamant to keep the submarine crew and cast to their job and then I would just fly in knowing nothing and so we’ve kept to that across all of the series, which I love because then I find it out as I go along.

Why do you think fans can relate to Amy and Kirsten?

In the first series you see Amy and Kirsten meet, and they start this relationship. In the second series, Kirsten is pregnant and in this series, you see them as a real family. 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.

What are the key themes for series three?

Amy and Kirsten are always fighting a bigger monster, and each time we’ve seen Amy go into these worlds and realise how fruitless it is in a way, and how she has to compromise. At the end of this series in fact there are quite big compromises, but you’ll have to wait to see what I mean by that!

In this series in particular, I think Amy is a bit more ruthless and reckless once her eyes are open to what’s going on, as there are lots of different countries at play and no-one can truly be trusted. I like it that she has a bit of fight back because she’s just not going to play by the rules herself anymore, because no-one else is.

Vigil is an entertainment programme, but Tom Edge has always chosen subjects that open your eyes to things, so I think it can help to start a conversation. But ultimately I do think anyone can enjoy Vigil, it’s a really good and entertaining watch.

Do you think you’d make a good detective?

I would make a terrible detective! I’m nosy which is good, but the paperwork and the knowledge you need to have isn’t for me – it’s not for the faint hearted!

Rose Leslie (Kirsten Longacre)

(Image: BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

You’ve of course been part of Vigil right from the beginning. What was it that initially attracted you to the project?

DI Kirsten Longacre is a strong-willed, tenacious police officer who is loyal but also very passionate about her job and is married to DCI Silva. The initial attraction was knowing that we were going to be airing on the BBC and, despite the fact that my character was never in the submarine, I loved the premise of the first series being set on board a submarine and the claustrophobia of what that then brings – and now we’re on the third series!

The joy of this particular role is playing opposite Suranne and also being a part of a thriller, and the plots and the twists and the turns that brings.

:DI Kirsten Longacre (ROSE LESLIE), (Image: BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

In series three, what new challenges does Kirsten face?

Kirsten has been asked to spearhead the murder investigation of a British soldier in demilitarised Svalbard. This is the first time that she has ever headed up an investigation on an international scale like this, so she’s stepping into new shoes, and she feels ready for it.

At the same time, it comes with trying to figure out the balance of leaving home and putting your job first. I also think for Kirsten, returning to work post maternity leave is emotional, sometimes exhausting, but certainly an identity shifting experience.

You shot in both Glasgow and Svalbard, with new cast members joining you too. Tell us how that was?

It was so lovely to be back in Glasgow and, having grown up there, I have such a deep fondness for Scotland.

It was also very thrilling to be so far north for filming in Svalbard. The landscape was luna, or what I imagine the moon would look like. I felt so fortunate to experience almost complete isolation on the mountain tops. We had really bulky snowsuits which kept us nice and warm, along with the feet warmers and woolly hats.

On our first day we really were on a boat – it was me, Jeppe (Henrik) and Tornike (Fyodor), sailing for two hours towards a glacier. Then we went into the cabin all feeling seasick – but that’s one way to bond! We were in the cabin, chatting away and asking lots of questions and getting to know and understand each other. Jeppe and Tornike have a similar sense of humour, so they were quite the double act, and it was a joy to observe it all when the three of us were on set together.

What would you say the main themes or concerns that Kirsten has to work through?

I think for Kirsten, in this series, she has a drip feed realisation that countries would go to nefarious depths to make sure that the current order remains and is as prevalent as possible. I think she feels defiant, betrayed and certainly has loyalty to her country, but she has a very good barometer for what she knows to be right.

Do you think you would make a good detective?

I wouldn’t say I have particularly acute observational skills, and I would find the relentless persistence required to be a good detective quite challenging…!