Suspicious deaths at fictional Scottish RAF base to be focus of second series of BBC drama Vigil

Multiple unexplained deaths at a fictional Royal Air Force base in Scotland are to be the focus of the next series of the BBC drama Vigil. 

British TV stars Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack and Doctor Foster) and Rose Leslie (Games Of Thrones and The Time Traveller's Wife) will return for the second series of the hit show. 

The first series, which came to a nail-biting conclusion in September 2021, saw Jones and Leslie as police detectives investigating a murder on a Royal Navy submarine.

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It became the UK's most-watched new drama since the BBC's Bodyguard in 2018 which attracted more than 13 million viewers. 

On Tuesday, the BBC announced the new six-part series will see DCI Amy Silva (Jones) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Leslie) enter the "hostile and closed ranks of the Air Force" and "face the deadly warfare of tomorrow as they fight for their own future" alongside returning actor Gary Lewis as DS Colin Robertson.

Of her return to the role of DCI Silva, Suranne Jones said: "I'm thrilled to be joining the Vigil team again and continuing our story. 

"We have brilliant new scripts and some amazing additions to the cast. 

"Buckle up. It's quite a ride." 

Rose Leslie said she is "delighted to team up with Suranne again", adding: "Tom Edge has created another gripping case for us to grapple with in a whole new setting."

Joining the show will be Romola Garai, Dougray Scott, Amir El-Masry and David Elliot, alongside Chris Jenks, Tommy Sim'aan, Oscar Salem, Jonathan Ajayi and Hiba Medina, all playing "key roles" across all six episodes, the BBC confirmed. 

Becoming Elizabeth and Churchill's Secret star Romola Garai said: "It's a huge privilege to be welcomed in as a part of Vigil series two and to be playing such a layered, complex character. 

"I can only hope to do justice to the show's continued fascinating, challenging and thrilling storytelling." 

Dougray Scott, who has appeared in TV series Crime and Sky Original's latest series A Town Called Malice, said: "I'm delighted to be joining the cast of Vigil series two – 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." 

Series two will be directed by Andy De Emmony, produced by Marcus Wilson, and made by World Productions – behind hit shows Line Of Duty and Bodyguard. 

Tom Edge, creator and writer of Vigil, said: "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." 

Meanwhile Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: "Vigil series one took the country by storm, and I could not be more excited for BBC viewers to find out what comes next. 

"With a highly original mystery and a richly fascinating new world for Silva and Longacre to explore, this is blockbuster television with brains as well as brawn." 

The second series of Vigil will begin filming in Scotland and Morocco in the spring, the BBC said.