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Entertainment

18th Jan 2020

Martin Compston to star in new thriller from the makers of Bodyguard and Line of Duty

Keeley Ryan

A stellar cast.

Martin Compston is set to start in a new thriller from the makers of Bodyguard and Line of Duty.

Written and created by Bafta-nominated writer Tom Edge with episodes by Ed Macdonald and Chandni Lakhani, Vigil (the series’ working title) will be directed by Bafta-winner James Strong and Isabelle Sieb.

The series will star Suranne Jones, Rose Leslie, Shaun Evans, Anjli Mohindra, Martin Compston, Paterson Joseph, Connor Swindells, Adam James, and Gary Lewis.

Vigil will follow the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on-board a Trident nuclear submarine, and how it brings the police into conflict with the Navy and British security services.

DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) leads an investigation on land and at sea into a conspiracy that threatens the very heart of Britain’s nuclear deterrent.

“Tom Edge has created a thrill of a story, set in a world I knew nothing about. The cast and crew World Productions have put together to tell this story is so exciting. Amy Silva is a brilliantly complex character, thrown into a highly charged situation where her authority is weakened,” Suranne Jones says.

“We watch as she navigates her own personal trauma and loss, all at a time when she’s questioning her relationships and life choices. It feels fresh and relevant and I can’t wait to start filming.”

“I’m completely thrilled to be making this series with the talented people at World Productions and BBC Drama. The ‘Continuous At Sea Deterrent’, better known as ‘Trident’, has been a contentious part of national life for half a century now, a stock of nuclear missiles kept hundreds of feet below the sea surface. But this world has rarely been explored on screen. I can’t wait to take a BBC One audience down with us, into the pitch-black icy waters of the unseen Atlantic, where tomorrow’s geopolitical struggles are already being played out,” writer Tom Edge commented.

“Vigil is a fantastic, adrenalised thriller set in a shadowy world which has stakes for us all. We are delighted to be working again with World Productions and the exceptionally talented writer, Tom Edge to bring this exciting story to BBC One with an outstanding cast led by Suranne Jones,” Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, said.

“We’re thrilled that the first drama out of our Scottish office is such a timely and gripping idea, brilliantly executed by Tom Edge. We couldn’t ask for a stronger cast, led by the brilliant Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie,” Simon Heath, CEO and Creative Director, World Productions added.

Vigil (w/t) will be executive produced by Simon Heath (Line Of Duty, Save Me, Bodyguard) for World Productions and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC.