Published: 07:00 pm, 11 February 2026

First look from Vigil series three. DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) walk across a snowy landscape. They wear warm winter clothing and carry rifles over their shoulders.

The BBC has released a first look at the return of hit drama Vigil, which will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year. The six-part third series, made by World Productions (Line of Duty, Until I Kill You, Showtrial), part of ITV Studios, has now wrapped after filming in Svalbard and Scotland.

DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) 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 shot dead.

First look from Vigil series three. DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) stands in a courtroom. Officials in formal clothing are seated in the background.

First look from Vigil series three. DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) stands outdoors between snow-covered hills. Wearing warm winter clothing and carrying a rifle, she looks at something offscreen with concern. A figure on a quad bike is visible in the background.

Amy and Kirsten will need to catch the killer and defuse a potential international confrontation, driven by a land-grab for energy and resources in the changing polar climate, with both their careers and relationship on the line.

The new pictures give fans a first look at Amy and Kirsten’s mission in the Arctic and includes returning cast Gary Lewis (DS Robertson) and Dominic Mafham (Sir Ian Downing) as well as some of the new cast for series three including Jeppe Beck Laursen (The Last, The Trip), Steven Miller (Dept. Q, Shetland), Naomi Yang (Under Salt Marsh, Wolfe), Benjamin Wainwright (Maigret, Belgravia: The Next Chapter), Tornike Gogrichiani (Extraction 2, Drops of God) and Danusia Samal (Red Eye, The Great).

First look from Vigil series three. DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones), DS Robertson (Gary Lewis) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) sit at a table wearing formal clothing.

First look from Vigil series three. A woman wearing a heavy winter coat carries a backpack. A police officer in the background watches crowds behind a barricade.

First look from Vigil series three. A man stands on a runway beside snow-covered hills. A propeller plane sits on the runway behind him.

Further new cast include Artur Zai Barrera (The Old Man, Lucky), Jordan Duvigneau (Mood, Stolen Girl), Kaisa Hammarlund (Hijack, Grace), Adam Fidusiewicz (FBI International, A Gentleman in Moscow), Eric Godon (In Bruges, Anna), Conor Berry (Karen Pirie, Schemers), Amy Manson (Rebus, Bodies), Jason Tobin (A Thousand Blows, The Balled of a Small Player), Steven Cree (All of You, Heads of State), Killian Coyle (Shetland, Endeavour) Derek Riddell (Industry, Happy Valley), Alma Prelec (Secret Service, Fifteen Love) Dawn Sievewright (Undertow, Shetland) and Shereen Cutkelvin (Summerwater, Crime).

Premiering in 2021, when Silva was enlisted to solve a murder on a navy submarine in Scottish waters, Vigil is one of the UK’s most successful dramas this decade. It was nominated for Best Drama Series at the 2022 BAFTA Television Awards, and went on to win the International Emmy for Best Drama Series. Series two, which aired in 2023 and focused on a deadly drone attack, launched to nearly nine million viewers and was in the BBC’s top three most watched dramas of the year.

First look from Vigil series three. A woman and a man in formal clothing sit at a table in an interrogation room.

First look from Vigil series three. Close up of a man sat in a car, watching something through the open window.

First look from Vigil series three. A man runs outdoors across snow-covered terrain. He wears warm clothing. A house is visible in the background.

First look from Vigil series three. A man stands outdoors at night carrying a large rifle against his chest. Dressed in warm clothing he watches something offscreen.

Vigil (6×60’) series three is made by World Productions in association with ITV Studios for the BBC. It is written and created by Tom Edge and additional writers for this series are Tom Mair and Eve Hedderwick Turner. The producer is Marcus Wilson, and associate producer is George Aza-Selinger. Executive producers are Jake Lushington for World Productions, Gaynor Holmes and Stephanie Fyfe for the BBC, and Tom Edge. The series is directed by Gareth Bryn (Karen Pirie, The Gathering) and Faye Gilbert (The Bay, The Tower). Vigil’s international distribution is handled by ITV Studios.

Series three of Vigil will be coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year. Series one and two can be streamed on BBC iPlayer.

EJ

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