Actress Suranne Jones has a history of playing powerhouse women, from Corrie’s Karen McDonald, to scorned Gemma Foster in Doctor Foster, and brave Anne Lister in Gentleman Jack. Now, Suranne is back for series two of BBC thriller Vigil and reprises her role as DCI Amy Silva.
In series one, Amy was plunged into deep waters as she led a murder investigation on a submarine. With scenes of overwhelming claustrophobia – particularly when Amy was trapped in a torpedo compartment – the show attracted over 13 million viewers.
So it’s no wonder Suranne and the rest of the team were keen to return, even if they didn’t know quite what was in store.
“I didn’t know what Vigil series two would look like because the first one was so wild and brilliant,” explains Suranne. “I like the fact that Amy and Kirsten’s relationship is in the middle of such a big, boy-sy, thriller and that at the heart of it is the two of them.
"Also, the scope of the show is so big compared to the last one – I wanted to go back. I was really interested to see where it went, and the fact that one of us was having a baby kind of helped.”
Suranne returns to the show with co-star and Game Of Thrones actress Rose Leslie, who plays Amy’s romantic partner and colleague DI Kirsten Longacre.
Amy and Kirsten as a couple have reached a new milestone as series two begins, and are having a baby – as a result of Rose and her real-life husband Kit Harington [Game Of Thrones’ Jon Snow] expecting their second child at the time of filming. Instead of hiding the baby bump, it was written in.
“I think being pregnant helped with the development of their relationship, I got a fast track on it – and now both my children have been on screen,” laughs Rose, who was also privately pregnant during filming of the first series.
“But I liked the idea that being pregnant meant that Kirsten had to stay home and be in Scotland and as a result that drew the characters apart in a very natural, organic way because there was no way she’d be going to the Middle East. So coming from the premise, it helped for a reason as to why their relationship was going to be torn again.”
The six-part series kicks off in Scotland following multiple unexplained fatalities at a military facility. As a result, Amy and Kirsten have the tricky task of finding out what went wrong.
They enter the hostile, closed ranks of the Air Force and must face the deadly warfare of the future. While Kirsten stays on home turf, Amy goes to the fictional city of Wudyan set in the Middle East, where the investigation continues.
Suranne and Rose hope to portray their onscreen relationship authentically as the series goes on. “Before we began filming Suranne and I wanted to make sure that within the writers’ room there was an LGBTQ+ writer,” says Rose.
“So that we were able to get across the relationship, these are two people in love and their sexuality in no way defines who they are.”
“Through Gentleman Jack I found a community that was so open and wonderful and receptive and willing to share their experiences with me,” continues Suranne. “By doing that particular job and then this one, I’ve been very welcomed as an ally, and I take it very seriously.”
Vigil has strong female characters at its core, and joining Suranne and Rose for series two is Romola Garai, who plays Eliza Russell. Amy encounters her in Wudyan. “Eliza is stepping up into a role which is a considerable responsibility, and there’s been this terrible tragedy on top of that which needs to be managed,” reveals Romola.
“Eliza grows into the role, but she has a slightly uncomfortable relationship with her power. She’s also extremely good at her job. Suranne and I had a lot of fun playing these two extremely competent, intelligent women who are used to running things.”
Amy has a momentous task on her hands and Suranne says she feels a lot like her counterpart in more ways than one.
“Being a woman who wants to constantly prove herself – Amy and I share that,” says Suranne. “I have a child, I share that. I’m constantly trying to balance my life and my career. I’ve had issues with anxiety, which Amy has had, so there are a lot of things that I can relate to, and there’s beauty in finding that in a character.”
Vigil series two begins on Sunday 10 December, 9pm, BBC One.
The first three episodes of series two will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am, Sunday 10 December.
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