Vigil season three is nearly here, and it welcomes an almost entirely new cast. The crime drama follows the international investigations of DCI Amy Silva (played by Suranne Jones) and her partner in life and work, DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie), as in the previous two series.
While BBC fans have been expecting to see the pair return for series three on Sunday, August 30, some may not have realised that a star of The Last Kingdom will be joining the show this time around.
The Last Kingdom star joins Vigil
Norwegian actor Jeppe Beck Laursen famously starred as Norse warrior Haesten in the acclaimed BBC historical drama, but he will be taking on a very different role in Vigil. He stars as Svalbard's chief of police, Henrick Becken, who is on hand to help Kirsten when she arrives in the Arctic Circle in Norway.
Laursen is far from the only recognisable star in season three. Here is a breakdown of the Vigil cast.
Returning leads and new faces
Rose Leslie returns as DI Kirsten Longacre, who has had quite the eventful gap between series — she and Amy have welcomed a son together. Now back at work, Kirsten heads to Svalbard to get to the bottom of the soldier's suspicious death. Leslie is perhaps best known internationally for playing Ygritte in Game of Thrones, though her credits also include The Good Fight, Downton Abbey, Miss Austen and Luther.
In this series, DCI Amy Silva is overseeing the investigation from Scotland rather than being on the ground herself. Jones remains one of British television's most celebrated performers, with a back catalogue that includes Gentleman Jack, Doctor Foster, Scott and Bailey and Coronation Street.
Georgian actor Tornike Gogrichiani joins the cast as Russian Colonel Fyodor, who is running a parallel investigation into the killing from Moscow's perspective. Gogrichiani has previously appeared in Drops of God and played a ruthless crime lord in the Netflix action film Extraction 2.
New characters in the Svalbard storyline
Actress Naomi Yang is behind microbiologist Shen Jia and is described as a central figure in the investigation. Yang is no stranger to high-profile productions, having appeared in Peaky Blinders, Brassic, DI Ray and Grace, among others.
Jason Tobin plays scientist Huang Chen, another key figure in the Svalbard storyline. His previous work includes the acclaimed drama Warrior, The Undeclared War and A Thousand Blows on Disney Plus.
Completing the cast is Dominic Mafham, who returns as high-ranking MI5 official Sir Ian Downing — a character who made his first appearance in the show's second series. Mafham is a well-known face on British television, with credits including Holby City, Grantchester and Humans.
Vigil series three begins on Sunday, August 30, at 9pm on BBC One.
