The long-awaited third season of BBC crime thriller Vigil returns this Sunday, August 30, at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, but with a significant change: Rose Leslie's DI Kirsten Longacre, not Suranne Jones's DCI Amy Silva, will lead the investigation.
Appearing on The One Show this evening, Jones explained the shift in focus: “Vigil one was nuclear warfare, two was about drones, so now this is green energy, climate control.”
“The police officer that usually goes to sort things out is Amy and she gets told there’s a British soldier who has been found dead in the Arctic,” she added. “She thinks she’s going to get asked to investigate, only they don’t want her this time, they want the Mrs.”
Kirsten steps up
Leslie, known for her role in Game of Thrones, takes over as the lead investigator for this third outing. “She is stepping into some big girl shoes,” she said.
“She’s daunted by it, of course she is. I think this is the first time Kirsten has spearheaded such a large investigation, especially on an international scale, but I was delighted because it meant I could go to Svalbard,” Leslie continued. “And I’d never been to Svalbard before so I felt I was in the thick of it with the rest of the cast so it was very nice.”
Motherhood themes
The 39-year-old also spoke about identifying with her character's experience of balancing motherhood and career. “I certainly do feel I could identify with that, I remember feeling the urge to go back to work and wanting to pursue projects that piqued my interest,” she said.
“But, of course, there’s that juxtaposition where you want to stay at home to make sure you’re giving your children as much time as you can,” Leslie added. “And it’s emotional and exhausting but it’s a wonderful situation to find yourself in, simply because it’s an identity shifting experience but out of it comes a different breed of woman.”
Vigil season three premieres on Sunday, August 30, at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
