BBC's Vigil returns after a three-year break with a new case, and this time the action takes place in the Arctic Circle. The series is primarily set and filmed in Svalbard, Norway, with additional shooting in Glasgow, Scotland.
Since viewers last saw DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie), the pair have built a life together and welcomed a young son. However, a new case soon arrives: after a British officer on an undercover special forces mission is fatally shot abroad, Kirsten and Amy must uncover what really happened.
Svalbard: the Arctic setting
Svalbard is a remote Arctic archipelago in Norway, located between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Its largest island, Spitsbergen, hosts the biggest settlement, Longyearbyen, which has a population of around 2,600.
Describing the experience to the BBC, Suranne Jones said: “Rose [Leslie] and I felt like we were just on top of the world because we went to places that tourists don’t normally visit since we were filming in such remote locations.
“There were reindeer outside the breakfast room every morning, we got to drive the snow buggies, and we really had to layer up.”
Glasgow and home life in Scotland
While most of the action takes place in Svalbard, it was not the only filming location. When Amy and Kirsten are not abroad investigating murder cases, they are at home in Scotland, where Vigil is also shot.
The cast and crew were also seen filming extensively in and around Glasgow, including areas such as the West End and West Princes Street.
Vigil season three premieres on Sunday, August 30, at 9pm on BBC One.
