VIGIL: FIRST LOOK IMAGES FROM UPCOMING THIRD SERIES OF HIT BBC DRAMA STARRING SURANNE JONES

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.

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).

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).

Plus 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.

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.