suranne jones vigil stunts

Vigil star Suranne Jones reveals husband's concerns about show

Will you be watching the gripping new BBC One drama?

TV & Film Writer
August 25, 2021

The brilliant Suranne Jones will soon be back on screens in a brand new BBC One drama, Vigil, and we can't wait to see her in action.

MORE: Endeavour star Shaun Evans admits difficulty with Vigil role: ‘My idea of hell’

The 42-year-old actress, who is best known for her roles in Doctor Foster and Gentleman Jack, will star as detective Amy Silva in the new series, which comes from the makers of Line of Duty and Bodyguard

However, she has admitted that working on the submarine-based thriller did raise some concerns from her husband, magazine editor Laurence Akers.

WATCH: Suranne Jones fights for her life in trailer for BBC One's Vigil

Chatting to the BBC about her role in the series, Suranne admitted that she was keen to do her own stunts but perhaps was not quite as prepared as she could have been.

MORE: 6 must-watch dramas coming in Autumn 2021

MORE: Suranne Jones makes candid confession about heartbreaking family loss - and breaks 'huge taboo'

"When I first read the script I was like, 'Oh my god, this sounds amazing - I get to do all these stunts!'. But I forgot how old I was," she said. "I thought I was 23 when I was reading it, and that's not true anymore! So I had to do a lot of working out just to build up my strength in order to do those scenes. 

"And then we had a gap partway through filming because of lockdown, and anyone who had a bit of lockdown belly will know it's quite hard to get your strengths up after that. Most of the stunts were when we were coming back after the break, so that was quite hard to build myself back up."

Suranne sustained quite a few injuries from filming

However, Suranne's enthusiasm for stunt work did result in quite a few nasty injuries, which ended up shocking her husband. As she explained: "I got whiplash, I put my back out a couple of times... I was covered in bruises. Everytime I went home my husband was like, 'What the hell have they done to you now?'"

She added: "It was fun to do and I watch the finished series and go, 'Oh, Amy's great!' But I was hobbling home and having Epsom salt baths during filming!"

MORE: Meet I am Victoria star Suranne Jones' husband and family here

The gripping new drama is kicking off with a double-bill over the Bank Holiday weekend. Viewers will be able to catch the first episode on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 29 August, followed by episode two at 9pm on Monday 30 August.

The series, which consists of six hour-long episodes, will then continue to air at the same slot each Sunday night until its conclusion. As the official synopsis reads: "The mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on-board the submarine HMS Vigil bring the police into conflict with the Navy and British security services."

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