The dramatic Arctic research station featured in the latest series of the BBC thriller "Vigil" was, in fact, recreated within a Kia car showroom on the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. The series, which has captivated millions with its storyline involving a British special forces agent murdered at a remote Arctic Circle research facility, utilized a Glasgow car dealership for the majority of its interior filming.
While stars Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie did film for six days at the actual isolated location in Svalbard, situated hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle, the production team found it more practical to shoot the bulk of the action approximately 1,600 miles away in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire. Producer Marcus Wilson explained that the team employed considerable technology and CGI to seamlessly blend scenes shot in Svalbard with those filmed in Glasgow, aiming to create a believable on-screen environment.
Svalbard experiences extreme winter temperatures, dropping to -20C with four months of darkness, and rarely exceeding 8C even during its four months of daylight. Actress Suranne Jones, who portrays DCI Amy Silver, described the real Svalbard as "amazing" and "so beautiful," recounting experiences with reindeer outside the breakfast room and driving snow buggies while wearing heavy layers. She even tried moose stew as part of the local cuisine. However, filming in such heavy attire in Scotland led to the cast and crew feeling excessively warm during interior scenes.
Additional interior shots were captured at Stirling University. A quarry in Shotts, North Lanarkshire, served as an Arctic landscape stand-in, with some exterior scenes filmed at the actual research facility, Unis Svalbard, in Longyearbyen. For the challenges of filming in Svalbard, producers consulted experts who had previously worked on "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning," which also featured scenes in the Arctic archipelago. Wilson noted the dynamic of receiving advice from those with blockbuster experience, adapting their techniques for "Vigil's" significantly smaller budget.
"Vigil" has achieved considerable success for the BBC, with its first series in 2021 focusing on a murder aboard a nuclear submarine attracting approximately 12 million viewers. The second series, aired in 2023, centered on a drone attack and was one of the BBC's most-watched dramas that year. The current series explores themes of international politics and espionage amidst competition for Arctic resources among global powers.