Sumith Prasad
Created by Tom Edge, ‘Vigil’ is a British crime series that follows Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva, who investigates a murder on board a ballistic missile submarine named HMS Vigil. When the murder and investigations are connected to the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler, the police get into conflict with the Navy and MI5, the British Security Service.
Along with the gritty police procedural, the show offers a mesmerizing visual appeal with numerous enthralling landscapes and sights. From fascinating natural sites to a claustrophobia-inducing submarine, the locations of the show are indeed intriguing. If you wish to know more, let us guide you!
Vigil Filming Locations
‘Vigil’ is filmed in Scotland and England. The principal photography of the first season commenced on February 3, 2020, in Dumbarton, Scotland, but was halted soon due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming resumed on August 14, 2020, and went on till October 2020. Now, let’s get into the specific locations in detail!
Dumbarton, Scotland
The filming of ‘Vigil’ primarily takes place at Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire. The scenes that are set in submarine HMS Vigil in the first season were filmed in BBC’s Dumbarton Studios, a production facility located at Gooseholm Road, Dumbarton. Production designer Tom Sayer created the interiors of the submarine on a sound stage in the studio with an ample amount of aluminum strips, grey paint, and metal grille flooring. The scenic city of Dumbarton is located on the north bank of the River Clyde.
Glasgow, Scotland
The most populous city in Scotland, Glasgow serves as a significant filming location of the series. The Clyde Arc, a road bridge across the River Clyde, features in the show. The former City of Glasgow College campus on North Hanover Street stands in for the fictional Police Scotland headquarters. Murano Street Student Village in Caithness Street features in the show as well. Filming of the inaugural season also took place at Hamilton Park Avenue in Kelvinbridge, the West End’s Finnieston Street, and Blythswood Square.
As per reports, other Glasgow locations include Lomond House at Caithness Street, Glasgow City Chambers, John Street, Clyde Tunnel, and Waterloo Street. A chase scene in the first season was filmed in Napier Drive and Govan Dry Docks. Braehead Arena, a multi-purpose arena in Renfrewshire, bordering the city of Glasgow, also serves as a filming location. The rest of the shooting sites in Glasgow apparently include Royal Crescent, Kelvingrove Park, Park Street South, Park Terrace East Lane, and Park Circus.
Other Locations in Scotland
Hunterston, a coastal region in Ayrshire, serves as an important location for the first season of the show. Sets were built on the former Hunterston Coal Terminal on the coast of the Firth of Clyde to stand in for the fictional HM Naval Base Dunloch. The sets were modeled after Her Majesty’s Naval Base, located at Faslane. A peace camp based on Faslane peace camp was also created near Hunterston in an abandoned quarry for the filming of the first season. Cumbernauld Airport, located in the town of Cumbernauld, features in the show as well.
Largs, a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, over 30 miles from Glasgow, also serves as a location. Largs Seafront and Bath Street in the region also appear in the show. The Isle of Cumbrae also serves as a filming location. The island is a major tourist destination in Western Scotland. Several rural scenes of the first season were filmed on the island. Rhu, a village on the east shore of the Gare Loch, is also one among the Scotland locations.
Buckinghamshire, England
Pinewood Studios, a film and television production facility located at Pinewood Road, Slough, in the village of Iver Heath, serves as the filming location of the show outside Scotland. With high-end amenities and technological support, the studio is one of the best production centers in the UK. The studio also offers extensive backlots, underwater stages, and accommodation facilities for any scale of entertainment production. ‘Eternals’ and ‘No Time to Die’ are two of the numerous films filmed in the studio.
Read More: Best Detective TV Series on Netflix
