Vigil | Interview with Adam James (Mark Prentice)

Please describe Prentice to us.

So to give him his full title of Lt.Commander Mark Prentice, he is basically the XO or second in command of HMS Vigil, a nuclear class submarine.

On first appearances he appears to be very officious, does things ‘properly’ and by the book, a stickler for the rules and how the boat should run and nothing should frankly get in the way of that, least of all Suranne Jones’ character DCI Silva, who has been helicoptered onto the sub to commence her investigation into the death of a crew member. So he gives her initially pretty short shrift.

Do you think you’d get on with Prentice in real life?

I personally am never very good with authority and the people that wield it, so I don’t think Prentice and I would potentially see eye to eye on all things. However, his sense of duty and loyalty to both his men and the job are commendable. I’d describe him as firm but fair, ultimately.

Did you have any especially memorable moments during filming?

I think the first couple of days on set were properly jaw dropping, as the scale and detail of the submarine set that had been built was very impressive. It was simply enormous! It took up the entirety of the sound stage we were working on, and it gave us such an immediate and accurate feeling of what it might be like to be on an actual sub. It left very little to the imagination (such was the detail of set), which in that kind of environment was so helpful to be able to perform and work in – all the excitement of being on a sub, but without any of the actual difficulty or discomfort of having to be on a real one!

The crew of HMS Vigil is away at sea for months on end, with hardly any contact with their loved ones. How do you think you’d cope with that?

Weirdly, it might be like going back to boarding school for me, where you were ushered away from your friends and family for a period of time. So maybe not too badly, but in truth I know that need to have many other distractions in my life, and the lack of real light and air would definitely take its toll eventually. I take my hat off to those submariners that do this. It’s a hell of job, and requires a very particularly type of person and mindset to do it successfully.

Finally, why should BBC One/BBC iPlayer viewers watch Vigil?

If you like blockbusting thrillers then look no further! Especially as this is the same production company that brought you both Line Of Duty and Bodyguard.

Set both on land and at sea, audiences will get a rare glimpse into this subterranean world and the unique ecosystem of life on a sub. As the conflict grows between the police, Navy and the British Security Services, so does the level of drama, and audiences will find Vigil is full of brilliant and surprisingly unexpected twist and turns throughout, fully realised by an exceptional cast from Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie, to Stephen Dillane, Martin Compton and Shaun Evans.

And if you’re a fan of the cliff-hanger, then I recommend you watch it live and avoid any spoilers as the series goes out… you’ll be kept second guessing right up to the very end!