Submarine drama Vigil 'reflects Britain’s diversity'
By Amit RoySep 20, 2021
Cast member Lolita Chakrabarti says there is nothing 'Asian' about her role
LOLITA CHAKRABARTI has spoken to Eastern Eye about her character, Lieutenant Commander Erin Branning, in the six-part BBC drama, Vigil, which tells of a police investigation after the suspicious death of a crew member on the nuclear submarine while it is out on patrol.
There is nothing Asian about Chakrabarti’s role. Branning, who looks quite intimidating in her uniform, is “a high-ranking naval officer who runs the legal matters for the navy,” explained Chakrabarti.
In fact, the casting reflects remarkable diversity. The submarine is commanded by a black captain, Commander Neil Newsome, played by Paterson Joseph.
The doctor on the submarine is Surgeon Lieutenant Tiffany Docherty (“Doc Doc”), played by Anjli Mohindra. The cast does seem to be a reflection of multicultural Britain. Bhav Joshi has been cast as crime prevention officer John Deerbourne; Fode Simbo as crew member Abiola; Suni La as a GP; and Morgan Archer as a CID officer. “I think the world is opening up, and they’re looking for many more different kinds of voices,” Chakrabarti told Eastern Eye.
“Differences are a plus now, as opposed to not.”
Lolita Chakrabarti in Vigil. (Photo: Graham Hunter)
The plot is as follows: when a crew member, Chief Petty Officer Craig Burke (Martin Compston) is found dead on board the Trident nuclear submarine HMS Vigil, police in Scotland are called in to investigate. The catch? The UK’s nuclear deterrent must remain unbroken, so the submarine stays on patrol and Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) must go aboard to begin an investigation. Although the death was written off as an accidental overdose, Amy suspects foul play. But when the crew close ranks in the face of Amy’s questioning, a new threat overshadows her inquiry.
Filming took place in Scotland not in an actual submarine but in a carefully designed set. Some naval types have quibbled about the detail of life on a submarine, insisting, for example, the interior is much more cramped.
When DCI Silva is winched down to the submarine – it has surfaced to receive her – she is warned not to put her arms up, otherwise she will slip out of her harness.
That bit I can personally confirm is 100 per cent accurate. As a young reporter on the Daily Telegraph, I got sent out from London to Cornwall to cover the “Fastnet disaster”. That was a yacht race which was hit by a hurricane. Nineteen yachtsmen died in the disaster which reached its climax on August 13 and 14, 1979 – but 75 people were saved by Fleet Air Arm crews and another 65 picked up by lifeboats and shipping.
A colleague, Chris Bramwell, and I flew in a hired light aircraft from Heathrow to the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall. As we were reporters from the Daily Telegraph, the services’ paper, the navy offered to fly one of us out in a Sea King helicopter to report on a search and rescue operation. It fell to me to be flown out to HMS Broadsword, a type 22 frigate which was in charge of the rescue. I forgot whether the winch operator asked me to put my arms up or down.
Anyway, because of the hurricane, I swung through 45 degrees. I was meant to spend the week on Broadsword but being a terrible sailor, I was very sick and had to be winched back after a couple of days. But I did spot what turned out to be a drowned sailor.
Broadsword came up again in my life during the Falklands War. Anyway, the winching scene in Vigil is really true to life.
The drama appears to have taken over as Sunday night’s gripping viewing from Line of Duty, which comes from the same TV company, World Productions.
Chakrabarti is thrilled with the ratings: “In the first week, with sort of collated numbers, we attracted 10.2 million viewers; that’s amazing.”
Talking about her character, she said Branning “is very close to the second in command and relied upon by (the boss) Rear Admiral Shaw, played by Stephen Dillane. She’s placed as liaison with the detective and the investigation on Vigil.”
Chakrabarti was born on June 1, 1969 in Kingston upon Hull and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1990. Her elder sister, Reeta Chakrabarti, was born on December 12, 1964 in Ealing, went to Oxford and is today a BBC presenter.
Their parents, Bidhan Kumar and Ruma Chakrabarti, arrived in Britain from Kolkata in 1960. Their mum passed away five years ago having always stayed at home to look after her daughters, but their father, is now 88 and retired, having been an orthopaedic surgeon at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham and later a consultant at King’s College Hospital in London.
The family did make serious attempts at returning to Calcutta, but came back to Britain.
“It’s the immigrant story, you want to go home,” said Chakrabarti. “The first time was when I was three. And then we went back when I was 10. We stayed for 18 months – and I loved it.” Despite the years in England, she has not stopped being Bengali.
“Definitely, in terms of culture and food. Language is still there. I don’t speak it very often. So, I’m not practising it, but I can understand it when I’m on the tube and things like that. You can’t take the Indian out of you, can you? It’s just there.”
As a writer and an actress, Chakrabarti said she had “always pushed in my career that I play across the board a character rather than racial detail.
Anjli Mohindra in a scene from the drama.
So, obviously, that informs every part I play. I played characters that have Asian names, English names, all sorts. I think it’s much more about getting a team (for Vigil) that reflects the world they want to show. We, too often, look at things through a racial lens. In most stories, it’s completely irrelevant. What has happened in the last few years, which is quite divisive, is everyone talks about race. If it’s a story set in India or in a Jamaican community in Britain, then it’s extremely relevant. But otherwise, we’re all just people, and we’ve kind of forgotten to look at things like that.”
She added: “Years ago, it used to be one kind of story for people like us. And now it just isn’t the case.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with the BBC, Mohindra spoke of her role, Surgeon Lieutenant Tiffany Docherty, the submarine’s doctor: “She cares deeply for Vigil’s crew, she is the go-to person for the personal and mental issues that can come as an occupational hazard being aboard a submarine, lonely and isolated from life on land, for such long stints. She has grafted incredibly hard to get where she is. She was selected as part of the Navy’s
Medical Training Grant Scheme, who sponsored her degree in medicine.
On Monday (13), Mohindra told the BBC’s Asian Network: “It’s such an exciting time for us at the moment.”
The diversity stretches to the writing. Last Sunday’s (12) episode, the fourth, was written by Chandni Lakhani, who was part of the BBC’s first “drama room writer development group”.
Again, there is nothing remotely “Asian” in the episode.
AT LEAST 45 people have died in Pakistan over the past few days due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon season, according to disaster management officials on Sunday.
The highest number of deaths was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. There, 21 people were killed, including 10 children.
According to the disaster management authority, 14 of those deaths occurred in the Swat Valley. Media reports said a flash flood in the valley swept away families who were on a riverbank.
In Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province bordering India, 13 people have died since Wednesday. Among them were eight children who were killed when walls or roofs collapsed during the heavy rainfall. The remaining adults died in flash floods.
Another eleven deaths linked to the monsoon rains were reported in Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
The national meteorological service has warned that the likelihood of heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding will remain high until at least Saturday.
Last month, severe storms led to the deaths of at least 32 people in Pakistan. The country has experienced several extreme weather events in recent months, including strong hailstorms in the spring.
Pakistan, home to around 240 million people, is among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and is witnessing an increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions.
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The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record
Temperatures may hit 34°C in Greater London and Bedfordshire
Amber alert in place across five regions due to health risks
Wimbledon’s opening day to be hottest on record
Risk of wildfires in London labelled “severe”
Scotland and Northern Ireland remain cooler
Hottest June day in years expected as second UK heatwave peaks
The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record, with temperatures expected to reach 34°C on Monday (30 June). The ongoing heatwave, now in its fourth day, is most intense across the South and East of England, particularly in Greater London and Bedfordshire.
Although there is a small chance of temperatures hitting 35°C, they are unlikely to surpass the all-time June record of 35.6°C set in 1976.
Amber health alerts and travel impact
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has kept an amber heat-health alert in place across London, the East of England, the South East, South West and East Midlands. The alert, in effect since Friday, warns of increased strain on health services and a higher risk of death among vulnerable groups.
Yellow alerts have been issued for the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber, where the impact is expected to be less severe.
The high temperatures may cause travel delays, particularly in the areas covered by the amber alert.
Events issue heat guidance
Glastonbury Festival organisers have advised attendees to leave the site before early Monday to avoid the rising heat. Wimbledon is also expected to experience its hottest opening day in the tournament's history.
Night-time temperatures will offer little relief, staying around 20°C into Tuesday in many southern regions.
Wildfire threat in London
The London Fire Brigade has described the wildfire risk as “severe”. Assistant Commissioner Thomas Goodall said the combination of intense heat and low rainfall in recent weeks has created dangerous conditions for fires to spread quickly.
Cooler in Scotland and Northern Ireland
While much of England swelters, Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to remain relatively cool, with temperatures between 17°C and 22°C and rain moving in later on Monday.
This is the UK’s second official heatwave of the year. A heatwave is defined by the Met Office when specific regional temperature thresholds—between 25°C and 28°C—are met for three consecutive days.
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Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
INDIA’s junior civil aviation minister said on Sunday that all possible angles, including sabotage, were being looked into as part of the investigation into the Air India crash.
All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. Authorities have identified 19 others who died on the ground. However, a police source told AFP after the crash that the death toll on the ground was 38.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told NDTV that the investigation was examining “all angles”, including sabotage, in response to a specific question about the possibility.
“It has never happened before that both engines have shut off together,” Mohol said in the same interview, referring to speculation about a dual-engine failure.
He said it would be premature to draw conclusions before the final report is released.
A team investigating the crash began extracting and analysing data from the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder this week to reconstruct the events leading to the crash.
Air India said the aircraft was “well-maintained” and that the pilots were experienced.
“It (the plane crash) was an unfortunate incident. The AAIB has begun a full investigation into it... It is being probed from all angles, including any possible sabotage. The CCTV footage is being reviewed and all angles are being assessed... several agencies are working on it,” Mohol told NDTV.
Mohol said the extraction and analysis of the data was underway at a new state-of-the-art laboratory in Delhi.
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Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)
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Police officials visit the site after a stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple, in Puri, Odisha, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (PTI Photo)
AT LEAST three people, including two women, died and around 50 others were injured in a stampede near the Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, Indian, on Sunday (29) morning, according to local officials.
The incident occurred around 4am (local time) as hundreds of devotees gathered to witness the Rath Yatra (chariot festival), Puri district collector Siddharth S Swain confirmed.
The injured were taken to a nearby hospital. Six are in a critical condition, and remain unconscious, hospital officials said.
According to authorities, chaos broke out after two trucks carrying materials for religious rituals entered the densely packed area near the temple chariots of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities. Many devotees had assembled in the early hours to catch a glimpse of the deities when the 'Pahuda' (ceremonial cloth) covering their faces was to be removed.
The victims were identified as Basanti Sahu (36) from Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty (80) and Pravati Das (42) from Balipatna.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi issued a public apology via social media platform X, seeking forgiveness from devotees for the tragedy.
"Due to the intense eagerness of devotees to see Mahaprabhu (Lord Jagannath), an unfortunate incident occurred amid the jostling and confusion. My government and I apologise to all devotees. We extend our condolences to the bereaved families and pray to Lord Jagannath to give them strength to bear this grief," he posted.
Majhi added that any security lapses would be thoroughly investigated, and those responsible would face strict action.
“This negligence is unpardonable. I have ordered an immediate inquiry and directed officials to take strong, exemplary action against those found guilty,” he said.
Odisha’s law minister, Prithviraj Harichandan, confirmed that the director general of police, Y B Khurania, is leading the investigation. He also said the situation at the Gundicha Temple has returned to normal and devotees are now offering prayers peacefully.
Majhi chaired an emergency meeting with his deputies to assess the situation and review safety measures.
Opposition leader and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik criticised the state government, calling the stampede “a glaring failure of administration.”
“I offer my heartfelt condolences to the families of the three devotees who lost their lives. This tragedy, coming a day after chaotic scenes during the Rath Yatra in which hundreds were reportedly injured, shows the government’s inability to manage the event,” he wrote on X.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also condemned the incident, blaming it on “negligence and mismanagement.”
“I am deeply saddened by the stampede during the Rath Yatra, which has claimed three lives and left at least 50 injured. This comes after reports that 500 devotees were injured just a day earlier. The failure to ensure crowd safety is inexcusable,” he posted.
Health officials said one critically injured person has been transferred to SCB Medical College in Cuttack, while five others remain in intensive care.
A bereaved husband, whose wife died in the stampede, told reporters that many people fell while rushing to see the deities. “There were no police officers around. An ambulance was parked about a kilometre away, and we had to carry the injured to it ourselves,” he said.
On Saturday (28), the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra had reached the Gundicha Temple, considered the “aunt’s home” of the deities. The chariots had begun their journey from the 12th-century Jagannath Temple, 2.6 km away, as part of the annual festival.
The return journey, known as the 'Bahuda Yatra', is scheduled to take place on July 5.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)