Navy fears Vigil will see a dive in its recruitment...

(but director hits back: It’s a drama not a documentary!)

- David Stephenson and Marco Giannangeli

BBC hit drama Vigil is drawing viewers by the millions but it might be putting future submariners off signing up for a life beneath the waves.

With its blend of intrigue, crime and corruption, the show – from the makers of Line Of Duty – has hooked fans but has also been hit by a huge wave of criticism.

One military source said last night: “The key thing is the negative way officers and ratings have been portrayed. That is very far from the truth. Who would join the Royal Navy given this cast of scheming, incompetent and ill-disciplined characters?”

However, the show’s executive producer and lead director James Strong said experts were called in to make it realistic.

He said: “We worked incredibly hard with that but it’s a drama, not a documentary.

“We had an ex-submariner who was on set to make sure people were behaving in the way they would, the protocols of being a submariner.