Did Nikki and Jack get engaged in Silent Witness and how long have they been together? Season 27 finale takes turn for the unexpected

Wondering if Nikki and Jack got engaged in Silent Witness? The crime-solving power couple’s romance went in a whole new direction and you might have heard speculation about it already.

As a crime drama we perhaps shouldn’t be surprised that Silent Witness raises as many questions as it answers. This season we’ve found ourselves wondering about Velvy in Silent Witness after his wife returned. However, if you or anyone who know has already watched the Silent Witness season 27 finale, Kings Cross Parts 1 and 2 it’s Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson who’ll be at the forefront of your mind. 

Both episodes are available on BBC iPlayer, with Part 2 airing tonight and you might have heard rumours about a potential change in relationship status for the couple. With anticipation circulating, here’s what you need to know about Nikki and Jack and how long they’ve been together.

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

Did Nikki and Jack get engaged in Silent Witness? 

If you’ve been hearing everyone talking about the final moments of season 27 but haven’t yet watched it yourself then you’re probably wondering an all-important question - did Nikki and Jack get engaged in Silent Witness? The answer is a yes as the forensic scientist proposed to his pathologist partner in typically *him* style at the end of the Silent Witness season 27 finale. This might have come out of left field for many fans - especially considering that Kings Cross Parts 1 and 2 upped the gruesome levels considerably with a very intense case.

The two-parter focused on the team identifying a serial killer who’d taken the lives of eight people in the Kings Cross area. After solving it and suddenly finding herself with a moment to breathe Nikki returned home to her house only to call Jack. He then arrived at her front door unexpectedly under the hilarious ruse of viewing her home as a prospective lodger.

Nikki proceeded to play along, taking him on a mini tour of her very familiar home and asking if he was interested in becoming her lodger. Initially it seemed like she and Jack were going to take the next step in their relationship by moving in together. 

They’d already been seen packing their couple’s lunches in her kitchen in Kings Cross Part 1 so making things official would make sense. But then Jack reflected on something his late father Conor once did for his mother. 

“My dad planted a mulberry tree in the garden of the house he built with my mother,” he said, adding that they harvested the fruit and made jam.

Jack and Nikki then sat down and he talked about how nowadays people don’t “commit to anything” or have the belief that the tree they plant will bear fruit. Meanwhile, in their line of work, they “look at evidence” and reach a conclusion based on this and trust their instincts.

Few fans might’ve guessed that this was a very Jack-esque lead-up to the proposal it turned into when he presented her with an evidence bag containing a box with a ring in it. Nikki in Silent Witness seemed just as shocked as viewers likely felt the first time they saw this moment.

“I can’t imagine a day without you. I can’t,” he said. “Will you marry me Nikki?”

The look on her face might’ve been a good enough hint but eventually, after giving him an intense kiss, she confirmed that she would. It was at this moment mere seconds ahead of the credits that the question - did Nikki and Jack get engaged in Silent Witness? - was officially answered.

How long have Nikki and Jack been together? 

Whether you’re a fan who is thrilled that Nikki and Jack in Silent Witness are together or one who preferred it when they were just friends, the pathologist and forensic scientist are the cornerstone of the show in recent years. Nikki and Jack have been together since season 25 when they ended up spending the night together whilst investigating in Liverpool. 

This followed a kiss in the season 24 finale when they were reunited after a flood, but their romance was scuppered temporarily when Jack found out that Nikki had slept with a postgraduate student the night before. In season 25 it appeared that they were keeping their relationship casual and didn’t call each other boyfriend or girlfriend. 

By season 26 they were spending a lot of time at each other’s homes and going on date nights together. In season 27 they had reached a point of being more open about their relationship and ultimately Nikki and Jack got engaged by the end. If each season roughly corresponds to around a year then they’ve been together for approximately two years, but have worked together for around 11 years.

Have Nikki and Jack been married before?

Jack hasn’t been married before (so far as we know!) but Nikki was once married to Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness history, but this was only revealed in season 25 and she’d never mentioned being married before. They married when she was young and they were expecting their child, but their baby tragically died when Nikki was eight months pregnant.

She spent her 21st birthday in hospital and she told Jack that when she left she “knew it was over with Tom” and that she “just wanted to be on [her] own and start again”. It seems that they hadn’t seen each other for many years by the time they came face-to-face again in Silent Witness season 25 and had got divorced even though Tom still wore his wedding ring. He hasn't been seen or mentioned by Nikki since the finale of this season.