Silent Witness is one of those shows with an incredibly loyal fanbase and I very much count myself as part of it. Every time a new series starts I’m always so excited to see the Bowman Centre (still getting used to not saying Lyell Centre!) team back in action and to chat through the episodes with fellow show watchers.

Next year Silent Witness’ 30th anniversary season will air and ahead of this milestone the BBC show - and lead star Emilia Fox - have been taking us on a trip down memory lane. Over on Instagram they’ve been posting reminders of some of the Hollywood icons who’ve appeared in Silent Witness since it started in 1996.

The show's guest cast includes Oscar, BAFTA and Emmy winners and I had genuinely forgotten so many of the famous faces who’ve been part of the Silent Witness story. Do you remember any of these special appearances?

Daniel Kaluuya

Long before he scooped up a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah, Daniel starred in season 12 of Silent Witness. He played Errol Harris in Safe, which was a particularly heart-wrenching set of episodes where his character suffers an awful fate.

Professor Leo Dalton has to do community service and ends up forging a bond with Errol's younger brother Levi Harris and wanting to do everything he can to help as the youngster is sucked into a world of gang violence.

Benedict Cumberbatch

He's been nominated for several Academy Awards and has scooped up a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy and an Laurence Olivier Award. You might have forgotten (like me, I confess) that Benedict also guest starred in Silent Witness back in the early days of the series before he moved on to projects like Sherlock and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

He appeared as Warren Reid in 2002's episode Tell No Tales Parts 1 and 2, back when Amanda Burton's Dr Sam Ryan was still in the show.

Jodie Comer

Accent expert Jodie Comer starred as Eve Gilston in season 15's Fear - an episode that revolves around exorcisms and possession. Perhaps the reason I don't remember her being in this episode is because Eve's death becomes the focus of the storyline so we don't get to know her quite as well as we would a living character.

Fear aired six years before Killing Eve started airing, catapulting Jodie into a whole other level of stardom.

Idris Elba

Sir Idris Elba is best known for projects like Luther and The Wire, but he was also in the second ever season of Silent Witness in 1997. He played Charlie in Blood, Sweat and Tears, an episode where Sam Ryan investigated the death of boxer Kevin Sharma.

Of course, as with every storyline in Silent Witness, there was a lot more to it than that. In the course of unravelling a much wider conspiracy involving illegal fighting, she ended up crossing paths with Charlie, who was also involved in the local boxing ring.

Ruth Gemmell

Now, Ruth Gemmell is one Silent Witness guest star I do remember and she's been in the show playing three separate characters over the years. You might know her as Violet, Dowager Lady Bridgerton in the hit Netflix drama but in this universe she's been DC Kerry Cox, DI Beth Ashdown and Ellie Brooke.

This last appearance is one that sticks in my mind the most as Ellie is married to the lead detective in the case and becomes a central character as the storyline comes to an end. However, Kerry Cox is her biggest role as she played her in all eight episodes of season 1.

Nicholas Hoult

Star of The Great, X-Men and Mad Max: Fury Road, Nicholas Hoult is 36 years old now and made a guest appearance in Silent Witness when he was just 9. He played Tom Evans in An Academic Exercise Parts 1 and 2, and he got the honour of acting in a particularly significant episode for Dr Sam Ryan.

The plotline revolves around the brutal murder of her friend Annabelle Evans - Tom's mum - putting him right at the centre of this sad tale.

Evanna Lynch

Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch played the girlfriend of imprisoned killer Scott Weston who you might recognise from the season 13 episode, Shadows. In season 24's Redemption, Evanna's character Paisley was doing her absolute best to convince Scott's mum to support his appeal.

Given he had been arrested and found guilty of mass murder, she wasn't interested in helping him and actually tried to persuade Nikki to help prevent the appeal trial going ahead. Paisley's loyalty to her inmate boyfriend was unbreakable, though.

Martin Compston

Martin Compston has been in several investigative dramas in his time, most famously Line of Duty, though he's also got a guest appearance in Silent Witness in his repertoire. This time he got to use his own accent for the part of DS Jason Ross and as an added bonus, In A Lonely Place was primarily filmed and set in Scotland.

This episode focused on a series of horrific serial killings and Ross joined forces with Nikki and Jack to get to the bottom of it all.

Wunmi Mosaku

Earlier this year Wunmi was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Sinners and back in 2010 she starred as Charlie Gibbs in four episodes (two storylines) of Silent Witness.

Her character was a junior doctor and lab technician and she was assigned to work with Professor Leo Dalton. I can't think of a better mentor for Charlie and she got to assist with mortuary work too.

John Hannah

Known for his role in The Mummy films and Four Weddings and a Funeral, John played Dr Charles Beck in season 27's Effective Range. Charles was a pathologist who had left his former career behind him and become a forensic botanist.

Emilia called on Charles to help when they began investigating a crime that looked to be the work of serial killer Calvin Dunn. He'd carried out the post mortem on the first four victims and his wife Zoe had gone missing, presumed kidnapped by Dunn, which made him very personally involved in the case.

If you’re a Silent Witness fan there’s one huge question that’ll be on your mind right now - will there be another season? The BBC drama’s latest instalment came to a dramatic conclusion on 3rd March and it feels like season 29 had barely just begun. Perhaps that’s only natural given that the schedule means we get two episodes a week and the show is always such a highlight of winter TV.

Just when we need a gripping show to get us through the darker months, Silent Witness appears and now we face months without Nikki, Jack, Harriet and Kit on our screens. In 2027 Silent Witness is set to mark its 30th anniversary and here I reveal whether the show has been renewed for season 30.

Will there be another season of Silent Witness?

Just after Silent Witness season 29 drew to a close it was officially confirmed that there will be a season 30! I would have been shocked to my core if this wasn't the case as the drama has been a staple of BBC programming since 1996. The 30 year anniversary is a huge moment for Silent Witness, so it would have been a shame to bring things to a close before reaching this.

We also already had a hint that Silent Witness season 30 will be coming, thanks to a post by Bodenham Arboretum on Facebook last month. It featured pictures taken with Emilia Fox (who plays Dr Nikki Alexander) and the caption explained that "Bodenham had the privilege of being chosen as the BBC drama’s Silent Witness base camp whilst filming locally for the 30th series".

They claimed that Silent Witness season 30 would be "screened January next year" and asked people to "watch out for the local landmarks". Of course, until the BBC confirms an air date officially we can’t be totally sure, but this does seem to make sense and January is when we usually get to watch each new season.

Silent Witness season 29 was a rare exception, as this started in February and as a long-time fan impatient for more, I hope that it starts a little earlier in 2027.

Will Nikki and Jack be back in Silent Witness season 30?

*Warning: Some spoilers for Shame Part 2*

The finale episode of season 29 gave no indication that Dr Nikki Alexander or Jack Hodgson were being written out. At this point, Emilia Fox has been in the show since 2004 and David Caves since 2013, so they clearly enjoy being part of the long-running drama.

It’s not as if the actors aren’t given opportunities to switch things up as different storylines inevitably change things for their characters and challenge them in new ways. In Silent Witness season 29 we saw the pathologist and forensic scientist handling a move to Birmingham, new jobs at the Bowman Centre and Jack was even implicated in a murder.

That’s plenty of emotional material to sink their teeth into alongside the more general forensic-focused aspects of the show. The final scene of season 29’s last episode, Shame Part 2, is of Nikki standing in the observation area before starting a post mortem and Harriet has asked, "Shall we start?"

The camera zooms in on her face and so the season ends with Nikki very much at the forefront and with work seemingly going on as usual, despite the challenges it brings. To go from this to a 30th season without Nikki or just with an on-screen explanation of her absence as we’ve had before with the likes of Dr Harry Cunningham and Velvy Schur would be disappointing.

The last time we saw her and Jack together was when he saved her from death and he comforted his wife and assured her it would all be ok. As far as things were left, they were still a couple and I would expect to see him back if Silent Witness is renewed.

Harriet Maven and Kit Brooks were also still seen doing their jobs right up to the end of Shame, so it’s likely that they would also return alongside Nikki and Jack in season 30. Yet another aspect which makes me think that the current main cast members will be back is what Emilia Fox said about her tenure on the show in woman&home’s March issue.

"I love the familiarity of playing Nikki, but I like that we also do five different stories and they all are very different because they have the writers’ signature on them," she shared. "We don’t choose that and we don’t choose the direction in which our characters go, but they are like presents when you read the scripts and think, ‘What am I going to be asked to do next?’"

"Having done Silent Witness for the length of time that I have, it looks as though I’ve played it safe. It’s not safe because, within it, I’m asked to do all sorts of things. In this series, I did something that was pretty out there, which I can’t share in case it spoils the story, but I went for it! I think being impulsive is really important in life," Emilia added.

Silent Witness seasons 1-29 are available to watch now via BBC iPlayer.

We’re used to seeing Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson using their respective pathology and forensic expertise to put criminals behind bars. However, in the latest episodes of Silent Witness season 29, Grace of God, it’s Jack who’s locked up. He’s long been known for his skill at fighting and cage fighting is a favoured pastime of his.

Yet things are a lot more serious now as after Jack ended up in a fight with Scott Ashton, the man ended up on Nikki’s autopsy table just days later. So is Jack Hodgson actually a murderer himself? And what does that mean for his future as a lead character? Here I break down what happened to Jack in Silent Witness across both parts of this gripping episode.

*Warning: Spoilers for Grace of God Parts 1 and 2*

What happened to Jack in Silent Witness Grace of God Part 1?

Part 1 of Grace of God begins with Jack in prison and that’s exactly how Part 2 begins too. Anyone who’s not yet watched both episodes on BBC iPlayer, you might want to hold off to avoid spoilers for what’s to come! As I mentioned, Jack ended up in a fight with Scott Ashton and so he’s shocked when he turns up dead days later.

The forensic scientist hands himself into the police after the evidence against him starts to pile up and this is *not* a good way to start his new life in Birmingham with Nikki. She wasn’t aware that her husband had been to the pub (where Jack and Ashton got into their altercation) and after being served with a search warrant she is quick to vent to Harriet in the next scene.

"Jack said he went to the gym that night," she told her boss. "I believed him. Jack doesn’t lie."

Well, in general he might not lie. Anyone who's watched the show for as long as I have will know that he wasn’t prepared to lie to cover up his brother’s involvement in a crime that led to several murders. Jack also had a reputation when he first arrived in Silent Witness for having a problem with the police because he wasn’t prepared to be quiet when he saw things being done wrong.

Yet in this case, he made an exception, and Harriet tells Nikki, "He seems to think that his punch caused the extradural haematoma". Horrified, the pathologist said that if that’s so, he could go to prison for manslaughter, if not murder.

She then brings up another damning detail which, again, long-time fans will remember. When we first met Jack’s brother Ryan, it emerged that he’d taken the blame for the scientist over a punch that broke a man’s jaw in a fight. Ryan then felt Jack owed him after going to prison for him, hence why he was especially furious when his brother didn’t cover up his crimes.

So, did Jack kill someone? Grace of God Part 2 explained

The events of Silent Witness Grace of God Part 1 had even Nikki Alexander questioning if her husband could be capable of murder so it’s no surprise if many fans asked themselves the same. Thankfully, though, Jack comes to doubt his own guilt and the Bowman team help to prove that his actions weren’t the cause of Ashton’s death - so he didn’t kill anyone.

It takes a while, as Jack even told Nikki in a prison phone call that he’d "wanted to kill him" so he did - that’s how convinced he was. Kit Brooks ends up finding Scott Ashton’s bookie, who confirms he received a call from the dead man at 11:30pm on the day he died. This was long after his altercation with Jack - and he has a voicemail to prove the story.

When she tells Nikki over the phone, the pathologist is holding Ashton’s X-rays and says that he wouldn’t have been able to speak with the injury she sees there.

"That’s what I’m saying, Nikki!" Kit responds excitedly. "Jack didn’t kill him. We need to call the lawyers, get Jack out of there."

The pair then put some more vital pieces together and work out that the forensic scientist’s cell mate (and secret National Crime Agency operative) Macklow could actually be the brother of Ashton. This isn’t good news, as they worry about what might happen if the cellmate blames him for Ashton’s death.

Jack was set up to attack Ashton by Retford who wanted to get Jack put inside, although there was also a layer of police manipulation, using his circumstances to get rid of the criminal. Retford threatens him to change his evidence and later tries to get Macklow to shoot him, without knowing Scott was the man’s brother.

Instead of killing Jack, Macklow killed Retford, although for a second there I thought it was all over for the Bowman team member as we heard the gunshot without seeing things play out until moments later. Ultimately, Jack Hodgson is exonerated and we see him reuniting with Nikki and apologising to her for lying about going to the pub and not the gym that night and letting her down.

Is Jack leaving Silent Witness?

We can’t be 100% sure until the final episodes of Silent Witness season 29 air, but I suspect that this was more about giving Jack a meaty storyline than setting the character up to exit the show. In the final scenes of Grace of God Part 2 we see him having a therapy session and saying, “Someone once said life is understood backwards but lived forwards. I want to be there for all of it. I’m ready.”

So he’s raring to go once more and I would be surprised - and very sad - if David Caves left his role as Jack Hodgson in Silent Witness in the season 29 finale.

Silent Witness viewers tuning in to watch episode 3 and 4 this week might have been left a little confused as the original running order for season 29 has changed last-minute. Instead of The Enemy Within, we got Part 1 of Creekwood and although not everyone will have been aware of the switch-up, those who are will be wondering why.

After all, so many series are shot with a specific trajectory in mind and Silent Witness is no different. However, the BBC have moved The Enemy Within to later on in the run.

In a post on social media they simply stated that the new episodes were a "change to the previously billed" ones, though a BBC spokesperson told TV Guide that this was due to an attack that took place over the weekend.

"Due to the attack in Birmingham over the weekend, this week’s episodes of Silent Witness will not transmit as planned and instead they have been replaced with two episodes from later on in the series," they declared.

On 9th February, the day that episode 1 of The Enemy Within would have aired, the BBC reported that a boy had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the attack of two teenagers with a machete outside a shop. Two boys were taken to hospital and a third was punched on Stratford Road in Shirley, as confirmed by West Midlands Police.

The Enemy Within’s storyline sees the team investigating a fatal stabbing which appears to have been racially motivated. Meanwhile, Jack discovers that his new-found gym friends since moving to Birmingham harbour very far-right views that make him highly uncomfortable.

The BBC’s decision to air Creekwood instead isn’t the first time that they have changed an episode’s order so as to be respectful in the light of horrific events. As a crime drama fan I also used to tune in every week to watch New Tricks and the season 9 finale, Part of a Whole, was swapped in place of Glasgow UCOS in the running order.

At the time it was reported that this change took place "in light of current news events" involving allegations against Jimmy Savile, as Glasgow UCOS’s plot focused on the discovery of the cover-up of child abuse in care homes.

The sensitivity of the BBC concerning news events is both totally understandable and admirable, and explains why the Silent Witness episode schedule has been changed. The Enemy Within Part 1 and Part 2 will now air on Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th February in another slight amendment.

Episode 3 of the new series of Death in Paradise will be broadcast in the usual Monday night slot, pushing Silent Witness back by a day. Creekwood continues at 9pm on BBC One on 10th February with Part 2 and in this story Dr Nikki Alexander, Jack Hodgson, Kit Brooks and Harriet Maven assist the police with their investigation after an elderly man, Arthur Lane, is discovered dead on the site of the old Creekwood Hospital with a screwdriver impaling his eye.

These episodes explore mental health and how it was treated, both in the past and present, and the struggles of the homeless community.

She might not have been in the show since the very beginning, but Silent Witness still wouldn’t be the same without Dr Nikki Alexander at this point. Played brilliantly by Emilia Fox for 12 years, the pathologist is the beating heart of the crime drama and her skills are legendary.

She’s adjusting to a new way of life at the Sir William Bowman Centre in Birmingham in Silent Witness season 29 as well as enjoying being newly married to colleague Jack Hodgson.

Episode 2 airs tonight and if you’re a Silent Witness fan, why not test your Nikki Alexander knowledge with our quiz? Let us know your score!

Want more brain teasers? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

Finally! After what seems like way too long Silent Witness season 29 is back on our screens. The show’s longest-serving cast member Emilia Fox has already teased to woman&home that the new series will be "emotional" for Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson. I’m a little anxious about what this means for the Silent Witness couple and Nikki has to be my favourite character.

She’s not only an expert pathologist and caring partner and friend, but a source of style inspiration. Her signature look has evolved over the years and first-look pictures for Silent Witness season 29 show her in a comfy combination I want to wear on repeat.

Nikki’s blue and white Fair Isle jumper and denim midi skirt outfit is incredibly easy to replicate and both items are wardrobe staples that work for spring too.

Shop Similar Patterned Jumpers

Shop Denim Midi Skirts

Denim skirts make a lovely alternative to jeans and the silhouette of Nikki’s is incredibly leg-elongating. It appears to have a straight cut, with buttons running down the front and a high-rise waist. This sleek style looks more understated and classic than a very feminine fit-and-flare skirt and going for a mid-blue tone like hers is a great option.

Not quite as smart as indigo or as casual as light washes, these shades of denim are the most versatile as you can easily dress them up or down. Like jeans, a denim skirt can be paired with so many different top options and although Emilia loves wearing shirts when she’s in-character as Dr Nikki Alexander, she went for a chunky knit here.

This ME+EM sweater accentuated the off-duty feel of her skirt and whilst you might be hoping to pack away your wool jumpers and cardigans soon, realistically we’ll be needing knitwear for early spring too.

Emilia’s jumper features an electric blue and brown jacquard design over the white base colour and has chunky ribbed trims. Had she gone for a more voluminous denim skirt, this boxy jumper wouldn’t have worked nearly as well with it.

As it was, the sweater draped beautifully over the top of the waistband. The pattern brought a traditional feel to the knitwear and although the blue didn’t exactly match her skirt, it was similar enough to tie everything together.

If you can sometimes be daunted by the prospect of styling patterns and prints, I would recommend starting with a top that you can wear with jeans or a denim skirt. Denim just works with everything and you don’t need to worry about colour clashing or looking overly statement.

The texture of Emilia’s knitwear complemented the geometric design of her jumper and the white background hue balanced out the bright blue. A lot of this year’s spring/summer fashion colour trends are vibrant and sweaters or cardigans are a simple way to start incorporating them into your everyday ensembles.

In the Silent Witness season 29 first look pictures we sadly couldn’t see what shoes Nikki had on with her skirt and jumper, but the pathologist is a big fan of ankle boots. A pair of tan or brown boots would look stunning with the lighter colour palette of this look, though white trainers are a great alternative to make things more casual.

I guess we’ll just have to wait until Dr Alexander wears this particular outfit in the new series to know how she really finished it off!

As something of a Silent Witness super fan I’m always excited to hear what the show’s longest-serving cast member Emilia Fox has to say about the show and I’m not quite sure how to feel about her new revelations. Speaking to woman&home for our March issue, the actor shared some tantalising hints about what to expect for her character Nikki in Silent Witness season 29 when it starts on 2nd February.

Last season the pathologist finally tied the knot with forensic scientist Jack Hodgson (I, for one, am very much pro the Nikki-Jack romance) and the newlyweds are facing a lot of change in the new series. For a start, Silent Witness has now moved locations to Birmingham and Emilia told us, "Jack and Nikki have some very emotional stuff in season 29."

Now what should fans make of that? I’m part-excited, part-nervous to find out and hope that there isn’t trouble in paradise already. Settling into a new life, new job and new city is a lot for anyone, so all I can do is hope that the pair find their way through things and emerge stronger.

Emilia Fox has also opened up to the BBC, revealing that this move "has quite an effect on Jack and on their relationship". In her mind, every series has an overarching theme of sorts and whilst season 28’s was love, she thinks it’s "trust and what we can believe in and what’s real" for the new instalment.

Jack (played by David Caves) has some "big storylines" to come and even if they don’t directly involve Nikki, as his wife and long-time colleague, she’s sure to be drawn into things to support and advise him.

They’ve already faced so much together, from Nikki being threatened by the mafia group, Ndrangheta, in season 26 to Jack’s brother going to prison and discovering he had a niece, Cara Connelly.

After Emilia, David is the cast-member who’s been on Silent Witness the longest, with Maggie Stead and Francesca Mills joining last year as Harriet Maven and Kit Brooks.

"I’ve now been doing it for I think 21 years and if you told me the first year I did it that I’d still be doing it 21 years later, I don’t think I would’ve believed you," Emilia told woman&home. "No matter how complicated it can be and of course the subject matter is not a laughing subject matter at all. So hence, when we’re not actually playing the scenes, then we do have a laugh with each other and Maggie and Fran are very, very funny, as is David Caves."

You might think, or in my case worry, that playing one character for so long might make Emilia wish she could do something else. However, she explained how each season is different, sharing, "I love the familiarity of playing Nikki, but I like that we also do five different stories and they all are very different because they have the writers’ signature on them."

"We don’t choose that and we don’t choose the direction in which our characters go, but they are like presents when you read the scripts and think, ‘What am I going to be asked to do next?’" she said.

Emilia continued, "Having done Silent Witness for the length of time that I have, it looks as though I’ve played it safe. It’s not safe because, within it, I’m asked to do all sorts of things. In this series, I did something that was pretty out there, which I can’t share in case it spoils the story, but I went for it! I think being impulsive is really important in life."

So we can expect scenes for Nikki and Jack and an “out-there” moment for the pathologist too. The first episode air-date can’t come soon enough!

Silent Witness season 29 starts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on 2nd February.

Finally! After what seems like an age, we’ve got a Silent Witness season 29 release date to look forward to and I couldn’t be more excited for what lies in store when the show returns. I’ve been watching this long-running BBC drama for years now and the season 28 finale concluded on 3rd February last year.

The cliffhanger ending left the future of the Lyell Centre team up in the air and now Silent Witness season 29 is set to reveal all as the series undergoes a major change. Don’t worry - newlywedded pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander and forensic specialist Jack Hodgson will be back in action!

But there’s so much more to come and here’s when Silent Witness season 29 will be released and how to watch so you don’t miss a single storyline.

When does Silent Witness season 29 start?

To my surprise and delight, Silent Witness season 29 will start on Monday 2nd February on BBC One, with episodes also released on BBC iPlayer. As we’ve come to expect, going forwards from then your Mondays and Tuesdays will both officially be “Silent Witness days” as part 1 and part 2 of each storyline will air on consecutive days.

This release date was somewhat unexpected given that aside from seasons 24 and 25, Silent Witness has premiered in January since 2013. I’ve been scouring the TV guides for weeks waiting for the new series to be mentioned and from what's been said about it so far, it looks like it’ll be worth the wait.

Thankfully, Silent Witness season 29 has still got the regular 10 episodes which will correspond to 5 cases for Nikki, Jack, Harriet and Kit to investigate. Until 2nd February you can also remind yourself of what happened in the season 28 finale and perhaps even showcase your knowledge by acing our Silent Witness quiz.

How to watch Silent Witness season 29 in the UK

It couldn’t be easier for you to watch Silent Witness season 29 if you’re based in the UK as it will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. If you end up missing an episode or aren’t around to watch it as it airs, you can catch up afterwards on iPlayer.

I’ve also found in the past that both parts of each Silent Witness episode go on the BBC’s streaming platform on Mondays too. So if, like me, you don’t want to wait 24 hours to see the second part live, you don’t have to, and you can enjoy part 1 and part 2 back-to-back on iPlayer.

In the meantime, you work your way through previous seasons of Silent Witness on there, including the season 28 finale I Believe In Love.

How to watch Silent Witness season 29 from anywhere

Silent Witness has been going since 1996 and it’s beloved by fans all over the world, though the start of a new year can be a busy time and it’s possible you’re going to be away from home when season 29 starts. If this is true for you and you don’t want to miss any of the action, a VPN is going to become your new best friend.

Standing for Virtual Private Network, a VPN allows you to change your IP address to that of an area the show you want to watch is airing in, meaning you can tune in to watch your favourite shows from anywhere.

After testing all of the major VPN services, woman&home’s sister site, TechRadar, rated NordVPN as the best. They say, "It’s compatible with all of your devices, supports most streaming services, and ranks among the fastest. You can even install it on devices like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. So for a one-stop-shop, you can’t go wrong with Express."

If you've never installed a VPN before, don't worry, it's quick and easy. Just follow these three steps:

• Download and install the VPN following NordVPN's easy-to-follow instructions.
• Once you've installed your VPN, open the app and select your server location as anywhere in the UK.
• With your VPN installed and server location set to UK, you can now watch Silent Witness season 29 online.

If you’re in the US, you might also be able to enjoy Silent Witness season 29 on BritBox or BBC America, as other seasons of the show have been released via both of these in the past. It's often not at the same time as the series is broadcast in the UK, though, and it's not confirmed if this will happen with the new season.

US-based fans can currently purchase seasons or individual episodes of Silent Witness seasons 1-28 via Amazon Prime Video.

What will season 29 of Silent Witness be about?

After being set in London since 1999, Silent Witness season 29 is heading north! This was put forward as a distinct possibility in the season 28 finale, where Nikki went to a meeting at the Home Office where she was sounded out about setting up a new forensic centre in Birmingham.

They were also interested in Jack and he seemed keen, even though the couple would have to move if they switched to being based at The Bowman Laboratory at Birmingham General Hospital. The catch was that Nikki’s job would come at the expense of new Lyell Centre boss Harriet Maven’s position and the loyal pathologist wasn’t having any of it.

She ended up saying that she’d only take the job if Harriet was kept in charge and in the final moments of the episode (after Nikki and Jack tied the knot), both Harriet and forensic analyst Kit Brooks received an email. The team are definitely going to Birmingham and Emilia Fox, who plays Nikki, said last year that Silent Witness season 29 has a “whole new look” and “visually [Birmingham] feels completely different”.

The BBC has explained that the team will be facing some of their toughest cases yet and the cast will be joined by some brilliant guest stars. Expect to see Lydia Wilson (Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue), Chris Reilly (Slow Horses), Ben Batt (Riot Women), Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point), Selin Hizli (Am I Being Unreasonable?), Gerard Kearns (Waiting For The Out) Adam Rayner (Superman and Lois), Phaldut Sharma (EastEnders), Dino Fetscher (Fool Me Once), Cat Simmons (The Bill), Chris Coghill (Slow Horses) and Mollie Winnard (All Creatures Great and Small) in the new series.

Silent Witness also regularly explores current issues and events with its storylines, so it's likely this will continue with season 29 with some thought-provoking cases.

Will there be another season of Silent Witness and is Emilia Fox leaving the show? You might be wondering as season 28 draws to an emotional close.

January might mean bleak weather and dark days but it also traditionally marks the start of a new season of Silent Witness and that’s enough to lift the spirits of any crime drama fan. This year’s series has been especially gripping, giving us a brilliant mix of thought-provoking storylines and personal developments for our favourite characters. After getting engaged in season 27, we’ve been patiently waiting for the wedding bells to ring for Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) and forensic scientist Jack Hogdson (David Caves) in Silent Witness season 28.

With only the last two episodes, I Believe In Love… Parts 1 and 2, to go we were looking forward to what lay ahead, whilst also starting to wonder about the future of the BBC drama as Nikki was given an enticing offer. Here we reveal whether there’ll be another season of Silent Witness and if Emilia Fox is leaving the show after the season 28 finale…

*Warning: Spoilers for I Believe In Love Parts 1 and 2 Ahead*

Will there be another season of Silent Witness and is Emilia Fox leaving?

It’s a natural fear when a finale airs that a much-loved show won’t return to our screens, but thankfully Silent Witness isn’t ending and there will be another season. As reported by RadioTimes.com, the BBC confirmed in January that Silent Witness season 29 will be happening. This news will be met with relief and excitement from fans, especially as 2026 will mark the 30th anniversary of Silent Witness and no-one would want to miss that! It’s not known when it will be released but if it follows the pattern of previous seasons, it could air in January next year.

The announcement that Silent Witness will be getting another season is only one part of the great news associated with the show, though. Emilia Fox and David Caves are both said to be returning in Silent Witness season 29, which is expected to show them balancing life as newlyweds (yes, Nikki and Jack did tie the knot in the season 28 finale) with the varied and intense demands of their work. Emilia Fox has played Nikki Alexander since 2004 and the determined pathologist has given us a few scares over the years - including in the latest series which left us briefly wondering if Nikki dies in Silent Witness.

However, an unexpected twist in the Silent Witness season 28 finale looked like it could take Nikki away from the Lyell Centre for a very different reason. From the moment Nikki arrives in the office in I Believe In Love… Part 1 it was clear that she was keeping something close to her chest after a meeting at the Home Office.

When Jack, who, after all, is her fiancé and the person she trusts the most, asks her about it later she tells him that she doesn’t want to discuss it at work. This understandably piqued his interest - and that of fans’ - even more, especially after Lyell Centre boss Harriet Maven knowingly tells Nikki that she’s "not the only one who speaks to the Home Office" and that working with her has "meant more" than she thinks the pathologist can imagine.

At home that night Nikki finally unburdens herself to Jack and explains that she was being sounded out about setting up a new forensic centre of excellence. The forensic scientist questions whether they were interested in focusing on just pathology or science and pathology, wondering if his partner wanted to be "excellent all on [her] own".

Dr Alexander reveals that they also asked about Jack, how well she knew him and whether he could be persuaded to get on board with the new centre too. His response was keen even after she added that the centre would be based at The Bowman Laboratory at Birmingham General Hospital, meaning they’d have to relocate from London.

The only catch was the Home Office’s requirement: that Nikki would take the job at the expense of Harriet’s job as she would be forced to retire. This was a no-go for the pathologist who made her loyalty to her team clear.

"I would love to make it work, I really would. But I can’t. I’m sorry. We’re a team and a very good team. Why would you want to break that up? I’ll only do it if Harriet Maven is in charge," she said.

We never saw them give her an answer but we suspect that they accepted Nikki’s terms as both Harriet and crime analyst Kit Brooks received an email in the closing stages of I Believe In Love… Part 2. As Nikki and Jack walked down the steps after their wedding, their colleagues received an email alert regarding the Sir William Bowman Centre of Excellence in Birmingham.

Harriet said, "Well I think you’re excellent, Kit," and the analyst replied, "I think you’re excellent", before the Lyell Centre boss added, "What are we going to do?"

It’s up in the air whether Harriet and Kit will return for Silent Witness season 29. A lot of the time departing characters aren’t given a specific exit storyline, like when Velvy and Gabriel’s absence in season 28 was explained via dialogue. At least it seems like the door is open should actors Maggie Steed and Francesca Mills want to come back as their characters have been invited to join the centre in Birmingham.

Either way, it will be exciting to see how the show might change if Nikki and Jack move to Birmingham and Silent Witness’s production has moved to the West Midlands already, so making the location part of the show would make sense.

All episodes of Silent Witness are available to watch now via BBC iPlayer.

Dr Nikki Alexander has been part of Silent Witness for 11 years and season 28 likely left some fans wondering if she was going to die.

Silent Witness is one of those shows that hasn’t shied away from killing off key characters in the past and so every time the new series of Silent Witness starts, there’s a part of fans that likely hopes nothing will befall any more of them this time around. From Thomas, to Adam and Leo, we’ve said goodbye to some brilliant characters and Dr Nikki Alexander is now the most long-standing member of the Silent Witness cast. She’s been in a few scrapes of her own over the years and in the episodes Vanishing Point Parts 1 and 2 which aired on 27th and 28th January we were once again left worried about her fate and if she would die.

*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*

Does Nikki Alexander die in Silent Witness?

Thankfully, Nikki hasn’t died in Silent Witness season 28 so far, though it looked for a moment like she could’ve been in trouble in episodes 7 and 8, Vanishing Point Parts 1 and 2. Typically Silent Witness takes place in and around London, with a few notable exceptions like Home Parts 1 and 2 which was set in South Africa, and this two-parter partially unfolded in the air. The pathologist was on an East-West Airlines flight from Mumbai when a passenger she’d met beforehand, Tony Jenkins, suddenly took ill. As a medical professional Nikki became embroiled in what was to turn into a nightmare for all those in the know on that flight.

Tony died horribly and used his last words to declare that he’d found a "cause" to live for. Nikki knew straight away that his death wasn’t food poisoning like cabin crew member Ade suggested and it was soon theorised that whatever killed Tony was a virus or some kind of toxin. In a contained space like an aeroplane this news likely set off alarm bells for many Silent Witness fans as Nikki had tried to save Tony when he collapsed.

Her close interactions with him seemed like they could have put her in danger, especially when another passenger Beth Tyler also started to show signs of illness, as did Berkshire Biofuels’ owner Grant Townsend. However, Nikki didn’t die aboard the plane and in Vanishing Point Part 2 it was revealed that Beth and Tony had been working together and sacrificed themselves in the pursuit of their "cause".

Both had been grief-stricken when their children were diagnosed with leukaemia and died and they had suspected that nyraxin produced as a byproduct by Grant’s factory was to blame. The businessman had dismissed their concerns and tied them up in legal paperwork, suppressing the truth. As he primarily lived outside the UK and had security with him everywhere aside from the plane, Beth and Tony had made the decision to contaminate him with nyraxin on board.

They’d asked a biochemist in Mumbai to make up nyraxin without knowing what it was and then Beth put it in a perfume bottle. She’d sprayed some on her own hand and grasped Grant’s arm in an apparently innocent way to ensure he felt the effects. This method of contamination meant that Nikki wasn’t as much at risk as it had appeared and this was a good thing too, as she did her utmost to save Beth and Grant’s lives and was in close quarters with them on the plane.

Beth wanted Grant to admit to what was killing them and thought that their dead bodies would be the evidence the authorities needed to investigate Berkshire Biofuels and prevent anyone else from being killed by the nyraxcin.

"No proof?" she scoffed at him. "This is proof! You, me and Tony. Living, dying proof."

Whilst Nikki, thanks to a little deductive help from Jack and Harriet at the Lyell, managed to help Grant by giving him a combination of eyedrops and anti-sickness tablets to slow the nyraxcin, Beth refused to drink it and died. The pathologist arrived back in the UK to reunite with a relieved Jack and since she was wearing a protective suit and had been checked, it seemed like she was completely fine.

Has Nikki almost died before in Silent Witness?

Dr Nikki Alexander didn’t die in Silent Witness Vanishing Point, but fans would be forgiven for worrying about her in light of all that happened and it’s not like she hasn’t come close to being killed before. Perhaps the most serious of all these incidents came in the Silent Witness season 20 finale, Awakening. Nikki travelled to Mexico to find out what happened to her friend Luisa Herrera, who was working alongside her but decided to be a pathologist at home. In the course of the investigation she got on the wrong side of the local cartels and was given up to them by Dr Eva Vasquez after they took her son.

Nikki was buried alive with a phone and only a limited amount of oxygen and this was the moment that probably worried Silent Witness fans the most when it came to her future on the show. Nikki worked with Jack over the phone to try and use clues to determine where she was but he ended up finding a lot of people taken by the cartel, including Luisa, instead.

Had Nikki actually been buried underground she would have died before he could find her in time - something that haunted him later - but she ended up pushing the planks of wood surrounding her and realising she wasn’t underground. The pathologist had actually been buried in a structure on the hillside and she managed to escape.

The other time where Nikki came closest to dying in Silent Witness was in season 13’s Shadows Part 1 and Part 2. She and former main character Harry Cunningham were inside a building at a university campus which was taken over by a shooter. They tried to help those who were wounded and specialist firearms officers later stormed the building and saved everyone. Nikki then returned to the Lyell where she was ominously approached by student Neil who pointed a gun at her but hadn’t wanted to go along with another student’s sinister plan.

Once again Nikki was rescued and didn’t die in Silent Witness and we all hope that she’ll see out the rest of season 28 safely and return for many more seasons to come.

Silent Witness’ opening two episodes were both dedicated to Helen Whitwell and some viewers might be wondering who she was.

The new series of Silent Witness started on 6th January and it certainly didn’t hold back with the heart-wrenching plot of the first two episodes, Exodus 20:17 Parts 1 and 2. As Professor Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson navigated life at the Lyell Centre with their two new colleagues, Harriet Maven and Kit Brooks, they also took on a particularly moving case after an elderly woman’s body was found in a cave. Never one to shy away from important themes and topics, Silent Witness Exodus focused on the manipulation and abuse of vulnerable older people.

Following both the credits of Part 1 and the conclusion of this emotional storyline in Part 2, fans might have noticed a special and no less poignant dedication that came up on screen which revealed that Exodus 20:17 was dedicated to Professor Helen Whitwell.

Who was Helen Whitwell and why was Silent Witness Exodus dedicated to her?

Professor Helen Whitwell was a Forensic Pathologist and Neuropathologist whose work inspired Silent Witness and both parts of season 28’s Exodus 20:17 were dedicated to her. After the credits of the two opening episodes had rolled, Silent Witness paid tribute to her, stating simply that they had been "In Memory of Helen Whitwell, 1955-2024, Professor, Forensic Pathology". The esteemed pathologist passed away from cancer in July 2024 and it’s clear how much she and her work continue to be honoured by the Silent Witness team.

As reported by The Telegraph following her death, Helen had met former police- officer-turned-screenwriter Nigel McCrery whilst working on murder cases. He is the creator of Silent Witness, which first aired in 1996, and he reportedly based the BBC drama’s original lead pathologist Professor Sam Ryan upon Helen. Played by Amanda Burton, Sam was the star of Silent Witness from seasons 1-8. She returned to the forensic drama in season 25 when Silent Witness switched up its usual formula in honour of the 25th anniversary and focused on one central storyline across all the episodes.

Whilst Emilia Fox’s Professor Nikki Alexander might be the only pathologist many newcomers to Silent Witness might know, it was Sam who started things off. Helen Whitwell became Britain’s first female Professor of Forensic Pathology and was an invaluable advisor to Silent Witness for the first series.

She remarked upon how Nigel would ask for her opinion a lot in the early years, telling BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour in 2016, as per The Times, "He used to ring me up, usually at inconvenient times, to ask me what somebody looked like when they’ve been strangled or whatever."

Helen is also said to have once stated that the show’s portrayal of autopsies and forensic detail was broadly-speaking correct, though the experienced pathologist did also acknowledge how Silent Witness understandably deviated from real life for the purposes of entertainment.

"In real life we don’t go and visit prisoners or get involved in the investigation side," she allegedly explained to The Independent back in 1998.

Helen Whitwell also reportedly shared that "all the forensic pathologists" she knew were "sociable and outgoing" and not "miserable characters" like how Sam could sometimes come across as dispassionate. She added, "I don’t know why they depict women like that. Perhaps they think there is a price to pay for the horrific things we see, but that’s a drama series for you."

Throughout her career, Helen went on to work as a pathologist in the West Midlands, supposedly conducting as many as 60 post mortems a year in the case of suspicious deaths. The Professor then lectured in New Zealand at the University of Auckland before being appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology at Sheffield University in 2000.

In 2004 she returned to the West Midlands to her forensic pathology practice and in 2009 she sadly stopped working as a pathologist, reportedly due to developing osteoarthritis in her hands.

Professor Helen Whitwell was the co-author and editor of two standard textbooks - Mason’s Forensic Medicine for Lawyers and Forensic Neuropathology. She was also well known as one of the first forensic pathologists to challenge the idea of "Shaken Baby Syndrome" as the cause of death in various cases. Helen published papers along with neuropathologist Jennian Geddes in the journal Brain in 2001 which showed that other causes could possibly be responsible for the suspicious deaths of infants.

The new series of Silent Witness is drawing closer and many eager fans might already be wondering when it will start and how they can ensure they don’t miss a moment of season 28.

With darker nights and colder weather here to stay for several more months, one thing that never fails to brighten our days is the thought of some brilliant TV shows making their long-anticipated return in the New Year. This includes the final season of ITV’s Vera and, of course, the BBC’s long-running forensics drama Silent Witness. The show has been airing since 1996 and after *that* heart-stopping moment between everyone’s favourite pathologist and forensic scientist couple, Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson, in the season 27 finale, we’re especially excited to see them again in Silent Witness season 28.

Emilia Fox who plays Dr Nikki Alexander has already shared on social media that she and Jack’s actor David Caves have done some press interviews for the new series of Silent Witness. As we look forward to the gripping and emotional cases that no doubt await us, here’s when Silent Witness season 28 will start - and how you can watch it where you are.

When does the new series of Silent Witness start?

The new series of Silent Witness will start on Monday 6th January 2025 and it will consist of 10 episodes. As fans have come to expect over the years, Silent Witness season 28 will be made up of five different stories and each will be told in two parts. This means that going forwards our Monday and Tuesday evenings can officially become our "Silent Witness nights" once again as we tune in to both parts of each storyline on consecutive days.

How to watch Silent Witness season 28 in the UK

For UK viewers it couldn’t be simpler to watch the new series of Silent Witness as it will be airing on BBC One at 9pm on Mondays and Tuesdays from 6th January. It will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer and in the past Part 2 of each episode has landed on the streaming platform at the same time as Part 1 each week.

It’s possible that this will also be the case with Silent Witness season 28 and if so, that means fans could be able to watch Parts 1 and 2 of each storyline in one go, or choose to enjoy Silent Witness live on Mondays and Tuesdays to keep up the suspense for a little longer.

In the meantime, you can also find all previous seasons of Silent Witness on BBC iPlayer so you can re-watch your favourite episodes and remind yourself of where we left Nikki and Jack in season 27. At the moment seasons 1-27 are all listed as being available for over a year, giving you plenty of time to immerse yourself back into the world of the Lyell Centre team before Silent Witness season 28 starts.

How to watch Silent Witness season 28 from anywhere

The start of January can often be a busy time as we get back into our routine post-Christmas, but if you’re going to be away from your usual TV set-up when Silent Witness season 28 starts and don’t want to miss a single moment, never fear. There is a way you can still enjoy each episode of the new series with the use of a Virtual Private Network - a VPN. A VPN allows you to change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite shows like Silent Witness even if you're not there.

Our sister site, TechRadar, has tested all of the major VPN services and they rate Nord as the absolute best. They say, "It’s compatible with all of your devices, supports most streaming services, and ranks among the fastest. You can even install it on devices like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. So for a one-stop-shop, you can’t go wrong with Express."

If you've never installed a VPN before, don't worry, it's quick and easy. Just follow these three steps:

1. Download and install the VPN following NordVPN's easy-to-follow instructions.
2. Once you've installed your VPN, open the app and select your server location as anywhere in the UK.
3. With your VPN installed and server location set to UK, you can now watch Silent Witness season 28 online.

In the past Silent Witness has also been shown via BBC America and episodes have been released on BritBox for US-based fans to enjoy, although there’s no US release date yet for the new season. It’s not known if Silent Witness season 28 will follow this pattern and even if it does, there is often a bit of time to wait. US fans can also currently purchase seasons or individual episodes of Silent Witness seasons 1-27 via Amazon Prime Video.

Who will be in the new series of Silent Witness?

Looking ahead to Silent Witness season 28 we know that Emilia Fox’s Nikki Alexander and David Caves’ Jack Hodgson will be back - and we couldn’t be more excited to see where the new series takes them. There will also reportedly be two new cast members joining from the next season too. According to RadioTimes.com, Rivals star Maggie Steed will be playing Harriet Mavern, the new Head of the Lyell Centre from season 28, meanwhile The Witcher: Blood Origin actor Francesca Mills will be playing Kit Brooks.

Kit will be working as a crime analyst alongside Jack and the introduction of both these characters is not only very exciting but intriguing too. At the moment it’s not clear whether season 27 was the last we’ve seen of Gabriel and Velvy in Silent Witness. Played by Aki Omoshaybi and Alastair Michael respectively, they haven’t been mentioned by the BBC and as Gabriel was Head of the Lyell and Trainee Anatomical Pathology Technologist Velvy worked with Jack a lot, it’s possible they will be replaced by Harriet and Kit.

Alternatively, it’s possible we will still see them at some point in Silent Witness season 28 and we’ll just have to wait and see to be sure.

Emilia Fox’s kitchen in Silent Witness is breathtakingly refined and in the season 27 finale we got treated to a special close-up glimpse of her character Nikki’s calming space.

When it comes to kitchen trends many people might find themselves taking inspiration from loved ones or celebrities, but we’ve been swept away by Dr Nikki Alexander’s kitchen in Silent Witness. The pathologist, played by Emilia Fox, has lived in the same magnificently decorated house since season 21 and in the brilliant season 27 finale we got one of the best glimpses at her gorgeous green kitchen with its statement bauble lights. The finale delivered not only on the crime front with one of the drama's most intense cold cases, but also with the personal storylines which also meant we got to see more of Nikki's house.

Anyone contemplating the interior paint colour trends 2024 will know that green isn’t going anywhere and Nikki’s kitchen in Silent Witness is a soft, soothing pistachio shade with a touch of sage to it. The huge cupboard at the back of the character’s kitchen and the cupboards mounting the wall near the door are both painted in this colour, creating a lovely sense of cohesion.

Nikki has also adorned her kitchen with several pieces in the same tone, including a jug next to her sink and several vases dotted about. Her choices were admired by her partner Jack Hodgson in the season 27 finale, Kings Cross Part 2, when he arrived and joked that he was there as a prospective lodger. Taking a look around he even told her, "Nice kitchen" as he pretended to see her home for the first time.

After going from friends to partners, Silent Witness season 27's finale took things to another level for Nikki and forensic scientist Jack (played by David Caves). It was refreshing to see more of the couple in a domestic setting in the final storyline, balancing the horrific crimes they investigate with normality, humour and tender scenes.

Shop Silent Witness Kitchen Inspiration

Even a glimpse of them making their packed lunches together in Nikki's beautiful kitchen in Kings Cross Part 1 was adorable and something we rarely see. The final scenes also pivoted the end of Silent Witness season 27 to something very much character-driven, cementing how Nikki and Jack's personal lives are just as important to the show as the investigations. 

It ended things on a joyful note after such a poignant and intense case and it somehow seemed only right that Nikki and Jack got engaged in Silent Witness in her home. It showed that since they've got together, their priorities have shifted slightly to give them slightly more work/life balance, which is lovely to see. The finale had womanandhome’s Digital Lifestyle Editor Tamara Kelly "gripped" too, but, like Jack, she was also “captivated” by the kitchen in Silent Witness.

“I'm not saying the storyline didn't have me gripped but I was certainly captivated by Nikki's kitchen also,” she shared. “Green kitchens are having a real moment right now for kitchen colour trends, offering an earthiness and depth of tone that leaves you feeling nourished and at one with nature.”

If painting large parts of your kitchen units to look exactly like Nikki’s kitchen in Silent Witness isn’t for you, Tamara revealed that there’s a “shade of green to suit all kitchen designs”, from “soothing sage greens and pistachio shades to more dramatic forest green”. The lighting in the kitchen is something that also caught Tamara’s eye as Nikki has distinctive bauble-shaped pendulum lights above her kitchen island.

The pathologist also has a larger, pendulum-esque light fitting facing the other way too, which is just as beautiful and seen clearly in other seasons of Silent Witness. 

“Statement pendants are a significant lighting trend for kitchens right now; increasingly we're seeing kitchen schemes incorporating statement chandeliers and pendants alongside task lighting and spotlights to add stylish finishing touches in the same way as they would in a living room or dining room,” Tamara explained. 

She added that she loves the “pairing of the brass fixtures and fittings against the green” as “it's a great colour scheme to make a kitchen feel elegant and refined”. The contemporary feel of the lights in the kitchen in Silent Witness is something you might be tempted to incorporate into your own kitchen. 

Whether or not you want a full light switch-up, there are various lamps available to help you get a similar look. As Nikki did, you can also add touches of green to suit your preferences with decorative objects like vases or jugs, or even plants like the one that she has on a shelf above her AGA.

Silent Witness seasons 1-27 are available to watch now via BBC iPlayer.

Anyone wondering if there’ll be another season of Silent Witness isn’t alone as we anxiously hope the latest season isn’t the last we’ll see of the Lyell team.

The return of Silent Witness in January couldn’t have come soon enough for loyal fans of the long-running BBC drama, but if you’ve already watched all of season 27 you might already be considering the show’s future. The prospect of there not being another season of Silent Witness is almost unimaginable and the season 27 finale ended with a twist that definitely deserves to be followed up in a potential season 28. With anticipation building we’ve got all the details about whether Silent Witness has been renewed and who we predict could come back.

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

Will there be another season of Silent Witness? 

The BBC haven’t announced another season of Silent Witness yet, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Silent Witness season 28 isn’t going to happen. The show has been enduringly popular ever since it first started in 1996. Because of this it would certainly come as a shock to many long-time fans of the show if Silent Witness season 28 wasn’t given the green light at some point in the future - especially given the romantic development that rounded off the season 27 for Jack Hodgson and Nikki Alexander.

This plot-point and the consistent demand from fans for more episodes over the years makes us feel that it's very likely there will be another season of Silent Witness but until an announcement is made, we'll just have to be patient.

Has Silent Witness finished? 

Whilst the BBC drama probably hasn’t ended for good (or, at least we really hope not!) the latest season of Silent Witness has now finished. The finale two-parter, Kings Cross Parts 1 and 2, aired on Monday 12th February and Tuesday 13th February respectively, bringing Silent Witness season 27 to a close. It might seem like just days ago that Nikki, Jack, Velvy and Gabriel returned to our screens but season 27 was the usual 10 episodes long that we’ve come to expect.  

All episodes of Silent Witness season 27 can be streamed via BBC iPlayer if you’ve missed the original air dates, or if you simply want to revisit this season's most chilling cases. Silent Witness seasons 1-26 are also on BBC iPlayer now and listed as being available for "over a year".

Which characters could return in Silent Witness season 28? 

If there is another season of Silent Witness commissioned in the future then there are of course two key characters we’d expect to return and they’re everyone’s favourite colleagues-turned-couple Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson. We saw Nikki and Jack get engaged in the final moments of the season 27 finale and it would certainly be strange and more than a little disappointing if they didn’t come back in a potential Silent Witness season 28. 

Fans could already be imagining what the wedding of a pathologist and forensic scientist might look like. If they do return and this is a plot point we get to see happen then who knows what former characters could maybe make a small cameo at their wedding? We would love to see Clarissa in Silent Witness again and as a close friend of Jack in particular, she could certainly be at their wedding. 

We would also predict the return of Professor Gabriel Folukoya and Velvy in Silent Witness as they haven’t had exit storylines and have been part of the show since season 26. Of course, it’s not impossible that a main cast member could be written out in between seasons without an exit storyline as this happened to Harry Cunningham played by Tom Ward.  

Hopefully this wouldn’t happen with Gabriel or Velvy and since we had a brief glimpse of Velvy’s wife Rivka again in season 27, it’s possible that his personal life could continue to be a recurring theme, meaning she will be back at some point.

Jack’s niece Cara Connelly is also likely to return if there is another season of Silent Witness as she’s been studying and was undertaking a placement at the Lyell Centre in season 27. Cara also lives with Jack in London so if he and Nikki officially move in together and get married it’ll be interesting to see how they’ll fit this around Cara who they both deeply care about. 

Alongside a whole host of amazing guest stars that come in for each new season of Silent Witness, a season 28 might also bring back a few from other instalments. In season 27 Nadine Marshall returned as DI Sarah Torres and over the years we’ve seen other detectives appear multiple times, including Jemma Redgrave’s DI Jill Raymond.

When could Silent Witness season 28 be released? 

Another season of Silent Witness could potentially air in January 2025 as since season 16 there have only been two series that didn’t air in January. This gives fans something to look forward to in the winter evenings after the festive period is over. We would hope that if the BBC does announce another season of Silent Witness then season 28 would follow this same release pattern.

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.

Wondering how to watch Happy Valley in the US? We’ve got you covered as Happy Valley season 3 brought the popular crime drama to an unmissable conclusion.

2023 has already seen the release of plenty of spell-binding dramas, from The Light in the Hall to ITVX’s Nolly. But there’s a special kind of excitement sparked by the return of a long-running show and characters like seeing Nikki and Jack in Silent Witness and Sarah Lancashire’s Sergeant Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley. The Yorkshire-set crime drama first landed in 2014 and Catherine became a fan-favorite as she helped solve complex cases whilst raising her grandson Ryan. After many people likely searched for a Happy Valley season 2 recap, season 3 focused on Catherine’s ongoing feud with Ryan's criminal father Tommy Lee Royce.

It’s all too easy to find yourself wondering - ‘How and where can I watch Happy Valley?’ - after hearing all the discussions about the end of the hit show. Here we reveal how to watch Happy Valley in the US so you don’t miss a single moment…

How to watch Happy Valley in the US 

With all the hype surrounding the Happy Valley ending and the fan reaction following *that* gruesome twist it’s perhaps no surprise that it’s not just viewers in the UK eager to see how things go down between Catherine and her nemesis Tommy Lee Royce. If you’re wondering how to watch Happy Valley in the US then AMC+ is the place to head to catch up on Happy Valley seasons 1 and 2. It’s also reportedly set to air the third and final season too, but unfortunately there’s currently no release date confirmed for Happy Valley season 3. 

But if you just can’t wait any longer amid the online chat and stellar reviews for the hit BBC drama’s final season, a VPN could be a solution. All six episodes of Happy Valley season 3 are also available to watch now in the UK via BBC iPlayer, as well as seasons 1 and 2.  

A VPN is a handy bit of software that changes your IP address so that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home. Our sister site, TechRadar, has tested all of the major VPN services and they rate ExpressVPN as the best.  

They say, “It’s compatible with all of your devices, supports most streaming services, and ranks among the fastest. You can even install it on devices like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. So for a one-stop-shop, you can’t go wrong with Express.” 

So now you know how to watch Happy Valley in the US you can enjoy the emotional rollercoaster that is season 3 and see for yourself how Catherine's story came to a close in *that* unexpected finale scene...

The Silent Witness Southbay ending ensured the latest season of the BBC drama was rounded off in dramatic style with betrayal round every corner and some major dark twists. 

After five more gripping cases and brilliant scenes from newcomers Gabriel and Velvy in Silent Witness, the latest season the hit BBC show has sadly now drawn to an end. Silent Witness season 26 saw Nikki and Jack face some of their toughest infestations yet with more than a few threats to their own lives in the pursuit of the truth. They started the series as a couple and their romance has been every bit as compelling as the show built towards the Silent Witness finale.

Here we explain the Silent Witness Southbay ending, including whether Nikki and Jack are still a couple and what’s next for the future of the show after this chilling final episode…

*Warning: Spoilers ahead!*

Silent Witness Southbay ending explained 

For those who might be looking for a little clarification about the Silent Witness Southbay ending, the investigation across both Southbay Parts 1 and 2 focused on the murder of Carol Laing. Jack got the Lyell Center involved as he helped his former mentor Bill Burnett process the crime scene after driving him back to Southbay in Silent Witness. Carol was the estranged wife of police officer Mike Laing, the mother of his sons and the daughter-in-law of Chief Superintendent Bridget Laing. 

In Southbay Part 1 Mike’s girlfriend Kate Freeman was arrested and charged with Carol’s murder because of what later emerged to be circumstantial evidence. However despite negligence from Bill and corruption being unearthed in the police force, she actually was guilty.

She also almost killed Bridget after her guilt was discovered telling her, “In so many ways, you were to blame”. 

After a drunken argument with Mike where he’d said the only way he’d be allowed by his mother back into CID from being a uniformed police officer was if he went back to his wife, Kate had set out to confront her boyfriend’s ex. During the argument Carol told Kate that if Mike came back to her it was “because he wants to” and not to please his mother and get back in CID. 

Furious, Kate had hit her with a dumbbell in the head and left her there. Subsequently, DI Andrew Walsh who had been dating Carol arrived on the scene and saw his sister Lisa’s scarf by Carol’s unconscious body. 

Panicking that Carol would identify Lisa as her assailant and she'd go to prison, Andrew carried Carol upstairs and stabbed her. Nikki determined in the Silent Witness Southbay ending if he'd left Carol, the head wound caused by Kate’s earlier attack could’ve been fatal so both could be counted as murderers. Andrew later learned that Lisa hadn’t harmed anyone and so confessed to murdering Carol, as well as a criminal he’d tried to frame and admitted he had intended to kill Lisa too. 

Alongside all this and despite being exposed as a murderer, Kate had been right about her police partner Fred Woods’ disappearance being suspicious. She’d been suspended for telling Bridget Laing that another officer had threatened Fred and was corrupt. 

It turned out this was the case and he’d hired the criminal Andrew framed and another to give Fred a scare. Fred had escaped with his hands tied behind his back and tripped, hitting his head and drowning in a stream.

So Silent Witness Southbay ending had not one but three cases and crimes interwoven that were all solved, largely thanks to the investigative expertise and persistence of Nikki and Jack.

Are Nikki and Jack still a couple in the Silent Witness Southbay ending? 

Fear not, Nikki and Jack fans! As things were left in the Silent Witness Southbay ending the pathologist and the forensic scientist were still more than colleagues. If anything, the popular couple’s relationship looked to have reached another level. In Southbay Part 1, Jack and Nikki freely said the all-important, “I love you”, to each other reasonably casually during a phone conversation. The end of the finale storyline brought them together for a beautiful final scene together on the beach at the fictional Southbay and romance was very much on their minds. 

Telling her boyfriend that Southbay had “grown on" her, the pathologist suggested that they could return for an upcoming bank holiday weekend. 

Jack’s verdict? Absolutely not! Laughing, Nikki protested that the Southbay beach was “romantic” and as the couple got up and began walking down the sand, Jack hilariously quipped, “You and I have different ideas of romance in that case.”

Picking Nikki up in his arms, Jack proceeded to walk towards the sea as she told him not to dare trying to drop her in it. Eventually, he heeded to his girlfriend’s plea and put her down again.

The final shots of the Silent Witness Southbay ending showed Nikki and Jack as they raced back towards the shore before it faded to the operatic credits. So the Silent Witness Southbay ending seemed to suggest that the couple’s relationship status isn’t going to change anytime soon. 

How long have Nikki and Jack been together in Silent Witness? 

Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson have been together since the opening episode of the 25th anniversary season, History Part 1. This followed a devastating storyline in season 24’s Matters of Life and Death Part 2 when the colleagues kissed, only for Nikki’s one-night stand with a student and a particularly emotional case to prevent any real conversation about it. Thankfully, they finally discussed it in History Part 1, leading to the two sleeping together for the first time. The rest was, appropriately enough given the episode name, history. 

Although Jack was slightly shocked when he learnt that Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness is Nikki’s ex-husband they moved past this and started the latest series of Silent Witness very much together. Things did admittedly look a little shaky in Hearts of Darkness Parts 1 and 2 when the mother of his niece Cara in Silent Witness arrived. Aoife Connelly is also Jack’s ex and she made it clear she still had feelings for him. He stayed true to Nikki and eventually Aoife decided it was right for her to return to Northern Ireland since she didn’t want to be “just someone” to Jack. 

Since then Nikki and Jack’s relationship hasn’t faced any more major issues and fans are no doubt excited to see where things might go for them in Silent Witness.

Will there be another season of Silent Witness? 

It’s perhaps no surprise given the long-standing popularity of the forensic drama but even though the 2023 season has only just aired the Silent Witness Southbay ending it’s already been announced that there will be another season of Silent Witness. As reported by RadioTimes.com, Silent Witness season 27 was confirmed as being in production on February 1, 2023. 

There’s currently no update on the cast or a possible release date for the new season of Silent Witness, though it might be reasonably safe to predict that Emilia Fox will at least be back as Nikki. Emilia recently told the publication that she would carry on playing Nikki whilst she loves it and that she currently still does. 

She said, "I have always said that I would like to do this job while I love it, and I still love it. And they might say, 'No, we don't want you to do this anymore,' and that's someone else's decision. But I will forever look back on this period of time in my life, which is the best part of two decades, and think what a fantastic chance I have had to play someone that I love, who makes the most out of her life and her work, which I have found endlessly fascinating."

All episodes of Silent Witness seasons 1-26 are available to watch via BBC iPlayer now.

Southbay in Silent Witness is not only the location that the season 26 finale’s investigation takes place in but the name of the episode so fans might well be wondering if it really exists. 

It might seem like only yesterday that the dynamic duo of Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson returned triumphantly to our screens, but sadly Silent Witness season 26 is now drawing to an end. Though the series finale, Southbay Part 2, which is already available to watch via BBC iPlayer, has all the action, emotion and deceit we’d been hoping for to round things off. Featuring Jack’s old mentor and a complex case that explores police corruption, the stakes are grippingly high. As the name might suggest, it’s set in Southbay and this has perhaps left some fans intrigued about this particular location.  

Here we reveal where Southbay in Silent Witness is, whether it’s a real place and where the scenes in the finale were filmed? Plus, how the finale and Southbay itself has affected Nikki and Jack in season 23… 

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

Where is Southbay in Silent Witness and is it a real place? 

Whilst the always-dramatic and often-grisly cases in Silent Witness typically take place in London there are some exceptions and the season 26 finale was set a little further afield. It’s in the opening few moments of the appropriately-titled Southbay Part 1 that fans learn that Southbay Island is going to be a key location for the episode. Southbay in Silent Witness is in the English county of Essex, however unlike the atmospheric locations where Shetland is filmed and Vera season 12 locations, it isn’t a real place. 

There is a South Bay beach in the UK - though this is located in Scarborough in Yorkshire and is spelt completely differently too. Given the focus on police corruption and possible framing that goes on in Southbay Parts 1 and 2 it’s perhaps no surprise that Southbay in Silent Witness is a completely fictional location to avoid possible confusion between fictional events and reality.

Where was Silent Witness Southbay filmed?

Given that Southbay in Silent Witness isn’t actually a real place unsurprisingly it had to be filmed somewhere else though the actual locations used weren’t in Essex either. It’s thought that the stand-in for Southbay in Silent Witness was the Isle of Sheppey. According to Kent Online, the finale episodes of the new season of Silent Witness were filmed on the island and in particular one of the seafront homes. 

This particular house is apparently in The Leas near the Minster Leas Beach on the Isle of Sheppey and from pictures shared on the publication’s site it appears as though this house stood in for murder victim Carol Laing’s home in Silent Witness Southbay Parts 1 and 2. 

Scenes were also shot at the Rose and Crown pub at Leysdown, as well as Warden Beach, Shellness beach, and around the Sheppey Crossing and Kingsferry Bridge. It’s Kingsferry Bridge which stood in for the notorious bridge in Southbay in Silent Witness where Kate Freeman’s missing police partner Fred Woods’ car was discovered abandoned. 

This led his colleagues (apart from Kate) to conclude that he had thrown himself into the water below from Southbay Bridge. They thought he'd been washed out to sea, although it was revealed in Part 2 that this was very far from the truth…

Where is the Isle of Sheppey? 

The Isle of Sheppey is located off the northern coast of the English county of Kent which borders Essex and the Thames Estuary. It’s popular for seaside vacations and has plenty of beaches, as well as nature reserves. The name of the island is understood to derive from the ancient Saxon term, “Sceapige” which roughly translates as “Sheep Island”.

How does Silent Witness Southbay affect Nikki and Jack? 

*Warning: Spoilers for Silent Witness Southbay Parts 1 and 2 ahead* 

It might not be a real place but Southbay in Silent Witness affects Nikki and Jack hugely. The story started with Jack assisting his old friend and mentor Bill Burnett with processing Carol Laing’s murder scene. He had always looked up to him but this started to change across the course of the Silent Witness season 23 finale when Bill’s conclusions were challenged by fellow pathologist Nikki. 

The differences became so pronounced and the prosecutor so nervous about proceeding with the case against Kate Freeman that the two sides came together to present their evidence early. 

Whilst Bill believed that Carol had fallen on an unidentified object, Nikki expressed the belief that Carol had been hit by a moving object and put forward a dumbbell from Carol’s house that she and Jack had found as a possible weapon.  

To Jack’s shock Bill did *not* react well to his findings being challenged and even tried to put the blame on his former mentee for him not having all the information to assess. He accused Jack of being “less than stringent” in processing the scene and even put forward the theory in front of the scientists’ girlfriend Nikki that Jack had been distracted by finding Kate attractive. 

In response the furious forensic scientist countered, “And you’d had so much to drink I’m surprised you remember anything!”  

A combination of factors including Bill’s negligence lead to the initial charges against Kate being dropped. This severely affected Jack and Bill’s relationship though and when Nikki asked Jack later why Bill said all that, he still seemed too shocked to process it properly. 

Ultimately, Kate was determined to have been involved in what happened to Carol but they only got there thanks to looking even deeper at the evidence and the meticulous work of Nikki, Jack and Velvy in Silent Witness, not because of Bill’s original findings. It seems both getting the same conclusion in the end hasn’t helped mend their relationship, though. 

In the closing stages of the finale of Silent Witness 2023, Nikki and Jack were together on the beach at Southbay. The pathologist asked if he could “salvage” his bond with Bill, to which he replied, “I don’t know. It’s hard to get back, you know?”

But what is Bill’s loss is the fans’ gain as the final scenes of episode 10 featured some joyful scenes between Nikki and Jack in Silent Witness instead. After his focus was on his niece Cara in Silent Witness Hearts of Darkness Parts 1 and 2, the couple enjoyed some quality time together, with Jack picking Nikki up and playfully acting as if he was going to take her in the sea before setting her back down on the sand. 

Jack might never get his relationship with Bill back on track after his mentor's negligence but his romance with Nikki was stronger than ever as Silent Witness drew to its rather satisfying conclusion. 

Silent Witness seasons 1-26 are available to watch now via BBC iPlayer.

Velvy in Silent Witness has become a much-loved character in the BBC drama in no time and the latest episodes have seen the return of his wife.

Since it first started in 1996 the cast of Silent Witness has evolved gradually and in season 26 fans were introduced to Velvy Schur. Full of enthusiasm and curiosity, Velvy is now very much an established part of the team alongside Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson and we’ve learnt more and more about his backstory along the way. Having left his family and community behind, Velvy has so much to contend with alongside working on the team’s intense cases. 

In season 27’s latest episodes, Invisible parts 1 and 2, which are both on BBC iPlayer now, his personal life came to the fore once again and it might have got some fans wanting to know more about Velvy in Silent Witness.

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

Who is Velvy in Silent Witness? 

Velvy Schur is the newest recruit in the Lyell Centre team and the Trainee Anatomical Pathology Technologist. Since joining pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander and forensic scientist (and her boyfriend) Jack Hodgson, he’s thrown himself into everything from going out to grab on-site forensics at crime scenes to being on-hand for Nikki as she examines bodies in the mortuary.

Prior to joining the team, Velvy in Silent Witness was part of an Orthodox Jewish community which he subsequently left. Nikki gently asked him about this in the season 26 episode, The Penitent Part 2, giving fans a new insight into his personal experience and journey.

Remarking that he’d left everything behind, she asked if he missed his old life and family. Velvy admitted that he did, responding, “I miss it all. I miss my life. Not only that, I miss my God. He was always there for me.”

In the same discussion, it was revealed that he had been “found” by a former regular character (not to mention fan-favorite), Clarissa in Silent Witness. This special name-drop shows just how much faith she must’ve had in his future and abilities.

Velvy Schur’s actor Alastair Michael previously reflected to the BBC that in the latest series of Silent Witness, Velvy has slowly reached the conclusion that he should focus simply on being “good” rather than brooding too deeply on the past.

“He is coming to a realisation that the very best thing for him to do - both for himself and his children and reconciling what he was then with who he is now – is just to make as good a life for himself as he can,” Alastair said, “He is going to focus on being good at his job and progressing to the point where he might be able to point at what he's made for himself and say, ‘Look, it was a success. I did the right thing.’”

The right thing isn’t always easy, but Alastair believes that Velvy’s children, Tirza and Yosele, are a source of “inspiration” for him to build a future for himself.

The actor said, “Then he can use that as an inspiration for his children. He has to stop dwelling on the past and try to do something positive with what he's got to ensure his own future. So that's where we find Velvy at the start of the series, absolutely sinking his teeth into the work.”

Alastair confirmed that his character “still has this fear that he might run into someone he knows from his past because geographically he's not gone that far”. He added that “mentally and spiritually, he's trying to go very far” and is likely “haunted by his past” and whether he made the right decision.

Who plays Velvy in Silent Witness?

Alastair Michael plays Velvy in Silent Witness and you might have seen him before if you’re a fan of the BBC’s period drama Ridley Road. The actor has also been in Snatch alongside Harry Potter star Rupert Grint and Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor.

Why did Velvy leave his family in Silent Witness? 

Velvy left his family in Silent Witness because he began to experience doubts and wanted to explore life beyond his Orthodox Jewish community. He declared in his first episode on the show, The Penitent, that whilst his parents had been told to “consider [him] dead” he’d “never felt more alive” since embarking on his new life. He added that he’s not sure what he believes now, but remarked that it’s “like they say on Strictly [Strictly Come Dancing] I guess I’m on my journey.”

That doesn’t mean his journey is an easy one - far from it. Towards the end of Star Part 2 in season 26, he revealed to Cara he hadn’t seen his baby boy Yosele since he was 9 days old. This has clearly affected him deeply, especially since Velvy’s mother had called him earlier in the episode completely out of the blue, after he’d left his number with her six months earlier. 

It emerged via this call that he has multiple children. She explained that Rivka “brings the babies round” to see her and reassured Velvy that “they’re healthy. They’re beautiful”.

His mother also shared how she and Rivka seem to be keeping his memory alive for them as she added, “You’re alive to all of us” before hanging up on the Trainee Anatomical Pathology Technologist. At the end of the episode we saw a moment of bravery from Velvy in Silent Witness as he declared to Nikki that he’d been “caught up in himself a lot” recently, but that he’d decided the time had come to do something about this.

In Hearts of Darkness Part 2, we then saw him calling Rivka and tell her that he knew she “couldn’t speak to [him]”, but he just wanted to hear the children. His wife granted his request and the emotion on his face as Velvy listened to his children playing on the other end of the line was both heart-breaking and uplifting all at once.

Who is Velvy’s wife Rivka Schur in Silent Witness? 

Velvy’s wife Rivka Schur is first mentioned and is seen in a photo in his first ever episode, but appears in person in the season 26 episodes Star Parts 1 and 2. Velvy explained to Jack’s niece Cara about his wife and said that Rivka had been planning to leave their community with him before ultimately deciding against it. As Velvy put it, it was “not easy” to make that decision.

Later on we saw him anxiously waiting in a café when a young woman arrived pushing a pram, accompanied by a little girl. After he retrieved the girl’s fallen cat toy, the girl greeted Velvy in Silent Witness season 26 delightedly as “Daddy” as her mother turned slowly around, shocked, as he said softly, “Rivka” and her identity as Velvy’s wife was revealed.

After no further on-screen appearances alongside Velvy in Silent Witness, Rivka returned, played by Chloe Tannenbaum, in season 27’s sixth episode, Invisible Part 2, which was made available on iPlayer at the same time as Part 1.All season long it had been clear that Velvy was keeping a secret and Nikki found him sleeping in the office, creating the impression that he had perhaps lost his home. It later emerged that he had a flat, but that it had no heating and was barely liveable.

Velvy asked Gabriel for an advance on his salary and was turned down, but Cara tracked him down and he confessed that he was still giving money to Rivka for her and the kids and renting a separate home on his one income.

“I have two homes to maintain,” he told Cara. “A family to provide for. There’s no more money.”

After his colleagues rallied round and discussed how they might help, Cara was asked by Nikki to call Velvy’s emergency contact and ask them to help. Following this Rivka and Velvy met and she dropped the envelope of money he’d given her earlier at his feet.

“No man should walk out on his wife and children. You cannot call yourself a father. You are an embarrassment,” Rivka told him, before leaving Velvy alone with the money looking devastated.

Will Velvy go back to his family? 

Fans will no doubt continue to hope for a reunion between Rivka and Velvy in Silent Witness, given how much he misses her and their children. Though at the moment, it’s not clear how this might come about as Rivka’s remarks to him in season 27 seem quite final and Velvy really took them to heart. Talking to Jack later about what his wife had said, Velvy said, “She was right. I have to live with it.”

Finding a way to live his daily life and come to terms with leaving his family behind is something that Velvy will likely focus on throughout the rest of Silent Witness season 27. He’s now moved into Jack’s spare room and it’s not clear if Invisible will be the last time we see Rivka this season.

Silent Witness airs at 9pm on BBC One on Mondays and Tuesdays, with episodes released each week on BBC iPlayer.

The return of Cara in Silent Witness season 26 has provided plenty of brilliant moments and now her mother has appeared for the first time.

Long-time fans of the hit forensic drama might be keeping their fingers crossed that one day they’ll see more of the likes of Harry and Clarissa in Silent Witness. But whilst these returns aren't expected to happen, thankfully it looks as though recurring character Cara Connelly isn't going anywhere yet - at least for the rest of Silent Witness season 26. We first saw Cara in Silent Witness in season 24 and now she’s back and at the center of some family tension as her mother finally made her debut in the latest season. Her arrival wasn’t expected by Jack and Nikki in Silent Witness and it’s certainly shaken things up. 

But who is Cara in Silent Witness, who plays her and who is her mother as she continues to make waves in the BBC drama’s latest episode…

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

Who is Cara in Silent Witness? 

Whilst we always enjoy the introduction of brilliant new characters like Gabriel and Velvy in Silent Witness, it was also a joy to see the return of Cara Connelly in the latest season. If you’re not sure about the backstory of Cara in Silent Witness she is forensic scientist Jack Hodgson’s niece - the daughter of his brother Ryan Kelvin, played by Owen McDonnell. She first appeared in Silent Witness season 24 episode, Bad Love Part 1 to try and find her father. 

Initially shocked as he'd never known she existed, Jack welcomed Cara into his life though things didn’t go quite as smoothly as he’d hoped after she found out Ryan was in prison.

Cara misunderstood the reason why he'd been convicted and confronted Jack about it. With a little sign language help from his colleague Dr Adam Yuen (who sadly met a dramatic and grisly end later in the season), Jack told an upset Cara the real reason Ryan was in jail. 

For those who, like Cara, were unaware, Ryan persuaded an underage girl to sleep with an older man to provide him with blackmail material that would help out a former business associate. The girl was subsequently murdered and Jack told the truth leading to Ryan’s arrest.

After being told this it looked like that episode might be the last we saw of Cara in Silent Witness as she left the Lyell saying she never wanted to meet Ryan. She later changed her mind and although things went south between her and her father after he left prison, she and her uncle have been close ever since. In Silent Witness season 26 Cara returned to London to study a criminology degree and moved in with Jack.

 Who plays Cara in Silent Witness? 

Cara in Silent Witness is played by Rhiannon May, previously credited as Rhiannon Jones, and she’s been a recurring character since season 24 of the BBC drama. She’s previously acted in a 2022 short called The Riley Sisters and Rhiannon opened up to the BBC about how exciting it was that there’s a bigger role for Cara in Silent Witness in the 2023 season. 

“[F]or me personally, selfishly, it is very exciting. But more widely, it's also exciting that the BBC and Silent Witness want to show a wonderful deaf character,” she declared. “They want to show her in lots of different lights and take the opportunity to show a lot of different kinds of ways of communicating. She is a really great character.”

Asked how playing Cara Connelly in the show can help broaden viewers’ understanding about her life as a deaf actor, Rhiannon expressed how significant it is that Cara is shown to be so strong.

The Silent Witness star said, “Definitely, I think it's important to show Cara’s smart, she's witty and she's not a victim in this show. It would have been very easy to include a couple of episodes about a deaf character who gets run over by a car. They could have highlighted a vulnerable deaf narrative, but that's not the case on Silent Witness at all. Cara adapts her communication for Jack and other people, but she doesn't apologise for it. She's studying at university. She's a strong character, and that's what I love about her.”

Who is Cara’s mum and is she in Silent Witness season 26? 

After hearing about her for so long, in Star Part 2 the mother of Cara in Silent Witness make her first on-screen appearance. Cara Connelly’s mum, Aoife Connelly, is an ex-girlfriend of Jack’s brother Ryan and is also the former lover of Jack. They had an affair and there was initially some confusion about who Cara’s father was until Jack did a secret paternity test. And now she’s reunited with Jack in London, it seems her feelings for him haven’t gone *anywhere*.

Back in Silent Witness season 24 Bad Love Part 1, Jack’s father Connor revealed that he’d known Jack and Aoife were betraying Ryan, telling him, “You and her - don’t deny it”. Which of course, he didn’t.

But Jack was left reeling when his father admitted Aoife had asked him for money for an abortion back then. He’d given it to her because he thought she felt guilty about sleeping with Jack and the baby possibly being his, but Cara’s existence proved she’d not gone through with it. 

As the mother of Cara in Silent Witness, Aoife was occasionally mentioned in earlier seasons but she finally arrived in London in Star Part 2, played by Aislin McGuckin. Her daughter had moved in with Jack after deciding to pursue a criminology degree “sort of like him”. She’d kept this from Aoife who wasn’t thrilled when she found out and refused to pay for Cara’s university halls. 

Cara’s passion meant she started to spend more time at the Lyell, until family tension emerged when Aoife Connelly turned up and confronted old flame Jack.

Trying to keep a polite tone, Aoife asked him to explain to her why Cara had signed up for a criminology degree and was spending so much time “hanging out in a morgue full of dead people”. By the latest episodes, Hearts of Darkness Parts 1 and 2, though, it’s fans of  Nikki and Jack in Silent Witness that might be worrying for the future of their favorite couple’s relationship. 

She exchanged a few barbed comments with Nikki about how much Cara is getting paid for helping out at the Lyell and not wanting her daughter to be “exploited”, though Cara explained this was her idea of a joke. Aoife decided to stay in London and moved in with Jack, who was conflicted and trying to provide stability for Cara. 

Nikki later told Jack that Aoife was “very protective” of both him and Cara, but as anyone who raced ahead on BBC iPlayer to Part 2 will know, it’s more than that. 

Aoife tried to get Jack to admit he once loved her as she once loved him and it’s clear that her feelings are still there. The forensic scientist picked up on this too and told her, “We knew then that it couldn’t last. I’ve moved on. So should you.”

Later on it emerged that the relationship between Aoife and Cara in Silent Witness is strained, as Cara criticised the lack of communication between them. And when Nikki told Jack that Aoife might feel she was losing Cara to him, he responded that it was her who was "lost ” and had thought she’d "found herself in [him]", even pretending to have found a new job in London to stay. 

By the end of Hearts of Darkness Part 2, he had resolved to make having Aoife in his life work, but she insisted that she was leaving, presumably to go back to Northern Ireland. Before she was walked out by Cara in Silent Witness’ final stages, Aoife declared, “I can’t be just someone to you Jack. I don’t know why. I’m sorry.”

With that, Aoife left and it seems like this could be the last we see of her in the latest season. But who knows how her arrival might have affected Nikki and Jack’s relationship going forwards. 

Where is Cara’s dad in Silent Witness? 

Ryan Kelvin, Jack’s brother, Aoife Connelly’s ex-boyfriend and the father of Cara in Silent Witness was last seen in Brothers Keeper Part 2 when he manipulated his daughter into going to Ireland with him. In reality he was using her to smuggle a gun there on the ferry in her bag. After some quick deduction Jack intercepted them at Paddington Coach Station, told Cara the truth and confronted Ryan.

It didn’t help that this was the episode where Ryan found out about Jack also testing his own DNA to determine paternity, which meant he was reluctant to listen to his brother. Jack told him he was “done” owing him and Ryan left to get the ferry.

Since then, he hasn’t been seen in Silent Witness, though Jack told him he’d get caught on the ferry with the gun. It’s possible he was sent back to prison but Jack told Nikki at the end of the episode he didn’t know where his brother was.

When is Silent Witness next on? 

If you want to watch the events of Hearts of Darkness Part 2 unfold on TV rather than streaming on BBC iPlayer then it will be shown on Tuesday, January 24 at 9pm on BBC One. Following this episode, Silent Witness will next be broadcast on Monday January 30th and Tuesday January 31st, with the finale storyline of season 23.

Nikki and Jack in Silent Witness are the ultimate investigative power couple but their relationship almost stuttered to a halt before it could develop.

Just as fans were accepting that pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) and forensic scientist Jack Hodgson (David Caves) weren’t ever going to be an item, love blossomed between them. Whilst many will likely miss the likes of Simone and Clarissa in Silent Witness, at this point the BBC drama just wouldn’t be the same without Nikki and Jack in Silent Witness. Their new romance is still going strong in Silent Witness season 26. The experienced pathologist’s last relationship with Matt Garcia (Michael Landes) ended off-screen, perhaps leaving some people a little unsure about when the break-up happened and when exactly she and Jack got together. 

But when did Nikki and Matt break up, when did a relationship form between Nikki and Jack in Silent Witness and why did it almost never happen? 

*Warning: Spoilers ahead!*

When did Nikki and Matt Garcia break up in Silent Witness? 

One brief moment of distraction and even long-time fans might’ve missed the moment it was confirmed that pathologist Nikki Alexander and her US politician boyfriend Matt Garcia were revealed to have broken up. The couple first got together in season 21 and romance blossomed in the face of adversity (he was briefly kidnapped) and Matt even offered to move to London. 

Nikki told him not to sacrifice everything for her, but their relationship continued long-distance and seemed to be going strong. In season 22, To Brighton, To Brighton Nikki had briefly thought she was pregnant with Matt’s child and they discussed the possibility of starting a family.  

Matt’s last on-screen appearance was in season 24 when he retreated into himself after a flight he had been supposed to be on went down. At the end of the episode, he confessed this to Jack at the Lyell and he encouraged him to actually talk to Nikki about it. But in season 24 Nikki told her colleague Simone Tyler that “it can be hard” going long-distance. 

This dropped heavy hints there was trouble in paradise and then in the season 24 finale, Jack was told by one of Nikki’s students, Ollie, that she and Matt had broken up. In terms of time-frame the break-up seems to have happened between the two episodes. 

Why did Nikki and Jack’s relationship almost never happen? 

With Nikki and Matt over many fans were likely left hoping that the close bond of friendship between the pathologist and forensic scientist Jack Hodgson would *finally* become something more. But the very same student who told Jack about the break-up almost scuppered these romantic dreams for good. Ollie had a fling with Nikki after flirting with her all season long and inviting her to a Halloween party.

They went back to his house and were sleeping together at the same time as Jack was helping at an isolated care home where a resident had died mysteriously, flood water cutting them off from help and meaning they had to get to higher ground. It was only in the early hours when Nikki woke up that she realised how bad the rain was and left Jack a heartfelt message asking him to let her know he’s safe.

Only Ollie walked into the room and asked her if she was coming “back to bed” and this got picked up on the end of the voicemail. Jack later listened to the voicemail just after he and Nikki had shared an emotionally-charged kiss. 

Hearing Ollie’s voice hurt Jack and he went on to confront the student at the Lyell telling him not to ruin Nikki’s career. Ollie said he had no intention of doing so, told Jack about her and Matt breaking up and then later attempted to persuade Nikki to give a relationship a go. She turned him down, citing the age difference but also because she very clearly had feelings for Jack. Though Nikki and Jack didn't actually have a chance to discuss the kiss, her breakup with Matt or the voicemail from Ollie that put doubts in Jack's head about her feelings for him properly that season. 

When did Nikki and Jack in Silent Witness get together? 

After season upon season of ‘will-they-won’t-they’ we finally saw romance between Nikki and Jack in Silent Witness in the 25th anniversary season when they walked to a hotel room together as they investigated a case in Liverpool. Pausing outside the door, Jack and Nikki talked about *that* kiss moment after the flood and how timing-wise it hadn’t been great given everything else that had been going on. He told her, “It’s always s*** timing with us”. Not any more though! Following this, they kissed and went into Nikki’s hotel room together. 

Their relationship status wasn’t really confirmed, though their closeness remained and Jack was hurt that she didn’t tell him that Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness was her ex-husband straight away. By the 2023 series of the BBC drama, though, David Caves and Emilia Fox’s characters are very much an item. In the opening episode Jack even invites Nikki to move in with him to avoid the attention and threats of the mafia, though now he’s definitely sharing his house with his niece Cara in Silent Witness. Whether Nikki could permanently move in too remains to be seen. 

Silent Witness season 26 continues on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One and episodes are released weekly on BBC iPlayer.

Few could forget Thomas in Silent Witness and now years after his death, Nikki has made an offer that could see his role taken on by someone else.

After the twists and turns of the overarching storyline of the 25th anniversary season, including who Tom Faulker was in Silent Witness, fans were likely equally excited to see the return of the two-part episodes with the latest series. But there have been changes in Silent Witness season 26  with the introduction of new colleagues for pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander and forensic scientist Jack Hodgson. They're treading the path taken by many fan-favorite characters who came before them. This includes Thomas in Silent Witness, who bowed out in dramatic style in season 23. And it seems that Nikki has her own ideas about who should replace him. 

Here we reveal what happened to Thomas in Silent Witness, how he died and who Nikki wants to be the new Lyell Center boss in the new season…

*Warning: Spoilers ahead!*

What happened to Thomas in Silent Witness and how did he die?

Dr Thomas Chamberlain joined the Lyell Center team in the opening episode of season 17 entitled Commodity. Initially, Nikki isn’t convinced by their new boss and is resentful of Thomas introducing himself as the one “replacing” the late Professor Leo Dalton, to which she replied crisply, “No you’re not. You’re taking over from him.”

Things aren't helped when Thomas arranges for the disposal of her former mentor and boss' old chair. Admittedly, it’s seen better days, but it still reminds her of Leo.

Leo was killed in Afghanistan when a bomb went off in the season 16 finale and he sacrificed his own life to walk with the man who the device was strapped to as far away from other people as possible. Nikki and Jack watched helplessly as he did this and having worked with him longer, she struggled most to deal with Thomas coming in. Over the course of Commodity, Thomas proves his skills and eventually wins Nikki over as a worthy successor to Leo. It might've helped that he rescued Leo’s chair and brought it back to her...

Over the course of multiple seasons Thomas became a close friend to Nikki, forensic scientist Jack Hodgson and forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery. Fans also got to learn more about his family life and saw him reconnecting with his daughter Rosie. But it all ended in tragedy and the last time we saw Thomas in Silent Witness was the emotional season 23 finale, The Greater Good. 

With Jack in hospital near death after being affected by a mystery nerve agent, Thomas donned a protective suit and went on to find out what the agent by testing some of it. Only Clarissa arrived outside the sealed room with results to tell him that the agent was designed to make its way through the filtration system in the suit. 

That meant the suit was useless and Thomas died alone in the lab, telling a frantic Nikki and Clarissa to make sure the hospital was told of the discovery. They watched as he passed away, having found the information that was needed to save Jack. 

This was also the last we saw of Clarissa in Silent Witness and she, Nikki and Jack met up in the park to watch a video of Thomas flying a kite with Rosie in happier times before the credits started to roll. This immensely sad end for Thomas in Silent Witness will forever be remembered by long-time fans and he was mentioned in the subsequent series as his colleagues continued to process his death. 

Why did Richard Lintern leave as Thomas in Silent Witness? 

Whilst other main Silent Witness cast members like Liz Carr who played Clarissa, have explained their reasons for leaving the BBC drama, it’s still not known exactly why Richard Lintern departed as Thomas in Silent Witness. No reason was reportedly given for him leaving by the actor or show. There's also uncertainty over whether Thomas was killed off because Richard wanted to leave, or whether Richard left because Thomas’ dramatic death was written to add extra pathos to the finale. Either way, he made his mark on the popular drama as the talented and loyal Dr Thomas Chamberlain.

Who’s replacing Thomas in Silent Witness season 26? 

Following Thomas’ death, Nikki took on some of Thomas’ lecture work in season 24, leading to her having a brief fling with infatuated student Ollie that nearly prevented Nikki and Jack’s now blossoming relationship from developing at all when the hurt scientist found out. But there hasn’t technically been a new boss for the team since Thomas - or not one that was introduced to viewers anyway. Now someone else finally looks set to step into Thomas’ shoes in the latest season. 

During the opening episode of the new series of Silent Witness entitled The Penitent Part 2, Nikki was temporarily missing (presumed dead by some, hoped dead by others) after a van she was traveling in was blown up. However, in her absence a post mortem needed to be done on the driver who'd been shot first, so in came Dr Gabriel Folukoya played by new regular cast member Aki Omoshaybi. 

He carried it out expertly and in the closing stages of the episode when justice prevailed and Nikki was back safely living her life, she paid Gabriel a visit. Commenting on how expensive his sofa was, Nikki explained that she’d come to offer him a job - though it wouldn't pay as well as Gabriel was used to. She urged him to work with them, to which he asked if she meant he’d be working “for” her. 

“No,” Nikki clarified. “I mean, come and be our boss.”

He wasn't sure, saying, “You should do that job. You’re by far the most qualified.” 

She protested that she “can’t do” any of the budgets, politics and funding rounds expected to be carried out by the person in charge of the center. Nor, it seems, does she want to. 

“I know you think it's indulgent, but I need to be free to do my work,” Nikki explained. “To put everything I am into it.”

The pathologists discussed things further, with Nikki praising Gabriel for how he’d immediately sussed during his earlier post mortem that the van bombing was an inside job. As things were left, Gabriel is still thinking about the offer, but considering Aki is a regular cast member for Silent Witness season 26 it looks like he’ll soon be accepting and taking Thomas’ role as Nikki’s boss.

Of course, he could be joining in a different capacity but given Nikki had offered him that job specifically it would be a surprise. Opening up to the BBC before the drama returned, Aki explained that Gabriel is used to being less “hands on” than Nikki and Jack, but hinted he’s about to learn the value of their way of working too. 

“He keeps people at arm's length until he knows he can trust them. As a data expert, he doesn't speculate much, he's very fact-based. But as Gabriel starts to work with Nikki and Jack, he realizes they are more hands-on. He sees there are two ways of working and they complement each other,” the actor explained. 

Silent Witness season 26 continues on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One with episodes released each week on BBC iPlayer.

The departure of Clarissa in Silent Witness was such a sad moment for fans and some new viewers might be wondering what happened to her after she was referenced in season 28.

She might have left the long-running BBC drama five years ago, but who could ever forget Clarissa Mullery in Silent Witness? Played brilliantly by Liz Carr, she was a forensic examiner with a sense of humour and an eagle eye for detail. She joined the Lyell Centre team alongside forensic scientist Jack Hodgson and soon it was hard to imagine Silent Witness without her. Clarissa helped to solve some of the toughest cases, bringing enormous empathy and humour to them and her eventual departure from the drama was a poignant moment.

The start of the new series of Silent Witness might have brought fresh hope in the minds of some fans that we could hear Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack talk about Clarissa Mullery and we weren’t left disappointed. Here we reveal what happened to Clarissa in Silent Witness, why she left and the sweet update we got in season 28.

*Warning: Spoilers Ahead!*

What happened to Clarissa in Silent Witness?

Forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery joined Silent Witness in the opening episode of season 16, Change, alongside Jack who insisted on her being appointed to assist him as soon as he was hired by the Lyell. Whilst he continues to be a key character in Silent Witness to this day, Clarissa left the team in the season 23 finale to focus "more on the living". Silent Witness season 23 included the episodes Hope Part 1 and Part 2 and at the end of this heart-wrenching storyline Clarissa’s terminally ill mother Penny passed away.

Whilst many fans might forever miss Clarissa in Silent Witness, there’s no mistaking how powerfully her exit from the forensic drama was handled in The Greater Good. The character stated her reasons very clearly before departing the close-knit team.

"I’ve decided, it’s time for me to leave the Lyell," she declared. "I love my work here, working with you all. I’ve never been so happy. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like but with Mum’s death…I just know, deep down, that it’s time for me to move on. To focus less on the dead and more on the living. On life."

Following this explanation which likely had many of us in tears, her final moment came at the end of the episode as she met up with Nikki and Jack and delivered her final line, "Better late than never" to him. The three friends watched a video of their late boss, Thomas Chamberlain, flying a kite with his daughter Rosie and sat in silence together.

Although Clarissa had already announced her intention to leave the Lyell Centre team before Thomas’s death, there’s no doubt that she was also hugely affected by what happened to him in The Greater Good Part 2. This heart-wrenching episode saw Thomas risk his own life to examine a nerve agent to try and provide a clue to doctors about what a seriously-ill Jack needed to be treated for.

Unfortunately, the protective suit didn’t prevent him from being affected by the nerve agent himself and Nikki and Clarissa watched helplessly from outside the sealed lab as Thomas died painfully, but happy to have given them the answer they needed to save Jack.

After this Clarissa Mullery was likely even more sure about leaving and focusing more on life, possibly including spending more quality time with her husband Max, who we were also introduced to during her time on Silent Witness.

Meanwhile, her actor Liz Carr has previously revealed her personal reasons for wanting to say a fond farewell to the character.

Opening up to RadioTimes.com, Liz shared, "The job was a joy. Clarissa was very loved, and I don’t take the experience or the support that I got in that role for granted at all. But I wanted to see who else I could play. Silent Witness took nine months a year, so it did cut out an awful lot of projects that I would’ve loved to do. I was almost starting to resent that, because I wanted to do other things."

Since leaving her role as Clarissa in Silent Witness, actor and disability rights activist Liz has starred in Netflix’s The Witcher, as well as thriller Devs, Good Omens and Loki. She also authored and presented a powerful BBC documentary on assisted dying entitled Better off Dead? which aired in 2024.

Is Clarissa in the new series of Silent Witness? 

There’s nothing quite like the spark of joy fans get when a former regular character returns to your favorite show and many of us might be hoping that The Greater Good Part 2 wasn’t the last we’ll ever see of Clarissa in Silent Witness. She made quite the impression during her eight-season tenure on the hit BBC drama and although Liz Carr hasn’t appeared in person again since, Clarissa Mullery has been mentioned several times in recent seasons and continues to have a huge impact on the day-to-day running of the Lyell Centre.

It seems that since leaving Nikki and Jack, Clarissa is now giving lectures on forensic science. Although it’s not known exactly where, Jack’s new crime analyst Kit Brookes (played by Francesca Mills) told him in her interview Exodus: 20:17 Part 2 that she was inspired to pursue a career in forensics after hearing Clarissa speak.

"I went to a lecture given by Clarissa Mullery," Kit explained. "And I listened to her and I thought, ‘I want to do that’. Actually, it was more than that. I said to myself, ‘I can do that’. She was a bit of a hero."

Both Nikki and Jack seemed impressed by this answer and it wasn’t long before Kit was given the job. Clearly the way Clarissa spoke about her field of expertise was incredibly inspirational and Kit isn’t the only person who’s gone on to get a job with Nikki and Jack thanks in some way to the former forensic examiner.

In season 26’s The Penitent Part 2 it emerged that Clarissa was the whole reason Velvy Schur joined the team. Played by Alastair Michael, Velvy arrived as a Trainee Anatomical Pathology Technologist and was part of the show from season 26-27. Whilst Nikki herself said most people on placements at the Lyell "can’t wait to get out" of there, Velvy loved it.

"Clarissa found you didn’t she?" Nikki asked Velvy, to which he admitted, "She said I was crazy enough to work here."

The pathologist told him that this rather unusual statement "sounds a bit like Clarissa", whilst Velvy added, "I think it was a compliment."

"For sure. It means you’re a bit like her," Nikki told the trainee warmly.

This statement couldn’t have been more Clarissa and her dry sense of humor was something that will forever be remembered about her. As Nikki and Jack’s friend, she’s clearly still looking out for them and although it wasn’t clear what her future would hold career-wise after she left in season 23, she seems to be still moving in forensic circles. Clarissa's legacy in Silent Witness lives on and that although she's no longer in the show, the character still has an impact shaping the lives of her former colleagues.

Silent Witness season 25 continues at 9pm on BBC One on Mondays and Tuesdays and episodes are made available on BBC iPlayer each week on Mondays.

Silent Witness season 26 will see Nikki and Jack’s relationship under "pressure" as the new series tackles intense issues. 

With its analytical focus, Silent Witness is one of those shows like Criminal Minds that has amassed plenty of fans over the years. Starring Emilia Fox and David Caves as lead characters, pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander and forensic scientist Jack Hodson, the hit BBC drama marked its milestone 25th anniversary last year. Now a new season of Silent Witness is almost here and it promises to be bigger and better than ever, delivering dramatic storylines and personal stories.

Here we explore the details in the Silent Witness season 26 trailer, whether Nikki and Jack are still together in the new season and when and how you can watch it…

*Warning: Spoilers ahead!*

Silent Witness season 26 trailer and are Nikki and Jack still together? 

The BBC drama is known for its dark scenes and issue-focused plots and the Silent Witness season 26 trailer has teased some gripping moments. It opens with Nikki announcing that someone wants them to stop investigating, before she muses about the only motive for murder that makes sense to her: protecting people you love. 

Amid a series of dramatic scenes and the introduction of some new colleagues for Nikki and Jack, the pathologist says fearfully that “they know where we are”. Later on in the 30 second trailer someone can be heard asking why a person is being paid "so much attention”. 

Could it be Nikki with all eyes on her? Well, towards the end of the Silent Witness trailer Jack expresses concern for her.

“What do they want Nikki?” he asks, as it cuts to Nikki staring worriedly at her own reflection and that’s where the new Silent Witness trailer leaves us. It does tell us one thing though - that Nikki and Jack are still very much at the center of things. 

After episode upon episode of ‘“will-they-won’t-they” scenes, Nikki and Jack finally got together last season. They were heavily featured in the trailer and their relationship in Silent Witness season 26 has been discussed by Emilia Fox and David Caves. 

He told the BBC that at the beginning of the season “Jack and Nikki are very much a couple. They’re in a good place”. However, Emilia explained that they are also placed under “pressure” in the new Silent Witness season.

“Now that they're together, this epic story puts the Jack and Nikki relationship under pressure," she said, before clarifying that it's because it makes them vulnerable. 

“But a different kind of pressure is put on them as they realize that they're each other's strength, but they're also each other's vulnerability because they care so much for each other,” Emilia added. “If either of them is in danger, that puts real stress on the other, the relationship has suddenly given them an Achilles heel.” 

The first episode, The Penitent, has a Mafia-focused storyline and David explained that Nikki gets “heavily involved”. He said that this puts Jack in a dangerous position too and it could be her getting in too deep that the Silent Witness trailer was hinting at. 

"Nikki gets quite heavily involved and is faced with a terrible dilemma, which puts Jack at risk because he’s her weakness. When you're working in that sort of world with somebody you love, then one of you is constantly in peril, if not both of you. How does the other person deal with that? What does it mean?” he said. “There is a real underlying menace in this series, which I think is really, really good.” 

David also explained that fans can expect more topical storylines including one focused on immigration and another on the dangers of social media. With so much set to unfold in the new season of Silent Witness, it’s likely a relief to fans they won’t have to wait much longer to see it. 

When does Silent Witness season 26 start?

Time might fly when you’re having fun but after the season 25 Silent Witness ending landed in May, the show's return likely couldn’t have seemed further away. Now there’s just a few weeks before Nikki and Jack are back putting their expertise to the test. According to the BBC website, Silent Witness season 26 starts with The Penitent Part 1 on January 2nd 2022. 

And unlike series 25 which opted for a new style to celebrate the BBC drama’s 25 year anniversary, it’s business as usual in season 26. 

Each distinct Silent Witness storyline is once again split across two episodes airing on consecutive nights so The Penitent Part 2 will be broadcast on January 3rd. From then on the scheduling remains the same, with part 1 of the next episode airing on the following Monday and part 2 on the following Tuesday.

Silent Witness season 25 finale whirlwind recap 

We already know that the new season of Silent Witness won’t have one overarching storyline spanning the whole series like season 25. This means many of the mysteries that were key last time like who Ethan Daley was in Silent Witness probably won’t matter going forwards. Though there is one plot thread from the Silent Witness season 25 finale that might still be relevant.

The matter of who Tom Faulkner was in Silent Witness was huge as fans learnt he was Nikki’s former husband. In the finale she finally proved he was innocent of multiple murders by working out how DNA was being fabricated to incriminate him. 

The season’s whole plot focused on data, how it is used and how evidence can be manipulated and in the finale government special advisor Oscar Harris was revealed as the one behind everything, teamed up with businessman Ethan Daley. Tom was persuaded by Nikki not to kill Oscar for his crimes. But in the final scenes Tom entered Oscar’s prison cell pretending to be his lawyer.

Nikki then got a text message miles away from a phone that appeared to have been planted on her saying, “I can’t let it go. I’m sorry.”

It might not have been Tom, but if it was, then he might appear again or at least be mentioned in Silent Witness season 26 at some point.  

Which regular cast members are back for the new season of Silent Witness? 

Returning Silent Witness cast members:

• Emilia Fox as Dr Nikki Alexander
• David Caves as Jack Hodgson
• Rhiannon May as Cara

At this point Silent Witness just wouldn’t be Silent Witness without Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson played by Emilia Fox and David Caves and they're back in the new season, as is Rhiannon May as Jack’s niece Cara. She's returned to London to pursue a criminology degree and persuades Jack to let her stay with him. 

Rhiannon expressed to the BBC how excited she was that Cara's role is expanded this season, declaring, "[F]or me personally, selfishly, it is very exciting. But more widely, it's also exciting that the BBC and Silent Witness want to show a wonderful deaf character. They want to show her in lots of different lights and take the opportunity to show a lot of different kinds of ways of communicating. She is a really great character."

Meanwhile, Emilia - who has played Nikki since season 8 - explained why she is drawn to return year after year. 

“I still find the premise of the show gripping. Trying to find out what happened in the last 10 minutes of someone's life, trying to piece that together through pathology. Trying to work out what happened by going through the body and finding the clues within the body,” she said.

The actor continued, “Combining that with the forensic science. I find the medical scientific side of it absolutely fascinating. It is personally stimulating as much as professionally stimulating - you're learning all the time.”

Who’s joining the Silent Witness season 26 cast? 

New Silent Witness cast members:

• Aki Omoshaybi as Gabriel
• Alistair Michael as Velvy

New cast members have also been announced as joining Silent Witness season 26, playing Nikki and Jack’s new colleagues. Aki Omoshaybi is playing neurologist and pathologist Gabriel and according to the actor, working alongside Nikki and Jack is a learning curve.

Aki told the BBC, “He keeps people at arm's length until he knows he can trust them. As a data expert, he doesn't speculate much, he's very fact-based. But as Gabriel starts to work with Nikki and Jack, he realizes they are more hands-on.”

"We find Gabriel at a juncture in his life, realizing that it’s possible to marry those two sides. He has to understand he’s dealing with humans, and not just computer screens,” he added. “His new colleagues have to coax him out of his comfort zone. And during the series, he learns how to compromise a bit.”  

Trainee Anatomical Pathology Technologist Velvy is also new in season 26, played by Alistair Michael. The actor revealed that Velvy is undertaking not only a professional journey, but a personal one as he has left his Orthodox Jewish community. 

“He goes on quite a few different journeys. Within the professional context, he goes from being the newbie who's quite green to being someone who feels like he's part of the team. He feels like he's found a place within that group, that family, that community,” Alistair explained.

He continued, “That ties into the other journey that he's on. He has just left his Orthodox Jewish community, and so he's on a personal journey towards finding a place for himself in a new secular world and figuring out who he is and who his new friends are. He is also trying to figure out how he can still be connected to where he's come from. I think his journey is a lot about trying to balance those exciting new elements with the things that make him who he is.”

How to watch Silent Witness season 26 and from the beginning 

Although you don’t have to have seen the last season of Silent Witness before watching season 26, who doesn’t want to enjoy the most intriguing cases from the show’s past? Fans can enjoy seasons 1-25 via BBC iPlayer and can watch Silent Witness season 26 at 9pm on BBC One when it starts on January 2 and then going forwards at the same time and on the same channel on Mondays and Tuesdays. Episodes from the new season will also be made available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

If you’re abroad when Silent Witness season 26 airs or when you want to re-watch other seasons then you won’t be able to watch like you normally would due to regional restrictions. Luckily there’s an easy solution and you can use a VPN to continue watching. This is a handy bit of software that changes your IP address so that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home.

Our sister site, TechRadar, has tested all of the major VPN services and they rate ExpressVPN as the absolute best. They say, “It’s compatible with all of your devices, supports most streaming services, and ranks among the fastest. You can even install it on devices like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. So for a one-stop-shop, you can’t go wrong with Express.”  

Now you know when Silent Witness season 26 starts and a little of what to expect, especially concerning Nikki and Jack, there’s still time to catch up on your favorite Silent Witness moments from past series before the new season airs!

The Silent Witness ending in the 25th anniversary season brought the series-long DNA fabrication story to an end but it also left some mysteries behind…

From the moment Silent Witness 2022 landed and Amanda Burton returned to Silent Witness it was clear fans were in for a treat. Joining regular cast members Emilia Fox, David Caves and Genesis Lynea for the show’s milestone season, Professor Sam Ryan was part of a storyline that spanned all six episodes. This focused on suspects being framed with fabricated DNA, concerns about data and a lot of assassinations. 

Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness was introduced as a new character central to the plot and connected to Nikki and he was the first to be framed. The penultimate episode saw the Lyell team prove that he was innocent, but before the people involved could reveal more an accident left their lives hanging in the balance.

Here we reveal what happened in the Silent Witness ending and what we know so far about a potential season 26…

*Warning: spoilers ahead!*

What happened in the Silent Witness ending?

All season long viewers have been drawn in as pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander and forensic specialists Jack Hodgson and Simone Tyler attempted to get to the bottom of who is behind the fabrication of DNA. Now in the Silent Witness ending the villain was unmasked as none other than government special adviser Oscar Harris, played by David Leon. It seems no amount of time working alongside the fictional Health Secretary Alice Reynolds could keep him loyal when huge amounts of money were offered by businessman Ethan Daley in Silent Witness.

Ethan wanted someone to lobby in government for his Vigil Network, which was used throughout series 25 to help the police identify suspects. Alice wasn’t convinced, though, and this ultimately sealed her fate. Oscar ensured she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, eliminating her as a threat.

And Ethan and Oscar’s disturbing scheme sadly didn’t stop there. The pair were also behind the murder of Rosa Hernandez, who had been an assistant to Sam Ryan’s husband Jomo Mashaba, as well as journalists Dan Clements and Oliver Meehan. The journalists had been investigating allegations about how Sam and Jomo funded their health passporting company, UNITAS, and Ethan wanted access to the company’s data to ensure his own domination. 

In History part 5 viewers saw Ethan telling Jomo that he needed him amid the scandals. And in the Silent Witness ending it emerged that Jomo’s son David Mashaba was already very much involved with Ethan. He and Oscar are underwood to have decided to frame Tom Faulkner for Alice Reynolds’ death and used their hold over David to get him to persuade his scientist wife Fiona to create the fake DNA. 

When cornered by the police and Nikki, David and Fiona were then targeted themselves, whilst Ethan’s wife was found dead and his son Lewis was arrested for the crime. 

Following on from these major developments and opening directly after the car accident in episode 5, the finale showed that Fiona was in a coma and an injured David managed to escape before calling Ethan Daley’s office. He was then found by Jack Hodgson and DSI Ronnie Boyle shot dead, with the forensic specialist lured into a trap as they attempted to dispose of anyone who knew too much.

Thankfully, as all Jack fans will already know, he’s not one to be overpowered easily and he managed to survive. Meanwhile, Nikki had determined that Ethan’s son Lewis had been framed for his step-mother’s death. Ethan himself was later seen being threatened over the phone and told that his wife’s murder was punishment for her “having a loose tongue”.

As the Lyell team and police attempted to put all the pieces of this complex puzzle together, many fans might well have been asking themselves an all-important question: where is Sam Ryan?

She went missing (and was briefly presumed dead) in episode 5, but in the closing stages of the Silent Witness ending, she was back.

After a bit of brilliant research by Simone, Oscar realizes where Sam might be and tracks her down to a make-shift lab. Here she reveals that she knows about his involvement and disappeared to buy herself time to learn from Fiona’s research and fabricate Oscar’s DNA in case anything should happen to her. 

Just as Oscar and the assassin who’d accompanied him prepared to strike, Tom arrived on the scene, shooting the killer and threatening Oscar. Before turning cold blooded murderer himself, though, Nikki, Jack, Simone and DSI Boyle enter the room and the pathologist convinces him to let Oscar face “justice the proper way”. 

This is short-lived, as the final scene sees Tom entering Oscar’s prison cell a month later after pretending to be his lawyer. Though the outcome is left to the audiences’ imagination, it’s likely not good. Especially as Nikki received a text saying, “I can’t let it go. I’m sorry”, in the moments before this scene. 

The unknown phone seemed to have been planted on her deliberately and the suggestion is that the message is from Tom. But with this gripping show anything is possible and with no direct confirmation of the sender, the Silent Witness ending left things on a rather dark and enigmatic note…

What do we know about Silent Witness season 26? 

Sadly for anyone hoping for news about the future of the show, unlike The Tourist season 2 and And Just Like That season 2, the next instalment of Silent Witness hasn’t been confirmed yet. Though having already come back again and again for the past quarter of a century, it’s thought that Silent Witness season 26 could be announced at some point.

If Silent Witness is renewed, then it’s likely that the current main Silent Witness cast members, Emilia Fox, David Caves and Genesis Lynea will be back. All three survived the perilous events of the latest Silent Witness ending. And though it wasn’t part of the DNA fabrication storyline, the finale had quite the revelation in store for Simone, perhaps setting up an interesting ongoing plot for any potential season 26.

In History part 3, fans learnt that Simone had a missing sister and in Part 6 she was told that her sister had died in a boating accident whilst trying to save her two daughters. Not already heart-wrenching enough, Simone’s gran confessed that her sister had hated her and left because of Simone.

Conflicted and hurt, Simone eventually makes the courageous decision to go to Trinidad and meet her nieces. She’s seen off at the airport by Jack and Nikki (still looking very much together!) and it’s here that the pathologist receives the phone and text message. 

If Genesis Lynea does return for any future seasons of Silent Witness it’s possible her nieces will be living with her, leaving the door open for plenty of challenges and emotional moments for her character. Similarly, Jack and Nikki’s relationship is a lovely development that many of us have been hoping for over the previous seasons.  

And the text could hint that Tom isn’t fading into the ranks of Silent Witness’ past characters just yet. Jack accepted Nikki’s reasons for not discussing Tom with him before, but if he does stay in their lives, who knows how it could affect their blossoming romance?

With no renewal confirmation announced yet, not much else is known about a possible season 26. Although it could be that it would resume the pattern of previous seasons before the 25th anniversary, with ten episodes made up of five separate stories.

Meanwhile, Silent Witness cast member David Caves who plays Jack recently told RadioTimes.com that he believes the show has a long future ahead of it. 

“This show could go on for forever. We [the current cast] won't, but I think this show could,” he said. “I don't see why not. It's timeless stuff. Everybody loves crime mysteries and trying to solve the riddles, so I don't think that'll ever go out of fashion. It could go on for another 25 years but again, it'll change, it'll become something new again as the times change themselves.”

There’ll certainly be many fans hoping for a Silent Witness season 26 after *that* spellbinding 25th anniversary series. And with so many exciting possibilities sparked by the Silent Witness ending, any future series looks set to be every bit as suspenseful. 

Ethan Daley in Silent Witness has only just been introduced but with all that’s unfolded so far in season 25 it seems like he could have a huge part to play.

With the season finale just around the corner there’s still so much to be uncovered ever since Amanda Burton returned in Silent Witness season 25 as Professor Sam Ryan. It’s clear that she’s keeping secrets and as the regular characters Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson and Simone Tyler delve deeper, the stakes are getting perilously high. For the 25th anniversary season the show has kept one plot thread throughout and this centers on Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness and DNA fabrication. 

The Lyell team have been trying to discover how DNA could be faked and now newcomer Ethan Daley and his story have made things even more intriguing. But who is Ethan Daley in Silent Witness, who is his actor Kevin Shen and how could this new character make serious waves in the season 25 finale?

*Warning: spoilers ahead!* 

Who is Ethan Daley in Silent Witness? 

Introduced just ahead of the season 25 finale, Ethan Daley in Silent Witness is one of the newest characters to be intertwined in this 25th anniversary overarching storyline. However, if episode 5 is anything to go by, not only is it likely we’ll see him again in Silent Witness season 25 episode 6, but he’s intricately linked to this series’ chilling and ever-twisting plotline. The businessman is behind the Vigil Network and anyone who’s been paying extra-close attention to the tiny details this season might find this ringing some huge bells. 

Throughout the Silent Witness History episodes fans have heard the police refer to Vigil as a way of identifying suspects or individuals. They even used it in episode 1 to connect the assassins behind the fictional Health Secretary Alice Reynolds’ death with the murder of a Swedish politician years before. 

Now Ethan has become all the more involved as returning fan-favorite character from the earlier seasons of Silent Witness Professor Sam Ryan and her husband Jomo Mashaba’s health passporting company is in desperate need of his help. 

Already surrounded by rumors that Sam and Jomo funded UNITAS with money from less-than-scrutable financial backers (a belief Nikki Alexander’s ex-husband Tom Faulkner remains convinced of), Jomo admits in episode 5 that they can’t survive another scandal. He’s seen having a meeting with Ethan at the UNITAS offices without inviting his son David Mashaba who isn’t thrilled about being left out.

Ethan tells Jomo he needs him and this certainly seems to be true as the businessman has government connections that could come in seriously handy. Though things look to have been massively derailed by the end of Silent Witness History part 5 as Ethan arrives home to his impressive mansion to find what seems to be his wife being carried in a body bag to an ambulance. 

“We’ve arrested your son Mr Daley,” a police officer tells him, before Ethan shouts at Lewis Daley asking what he’s done, devastated at what’s unfolded. This makes for quite the dramatic and enigmatic twist for Ethan and his connection to the main story as he’d just been on the phone to Jomo. The UNITAS boss had been slowing things down with their potential business relationship as David and his wife Fiona had just been arrested for the fabrication of DNA evidence to frame Tom Faulkner. 

Just as fans of fellow thriller Grace on ITV and the Pieces of Her ending might be used to, it seems that as one mystery seems to be resolving itself, another dark twist could be about to be revealed.  

How could Ethan Daley change things in the Silent Witness finale?

Ethan Daley in Silent Witness is revealed to have a somewhat wayward son Lewis and in episode 5 the determined businessman makes it clear that his son is an extension of his own reputation. In light of this Lewis’ arrest could potentially end up being revealed as an attempt to discredit his father. 

In the final moments of the penultimate installment, Jomo's daughter-in-law Fiona Mashaba admitted something unknown to DS Martine Chalal who tried to relay the information to Nikki over the phone. 

“Fiona didn't just do it once. Ethan Daley's son was...” she declared, just as the car that was driving Fiona and David Mashaba to a safe house is hit by a lorry, leaving all of their lives hanging in the balance. Already in the episode it was clear that David had asked Fiona to do something against her conscience and the hints are there that she also fabricated some DNA involved in the Daley case. 

If this does turn out to be true then Ethan Daley’s introduction into the Silent Witness History story is especially significant as someone seems to be trying to pull the strings to ruin him as they tried to frame Tom for murder. As the businessman was attempting to help UNITAS it could be that the villains want to prevent this. 

Though Ethan’s company Vigil has also been used prominently by police so who knows whether this could come into play in the final solution. 

Either way it could be that Ethan Daley in Silent Witness could hold the key to uncovering who has been behind the assassination of Alice Reynolds, the framing of Tom, manipulation of David and Fiona and even the disappearance of Sam Ryan. Though the Professor’s flat was broken into and left in quite the gory state, her final fate remains unknown and after Nikki received one of Tom’s fabricated blood samples in the post she’s convinced that Sam is actually helping her. 

Sam definitely knows more than she was previously letting on to Nikki, Jack and Simone and though it was all-too easy to think the worst after she tipped off the police and got Tom arrested, it seems that maybe she was working to help him after all. In the Silent Witness season 25 premiere Nikki asked if her financial backers wanted their “pound of flesh” now they’d invested. 

Sam had no answer but with these mystery backers yet to be unveiled and her body nowhere to be found, many will be hoping the character is alive and returns in the finale to provide the Lyell team with what they need to uncover the truth. And with Ethan’s son arrested and his network a useful crime-solving tool, who knows if he might be just as helpful?

Who is Kevin Shen who plays Ethan Daley? 

Actor Kevin Shen plays Ethan Daley in Silent Witness and he might be familiar to die-hard EastEnders fans out there. Kevin played Eddie Tsang in the soap opera back in 2016 and he’s also appeared in everything from Criminal Minds to Yellow Jacket and The Christmas Prince: A Royal Baby. Now Kevin has joined the cast of Silent Witness episode 5 (and likely 6 too given what’s been revealed so far) as businessman Ethan Daley as fans await the resolution of the DNA fabrication storyline that’s had us on the edge of our seats for weeks.  

When is the Silent Witness season 25 final episode?

Each season of Silent Witness is typically 10 episodes long with each storyline separated into two parts, making up five individual plotlines. However sadly Silent Witness season 25 is only six episodes long, with the final episode set to air at 9pm on June 7th on BBC One.  And it promises to be a seriously dramatic one as the show's producer told Nick Landon previously told Metro.co.uk, ‘Everything we understand about forensics, about DNA and about the makeup of Silent Witness is now under threat."

Now we'll have to wait and see whether Nikki, Jack and Simone will be able to face that threat and resolve the mysteries of this 25th anniversary season.

Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness is connected to two main characters in the hit BBC show and his storyline is far more heart-wrenching than first imagined. 

For Silent Witness fans the return of the show for the 25th anniversary season couldn’t come quick enough - especially after the dramatic finale of Silent Witness 2021. Now the long-running hit BBC crime drama is back and for anyone wondering whether Amanda Burton would return to Silent Witness as Professor Sam Ryan, they’ve finally got their answer. She called in Dr Nikki Alexander and the team after the fictional Health Secretary Alice Reynolds was fatally shot.

Delving into the evidence, a DNA match came back to Tom Faulkner and as his past with Nikki was revealed, our understanding of her character was forever changed. 

But who is Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness, have we seen him before and what is his shocking connection to Nikki Alexander?

*Warning: Spoilers for Silent Witness History ahead*

Who is Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness? 

As all long-time fans of Silent Witness will already know, when Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) gets too involved in a case, she can sometimes veer away from strictly following procedure. Now the same has happened again with the elusive Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness, who is revealed to be a private security officer who once served in the military.

We’ve seen Nikki acting not strictly by-the-book last season when she didn’t immediately declare her connection to suspect Scott Weston who appeared in Silent Witness Shadows. And who could forget her trying to make the truth surrounding the late Professor Thomas Chamberlain’s death known despite a military cover-up? 

And in the very first episode of Silent Witness season 25,Tom Faulkner's DNA was found on the bullet Nikki, Jack Hodgson and Dr Simone Tyler discovered and which the police originally missed. From the moment his face came up on her screen, Nikki’s demeanour changed and she lied that there was no match on the database.

It was only as the Silent Witness season 25 premiere episode drew to a close that we learned from Professor Sam Ryan that Tom Faulkner is a former member of the Armed Forces. Since retiring he began working as a private security officer - something which creates a double connection to the investigation into Alice Reynolds' murder and the wounding of Sam’s husband Jomo Mashaba. 

The two suspects were identified by facial recognition as having similarities to a pair thought to have been involved in the murder of a politician years before. 

Sam had flown out to Stockholm to do the UN post mortem of the politician and she later told Nikki and Jack that Tom accompanied her “unofficially” as security. When Jack asks who Tom is, to which Nikki replies simply, “Someone we both used to know”.

Silent Witness Producer Nick Lambon has now explained during an enlightening interview with Metro.co.uk that Sam and Tom used to be colleagues but that their relationship was later fractured. 

“Tom and Sam are two people who used to be very close, they used to work together and then they had a falling out”, he said.

In the second installment of the enigmatically-titled episode, History, “falling out” is revealed to be somewhat of an understatement as it turns out he was fired from the UN for allegedly beating a Russian prisoner involved in influencing elections. 

Tom had also claimed Jomo and Sam attempted to secure funding for their controversial health passporting service whilst they were still working for the UN and that these anonymous financial backers were dubious. It’s clear Sam isn’t willing to forgive or forget and she tells Nikki that Tom isn't either.

But whilst the matter of who Tom Faulkner is more generally and how he’s linked to the complex case and to Sam is intriguing, it’s his connection to Nikki in Silent Witness that likely shocked fans to the core.

Who is Tom Faulkner to Nikki in Silent Witness?  

In History Part 2 Nikki was forced to admit that Tom Faulkner is her ex-husband. Jack’s reaction perhaps mirrored that of many fans as he was left almost speechless by the revelation and Nikki headed outside for air. 

Confronting her later, Jack finally hears the full truth from Nikki about her marriage to Tom, whom she reveals she was only with for a year when she was 20. In a heartbreaking turn of events, the pathologist confided in her friend/love interest that she’d been expecting a baby with Tom, only to experience a stillbirth. 

“I spent my 21st birthday in hospital,” Nikki told Jack, before opening up about her intense guilt over the way she walked away from Tom. Whilst she knew instantly that the loss of their child meant the loss of their relationship, Tom didn’t feel the same and was left devastated. 

Though thankful Nikki finally told him, Jack was upset that she hadn't trusted him enough to tell him sooner despite him sharing equally “shameful” truths with her about his brother Ryan, who was released from prison last season. Nikki also felt guilt over dragging Jack into her mess as she held fast to her belief that her ex-husband was a “good person”.

Going on to join forces, Nikki and Tom came to the realization that someone was likely framing him with fabricated blood samples. Though how and where they got hold of his DNA or the money to fund such an elaborate frame-up is beyond them.

They visited the crime scene of the death of journalist Dan Clements and discovered camera footage of the suspects seemingly planting Tom's blood under Dan's nails. However, knowing it was going to be near impossible to disprove the old phrase, DNA doesn’t lie, both Nikki and Jack allow Tom to escape before being arrested.

Continuing to champion Tom's innocence behind-the-scenes, Episode 3 saw Nikki go on to run every test imaginable on phials of blood recovered from the suspects, believed by the authorities to have been in league with her ex-husband. The assassins were killed in Episode 2, though the mystery of the DNA fabrication isn't solved yet as Sam's potential involvement is teased even more...

Have we seen Tom Falkner in Silent Witness before?

Very appropriately for a storyline entitled History, there certainly was a lot of history to be revealed surrounding Nikki, Sam and Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness season 25, though we haven’t actually seen Tom in the show before. Played by Manhunt The Night Stalker star Matthew Gravelle, the character returned in episode 3 and lurked somewhat mysteriously in the dark in Sam Ryan's home, waiting to talk with her after dropping her an urgent text. 

And although no long-time fans will want to imagine that Sam's involved in any way, her reaction to his re-appearance placed her loyalty to Tom and his current allies Nikki and Jack in serious doubt. 

Episode 2 saw Sam secretly steal one of the recovered phials from the Lyell Center during a visit to Nikki. In the next instalment, Tom confronted his former colleague directly about the phial at her house, desperately asking, "Please tell me you're not involved in this?"

But Sam wasn't giving anything away as she held out her hand for it to be returned to her and simply pleaded with him to trust her. Insisting he leave her house at once, Sam told Tom to meet her at "[her] apartment" at 9pm another day, telling him she's "on [his] side". 

And whilst Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness isn't presented as an especially trusting character, his loyalty to Sam seemed to be rather misplaced when he turned up to the meeting only to be arrested on the street by armed officers. Watching from a window above, Sam showed little emotion as Tom was taken away, with the suggestion being that she tipped the police off about him. 

So it seems pretty certain that Sam is hiding something, but whether she's genuinely acting against Tom or whether this was an unavoidable step whilst she tries to get to the bottom of things remains a mystery. Nikki has already questioned Sam over her mystery financial backers and whether they want "their pound of flesh" now.

The Professor brushed off the question easily enough, but it planted a seed of doubt about who is really in charge here and whether she could be being manoeuvred to frame Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness. And her unknown motivation is something Nick Lambon hinted at to Metro.co.uk.

“There will be some purists out there who will be screaming on Twitter at how Sam is during this series! Yes, she’s always had that moral compass but also, just like Nikki, Sam has tunnel vision and always wants to get the answers to something, and I think that was something we were really aware of when writing Sam,” he said. 

“I think Sam has a different agenda to Nikki and I think that we may not understand what that agenda is just yet," he said. 

Nick continued, “But what we do know about Sam is when she has an agenda, and she has an idea and she wants to pursue it, nothing is going to stand in her way. When we were at the screening, we were watching episode 1 and I did pat myself on the back, because throughout the episode, there are quite a few clues about Sam – the comments and moments you see at the start really do pay off towards the end.”

It seems that the storyline of the DNA fabrication is far from over, especially now Tom has been apprehended, likely making Nikki even more desperate to exonerate him. And given Sam's suspicious behavior, we can't help hoping to see delved into a lot more before the season finale…

When is the next episode of Silent Witness on?  

For fans eager to see where Silent Witness season 25 takes them with this DNA fabrication storyline, the next episode of the hit BBC drama will be broadcast at 9pm on Tuesday May 31st on BBC One. Following the same scheduling schedule, each of the remaining three episodes will air on Mondays and Tuesdays. 

This is the same pattern as season 24 and means that the 25th anniversary season is set to end on June 7th. Until then fans can turn to watch Conversations With Friends and other dramas in between episodes as they form their own conclusions about the frame-up surrounding Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness. 

After all, it seems there are plenty more details that are yet to be revealed...

Code of a Killer is back on ITV, depicting the investigation into the shocking murders of two schoolgirls and the use of mass DNA screening to identify the sadistic criminal responsible.

As the cold nights draw in, the idea of immersing yourself in an equally atmospheric crime drama becomes hard to resist. And with the Vigil finale leaving us in suspense and Silent Witness 2022 a year away, it’s the perfect time to discover another series. ITV’s autumn scheduling is certainly packed full of gripping shows, including Angela Black and Hollington Drive, and two-part drama, Code of a Killer, is just as unmissable.

Set in the 1980s, Code of a Killer stars John Simm and David Threlfall as Sir Alec Jeffreys and DCS David Baker, the scientist and the police officer who join forces to solve the brutal murders of two teenagers. Treading new ground, forensics take center stage as the pair conduct a mass DNA screening, though the killer schemes to avoid detection.

But is Code of a Killer based on a true story, how many episodes are there, and has it been on before?

*Warning: spoilers for episode 2 ahead*

Is Code of a Killer based on a true story?  

While Code of a Killer might initially seem like a classic crime drama, this two-part series has an even more sinister edge as, just like recent hit show Manhunt The Night Stalker, it’s based on a chilling true story. Created by Michael Crompton, Code of a Killer focuses on Alec Jeffreys’ discovery of DNA profiling and follows him and DCS David Baker as they use the now well-accepted method to convict murderer Colin Pitchfork. 

The Colin Pitchfork case was successfully solved in 1987, but only after an extensive manhunt was launched across Leicestershire following the brutal murders of two 15-year-old schoolgirls. As reported by the BBC it was in November 1983 that baker Pitchfork raped and strangled Lynda Mann in Narborough, as she was on her way to visit a friend in the next village.

His appalling crime was made even more chilling as Pitchfork is understood to have had his baby son with him, asleep in the car, whilst he murdered Lynda. Afterwards, he drove home and put his son to bed, as if nothing had happened. 

Then, just three years later, Pitchfork raped and murdered another 15-year-old, Dawn Ashworth, less than a mile away from where Lynda was killed. According to the BBC, the pathologist who examined Dawn’s body afterwards described his attack as a “brutal” assault. 

However, as depicted in Code of a Killer, the investigation into the crimes and the journey to identify Pitchfork as Lynda and Dawn’s murderer was in need of a serious breakthrough. 

And it was the University of Leicester’s Alec Jeffreys who provided it, after the talented scientist unlocked a little-known technique to identify a specific individual's DNA and not just a suggestion of a similar blood type. It was DCS David Baker who approached Alec in 1984 about using his new technique in his case. 

This came after a local 17-year-old was arrested for the crimes after his motorbike was seen unattended in the vicinity. The teenager was later charged with Dawn’s murder, though when David asked Alec to run a DNA test on the suspect and compare it to the DNA collected from Lynda Mann, it eliminated him from the police’s inquiry. 

A further test on samples from Dawn Ashworth proved that the 17-year-old was also not responsible for her death. Following the result, David and Alec set about carrying out a mass screening of 5,000 men from the local area and even mounted a huge-scale publicity campaign. 

Attempting to get around the DNA profiling, Pitchfork persuaded a colleague to take the test for him. Though it seems the remorseless killer couldn’t help boasting about his ingenuity in the local pub and he was soon arrested, with DNA proving he was Lynda and Dawn’s murderer. Eventually pleading guilty, Pitchfork received a life sentence, though he was released in September 2021 after serving 33 years in prison and must now comply with strict license conditions. 

This horrifying true story of his crimes and capture inspired the events depicted in ITV’s Code of a Killer and Pitchfork was the first person to be convicted using DNA evidence, paving the way for millions of future investigations.

How many episodes of Code of a Killer are there?

There are two episodes of Code of a Killer, telling the twisted true story of Colin Pitchfork’s crimes, with each episode 80 minutes long. Code of a Killer Part 1 is already available on ITV Hub for anyone who might have missed the beginning of this compelling series. Though viewers will have to wait to see Pitchfork identified by David and Alec, as this opening episode instead focuses on the murder of Lynda Mann and the resulting investigation. It is in Code of a Killer Part 2 that the concept of forensic DNA is brought to the attention of the world, with the murderer finally running out of time as the police close in. 

Has Code of a Killer been on before?  

As fans of Code of a Killer will already know, the tense drama has been on before and the two-part series first premiered on ITV in April 2015. However, with the Covid-19 pandemic meaning filming on a lot of upcoming shows was delayed and with fans of hit dramas such as Line of Duty looking for their next chilling watch, there’s never been a better time to be reintroduced to this gripping and powerful show. 

When is Code of a Killer next on TV? 

For Code of a Killer fans wondering when they will get to see sadistic Colin Pitchfork brought to justice, the wait is almost over. Code of a Killer Part 2 is set to air on October 18, 2021, at 9pm on ITV and, just like Part 1, will be available to catch up on via ITV Hub.

Angela Black, ITV's new psychological drama is almost here and we can’t wait to see Joanne Froggatt’s brilliant performance in the terrifying tale of manipulation and lies. 

While drama fans eagerly wait for Silent Witness 2022 and wonder if Amanda Burton will return next series, or catch up on BBC’s Vigil, Angela Black has plenty of twists, turns and dark moments to keep you hooked over the next six weeks. Telling the tale of titular character Angela’s supposedly perfect life, it soon becomes apparent that things aren’t quite so wonderful as they seem when her husband Olivier’s controlling behavior emerges from the shadows. The ITV drama’s cast includes none other than Downton Abbey’s Joanne Froggatt and whilst the recent Downton Abbey sequel trailer teased some more joyous moments for her character there, in Angela Black, things are far more terrifying. 

But what is Angela Black about, who does Joanne Froggatt play and when can you watch it on ITV? We reveal all you need to know about the chilling new show.

What’s the new ITV drama Angela Black about?

ITV’s Angela Black is written by Baptiste's Jack and Harry Williams and follows Angela who appears to have it all—a wonderful husband, two loving sons, and a beautiful home. Behind closed doors, however, there is a much darker reality lurking out of sight. Angela is actually an isolated woman desperate to escape her marriage to Olivier, who is revealed to be incredibly controlling. 

After private investigator Ed arrives and confronts Angela with her husband’s darkest secrets, however, she decides the time has finally come to fight back against Olivier. But will Angela manage to make her escape and start again far away from her abusive husband? Viewers will just have to wait until the gripping drama's final episode to find out...

Who does Joanne Froggatt play in Angela Black?

Joanne Froggatt is perhaps best known for her roles as courageous maid Anna Bates in Julian Fellowes’ acclaimed period drama, Downton Abbey, and as Laura in psychological drama Liar. Now she’s showcasing her immense talent once again as Angela in ITV’s highly-anticipated Angela Black.

And the actor has already shared just what makes Angela Black so “unnerving” for her as she opened up about what viewers can expect throughout all six episodes.

“It’s a real psychological thriller and it’s a psychological thriller in the home which makes it, to me, even more disturbing in a way,” she declared. 

“Because it’s not something that happens outside in a world far away from the one we’re all living in, it’s one that could be happening in the house next door, or possibly in your own house, and that’s what’s so unnerving about it and really stuck with me actually.”

She went on to add, “So it’s a very intriguing and twisting plot, but it’s unnerving because it feels so close to home.”

Though it seems that despite the mounting anticipation surrounding the new show, an Angela Black season 2 could already be off the cards for a very significant reason.

"This is a one and only six-part series," Joanne explained to Digital Spy. "It's such a twisty-turny thriller and it goes to places – I mean, I don't know where [creators] Jack and Harry [Williams] get these ideas.” 

The star said, “I think by the time we go through those six episodes and we get our very satisfying conclusion, I think you don't need to revisit it. The audience will all have been through enough shocks and surprises and twists and turns. It was very much meant as one story."

But whether this “one story” will see Angela Black achieve her much-deserved happy ending and fresh start away from her abusive husband remains to be seen. It seems viewers will just have to tune in on ITV to see just where the “twists and turns” take Joanne’s complex character over the next six weeks. 

Angela Black cast—who else is in it?

Joanne Froggatt is joined in ITV’s Angela Black cast by The Flight Attendant and Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House actor, Michiel Huisman. Some eagle-eyed viewers might also remember him as sellsword Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones and will soon get to see him in one the best Christmas movies on Netflix in the upcoming release, A Boy Called Christmas.

Though his role in Angela Black is far removed from this as he stars opposite Joanne as her manipulative and abusive husband Olivier. 

Speaking about portraying such a disturbing character, Michiel explained, “My character Olivier is a very successful real estate developer and he’s someone who’s very busy with his appearances.”

He continued, “It's very important to him how people perceive him and he wants to, you know, come across as the perfect husband, the doting father and so the reality is that there is a very dark side to his character as well, which he desperately tries to hide. I mean, I would describe Olivier’s behavior as extremely manipulative.” 

Though as Angela and Olivier, Joanne and Michiel are the central Angela Black cast members, they are also joined by Samuel Adewunmi (The Hatton Garden Job) as private investigator Ed. Arriving to confront Angela with dark truths about her husband, his input could possibly determine whether she ever manages to escape Olivier’s clutches for good. 

When does Angela Black start on ITV?

For those who already can’t wait to see Angela Black as soon as it premieres, the new Joanne Froggatt drama will start at 9pm on Sunday, October 10 on ITV. The new ITV show consists of six gripping episodes and will air weekly on ITV every Sunday until the final on November 14. And if you’d rather catch up on all the chilling scenes another time, then never fear! Angela Black will also be available to catch-up on via the ITV Hub, so you can also re-watch to see all the tiny details you might’ve missed before the next episode lands. 

Amanda Burton's performance as Professor Sam Ryan in Silent Witness is a one few fans will forget, but with the 25th anniversary year looming could we see her make a dramatic return?

Amanda Burton steered the highly successful ship that is Silent Witness from it’s first episode in 1996 until her departure from the hit series in 2004. Her character Professor Samantha ‘Sam’ Ryan remains a much-loved show favourite and there’s good news for fans as it’s now been confirmed that Amanda will be returning for Silent Witness 2022. 

She’s expected to be joining the Silent Witness 2021 cast members Emilia Fox, (Dr Nikki Alexander), David Caves (forensic specialist Jack Hodgson) and Genesis Lynea (Simone Tyler) for this momentous occasion. And after over a decade away from the Lyell Centre, viewers will likely be fascinated to learn just how Sam might've changed in the years since we've last seen her. 

But when is Amanda Burton returning to Silent Witness and what does the season 24 finale suggest about what is to come?

Who does Amanda Burton play in Silent Witness? 

For many long-term Silent Witness fans it’s Amanda Burton who will be their earliest favorite character from the hit show, as it was her character Professor Samantha Ryan who anchored the series from it’s debut to season 8. The talented pathologist, who hailed from Northern Ireland, was the primary cast member and in a dramatic change from the current Lyell Centre setting for the show, she was initially based in Cambridge. 

It was here that Sam ran a private morgue, before moving to London in series 4 after  she was offered a position as Professor at a university and became the head of the Lyell Centre. During her time on the show, Sam formed close relationships with her on-screen colleagues Professor Leo Dalton and Dr Harry Cunningham. 

Though the experienced pathologist ended up leaving the Lyell Centre in the first episode of season 8, after her son, Joe Galvin, became embroiled in a case they were investigating. In the two-parter entitled A Time To Heal, viewers saw Sam return to Northern Ireland on the case and ultimately made the decision to remain there and spend time with her family after the investigation was eventually solved.  

When does Sam Ryan return to Silent Witness? 

Sam Ryan is set to return to Silent Witness in season 25. Sadly for fans, the dramatic final episode of season 24 is the last they'll see of our favorite regular characters, Dr Nikki Alexander, Jack Hodgson and the newly-introduced Simone Tyler, for quite some time until Silent Witness is back on our screens with the next season. 

However, it seems that the wait for season 25, which will air in the hit BBC drama’s 25th anniversary year, will be well worth it. The BBC have now made the seriously exciting announcement that Amanda Burton will be making a triumphant return to Silent Witness, over a decade after Sam Ryan left the show.

The 25th anniversary series of Silent Witness will be broadcast in 2022 and Amanda has already shared her excitement at the prospect of showing viewers just how far Sam Ryan has come over the past 17 years.

Opening up about her return to the long-running drama, Amanda declared, “I am so excited to be returning to Silent Witness and stepping back into Sam Ryan’s shoes - with a difference! Audiences can look forward to plenty of twists and turns as they discover what Sam’s been doing since leaving the Lyell.”

And her co-stars are equally eager to welcome her back to the Silent Witness family. Emilia Fox, who made her debut in the show in season 8 as Amanda left, has expressed her belief that this is the perfect way to honour such a significant anniversary. 

“It is such a delight and thrill to be working with Amanda. To have Sam Ryan back again at the heart of the show is the greatest way of all to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Silent Witness,” Emilia shared.

Whilst Lawrence Till, Executive Producer, BBC Studios Production, is just as thrilled that Amanda will be once again taking up the mantle as Sam Ryan. 

He said, “I am delighted that Amanda agreed to return to Silent Witness for its Silver Anniversary. Silent Witness has a large and loyal audience and remains as popular as it has ever been with audiences regularly consolidating at over six million viewers.

Lawrence also shared a possible hint about the upcoming Silent Witness season 25, revealing that Sam will be “at the centre” of the show again for an extended story. 

“It is fantastic to have Sam Ryan at the centre of the series again alongside our other Lyell characters for a monumental story told in six parts,” he explained.  

What does the Silent Witness 2021 ending tell us about the next series? 

Thankfully for fans already eagerly anticipating Silent Witness season 25, the Silent Witness 2021 ending dropped several clues about what could lie in store for the next series. The finale of season 24 saw Nikki and Jack making major progress in their personal relationship. After years of will-they-won’t-they back and forth between the two, fans finally got their wish to see them share a much-anticipated kiss.

This came after Nikki’s relationship with her Washington-based boyfriend Matt Garcia had come to an end, as revealed by her postgraduate pathology student Ollie after he was confronted by Jack. Ollie and Nikki had spent the previous night together after the charismatic student invited her to attend a Halloween party.

However, upon waking up and answering a call from Jack’s worried father Connor, Nikki’s mind was soon back on her friend. Joining forces with police and the army to make it through horrendous flooding to reach the building where Jack, their colleague Simone and the residents of a care home they had been looking into had taken refuge, Nikki is delightedly reunited with Jack.

It’s following this that the two share their first kiss and though it went unacknowledged by both of them afterwards, Jack was clearly hurt to hear Ollie in the background on a voicemail Nikki had sent to him the evening before. 

After Jack confronts Ollie in dramatic style and raises concerns about Nikki losing her job, it’s Nikki herself who ends things with the postgraduate and Ollie questions whether her feelings for someone else could have influenced her decision. 

Though Nikki didn’t give him or the viewers at home an answer, in the final moments of the episode after the case was solved, Jack returned home to find her lying on his sofa.  The two grasp hands and look meaningfully into each other’s eyes as the credits start to roll, likely leaving many cheering at their screens and hoping for more.

It might of course be that Silent Witness chooses to pick up in 2022 with an entirely different direction and with Jack and Nikki having decided to remain friends. Though the way season 24 ended certainly seems to suggest that fans could tune in next year to find them embarking on a romantic relationship and negotiating what that means for them in their careers too. 

When is Silent Witness coming back? 

Silent Witness is due to come back in 2022, though the exact release date has not yet been confirmed. Previous seasons have typically been released in January each year, though Silent Witness 2021 was an exception due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it instead premiered in September. 

But with news of Amanda Burton’s return and possible romance between Nikki and Jack playing out around the new investigations, fans are no doubt already looking forward to Silent Witness’ 25th anniversary series. 

Until then, we'll just have to catch up on all Silent Witness' spellbinding seasons on BBC iPlayer.

Silent Witness 2022 will no doubt have been on every fan’s mind after that unforgettable season 24 finale, but will the hit drama return for season 25 next year? 

The BBC crime drama series has enjoyed a long-running reign on the small screen over three decades after it's compelling pilot episode back in 1996. Fast forward to the modern-day and the award-winning show continues to be one of Britain’s favourite weekly treats, offering a welcome escape from the stresses of everyday life with its intriguing plot lines and engaging characters. 

After waiting for a new season for an agonizing year, viewers were delighted to see the Silent Witness 2021 cast feature multiple familiar faces, including Emilia Fox as Dr Nikki Alexander and David Caves as forensics specialist Jack Hodgson. Déjà vu was also on the cards for fans with the unexpected references to Silent Witness Shadows, two chilling episodes from Season 13 of the investigative series.

And with its solid reputation and seemingly guaranteed slot on the TV listings, it’s no wonder fans are eager to know if there will be a Silent Witness Season 25... 

Will there be a 25th season of Silent Witness?

Fans can prepare to get seriously excited as Silent Witness will indeed be back for another gripping season in 2022. The BBC previously announced that two more seasons of the popular show had been greenlit, with the next one, Season 25, celebrating its 25th anniversary on the air. 

Piers Wegner, Controller of BBC drama, told the media in February 2020, “Silent Witness entertains audiences from all generations and continues to be one of the UK’s most successful returning crime drama series. I’m thrilled it will continue to grip the nation in 2021, and can’t wait for viewers to see what is in store for its 25th Anniversary in 2022.”  

What can we expect from Silent Witness 2022?

The storylines of Silent Witness 2022 have not yet been confirmed, but after *that* dramatic Silent Witness 2021 finale, there are already some major plot points fans will no doubt be hoping come up again in season 25. Perhaps the most dramatic of these was fans finally getting to see Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson seemingly get together. After many long series of watching and hoping, with romantic tension built up all the way, it just never seemed to happen for the pair, with Nikki instead entering a long term and very long-distance relationship with Washington DC-based Matt Garcia. 

Now, though, things seem to have changed. In the final episode of season 24, entitled Matters of Life and Death Part 2, fans saw Jack and Nikki exchange a highly-anticipated kiss in the back of a taxi.

This followed a shocking cliff-hanger to Part 1, where Nikki accepted an invitation to attend her postgraduate pathology students’ Halloween party and ended up spending the night with one of them, Ollie, who some viewers might remember from a scene in a lecture theatre in the series premiere. 

Upon waking up to discover that Jack could be in danger after receiving a call from his father Connor, duty calls for Nikki. Overnight major flooding devastated England and Jack had returned with his and Nikki’s colleague Simone Tyler to the care home they had been investigating after one of their resident's death was considered suspicious. 

Trapped overnight having got the residents to safety, Jack is greeted by a relieved Nikki who has made it through the flooding to reach them. It was following this wonderful reunion that their kiss occurs, complete with show-motion camera shots worthy of the moment, only for Jack to listen to a voicemail she’d left him the night before which featured Ollie in the background. 

Crushed by the revelation that Nikki and Ollie had slept together, Jack confronts Nikki the next day and voices concerns about her losing her job. He repeats the same concern to Ollie himself when he arrives to speak to Nikki and it’s the student who tells him that Nikki and Matt are no longer together.

The pathologist ultimately tells Ollie that things can’t progress between them, saying getting calls from work during their night of passion made her realise she needed to be somewhere else. 

“Somewhere else? Or with someone else?” he knowingly asks her. 

Though viewers sadly didn’t get to see Nikki and Jack exchange another kiss before the episode’s end, the final scene gives further hope that Silent Witness 2022 could see them together. 

Arriving home after the case is finally closed, Jack finds Nikki asleep on his sofa. Kneeling down and stroking her hair, Nikki wakes up and the pair hold hands meaningfully as the credits start to roll. 

And if that wasn’t exciting enough building up to Silent Witness season 25, it’s now been confirmed that the potential new couple of Nikki and Jack will be joined by former Lyell lead Professor Sam Ryan at some point. 

Silent Witness has announced that Amanda Burton will return to Silent Witness for the 25th anniversary season, after her character previously left the series to spend time with her family in Northern Ireland. 

“I am so excited to be returning to Silent Witness and stepping back into Sam Ryan’s shoes – with a difference!” Amanda reportedly declared. “Audiences can look forward to plenty of twists and turns as they discover what Sam’s been doing since leaving the Lyell.”

Silent Witness 2022 might not be landing on our screens for some time yet, but with the return of Sam Ryan and *that* Nikki/Jack kiss in the back of our minds, we can't wait to see what season 25 will bring.

Silent Witness is back in 2021 and is already bigger and better than ever as fans enjoy the return of our favourite cast members. 

Silent Witness has gone from strength to strength since it first debuted in 1996, then starring Amanda Burton as pathologist Dr Sam Ryan. Following her departure, acclaimed actor Emilia Fox followed in her footsteps and joined Silent Witness as the iconic Dr Nikki Alexander as the show became even darker and more intense. Now fans of thrillers such as Nine Perfect Strangers and Behind Her Eyes and BBC drama Vigil were no doubt delighted to hear of the hit show's return after *that* emotional season 23 finale.

This saw Nikki and forensic specialist Jack Hodgson (David Caves) bid farewell to two of their much-loved colleagues in very different, yet equally tear-jerking, circumstances. Now they’re set to be joined by another new main character as Silent Witness builds towards its 25th anniversary year in 2022. 

But who is in the Silent Witness cast, how many episodes are there and when is it back on our screens? 

*Warning: spoilers ahead!*

When is Silent Witness back?

Silent Witness returned to our screens on Monday September 6, beginning with the first in a two-part episode mysteriously entitled Redemption. Though fans might have been expecting Silent Witness to be back sooner, the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the January release date of recent years was not possible. 

Instead, the show returned to filming in early September 2020 after it had initially been scheduled to take place ahead of the UK’s lockdown. And it seems that despite the longer wait, fans will not be left disappointed, as RadioTimes has reported that executive producer Jo McCellen described the upcoming series as “brilliant”. 

“Series 24 is going to be brilliant and, although fans will have to wait a little while longer than usual to see it, I promise them it is worth it!” she revealed. 

The new Silent Witness episodes will be broadcast on Mondays and Tuesdays on BBC One at 9pm. 

Who is in the Silent Witness cast for season 24?

 Silent Witness cast list: 

• Dr Nikki Alexander - Emilia Fox 
• Jack Hodgson - David Caves  
• Dr Adam Yuen - Jason Wong 
• Simone Tyler - Genesis Lynea 
• Guest star Kevin Eldon
• Guest star Sian Phillips
• Guest star Nicholas Woodeson
• Guest star Pauline McGlynn  

As all die-hard fans of the long-running crime drama will know, the Silent Witness cast will sadly be missing a few of our favourite characters when season 24 premieres on September 6. In the heart-stopping finale of Silent Witness season 23, Dr Nikki Alexander and Clarissa Mullery watched helplessly as their boss Thomas Chamberlain (played by Richard Lintern) investigated a nerve agent that had left their colleague Jack in hospital, only to tragically pass away from its effects himself. 

Though Thomas ultimately solved the mystery of the nerve agent’s components, he sacrificed his own life to do so. Earlier in the series, Clarissa had intention to leave the Lyell Centre and Thomas’ devastating death did nothing to change her mind. With Clarissa having arrived alongside Jack in season 16, the loss of her and Thomas as might leave some concerned about who exactly will be returning as Silent Witness cast members in the new series. 

Thankfully for fans, both Nikki and Jack will be back in the Silent Witness cast in season 24. This makes Emilia Fox the most long-standing Silent Witness cast member left in the show. She has played the role of Nikki since 2004 and has previously opened up on her real-life dramas alongside her Silent Witness role.

She and David were joined in Silent Witness season 24 by a new character, Dr Adam Yuen, played by newcomer Jason Wong. As a fellow pathologist, he filled the gap left by Thomas and stunned Nikki and Jack with his seemingly boundless knowledge. 

As reported by RadioTimes ahead of his debut, Jason Wong revealed his excitement at becoming part of the Silent Witness “family” as the show enters its 24th series.

“I am so excited to be joining Silent Witness, like everyone else I have been a huge fan of the show for years and to be becoming part of the family feels like a huge privilege,” he explained. “I can’t wait for audiences to see all we have in store for them in this new series.”

Though sadly for Adam fans his tenure on the show wasn't quite as long as they might've hoped. In the closing minutes of Silent Witness season 24 episode 6 entitled Reputations Part 2, the brilliant doctor passed away after being hit by a car driven by the episode's murderer, Alan Cowley. 

Having turned his back to call Nikki and Jack and inform them of his discovery that Cowley was the killer, Adam tragically lost his life after ambulance staff were unable to revive him. Though he did almost single-handedly solve this case and will no doubt be remembered with great affection by his tearful colleagues.

In his stead, a new character is set to join the Lyell Centre team from the very next episode. Played by Genesis Lynea, who fans might recognize from Netflix's Shadow and Bone, Simone Tyler is a forensic ecologist. 

As reported by ED!, Genesis said of her exciting new role, "Simone Tyler is a zealous and meticulous ecologist who is making a massive jump from museum to the mortuary. 

“It’s been a lovely surprise to film a project during such a testing time, with so much to learn and sink my teeth into. It’s really fulfilling to learn a new way of thinking and seeing through the eyes of Simone—as she learns, I learn," she added. 

“The science of forensics is very intricate work and it’s been fun to play alongside the Silent Witness team. Watch this space!”

Emilia, Jack and Genesis will also reportedly be acting alongside several wonderful guest stars playing currently undisclosed roles, including Sian Phillips, Nicholas Woodeson and Pauline McGlynn.

How many episodes are in the new series of Silent Witness?

As with many of the previous seasons, the new series of Silent Witness will have ten individual episodes. However, these episodes will make up five distinct storylines, with fans being kept in suspense by the show’s preference for a two-part structure. 

Viewers will see Part 1 of each storyline air on Mondays, but will then have to tune in again on Tuesdays to learn the truth of that week's mysterious case in Part 2. The decision to continue the storyline across two nights certainly makes for a more intense experience and provides the opportunity for more in-depth storylines, with added space for further twists and turns that never fail to keep us guessing. 

What is the plot for Silent Witness season 24?

The exact plot of all of Silent Witness season 24’s episodes has not been confirmed, though the RadioTimes reports that the BBC revealed that Dr Nikki Alexander and Jack Hodgson are looking towards the future at the start of the season. They supposedly explained that, “However buried secrets and memories soon surface, and, when ghosts from the past emerge, the two are forced increasingly close to one another.”

This certainly seems to have been reflected in the recent Silent Witness trailer released by the BBC which has dropped some more pretty dramatic - and concerning! - hints about what could lie in store for Jack and Nikki. It opens with Nikki speaking passionately about their work as investigators, intercut with footage of her, Jack and police officers at crime scenes.

“Our work is vitally important. Someone needs to speak for the dead,” the pathologist declared. Viewers are then introduced to Dr Adam Yuen (played by Jason Wong), who introduces himself at a crime scene. “I’m new,” he says, before confirming, “Not new-new. I’ve done this before,” to which the investigating officer dryly responds, “I should hope so.”

From this the scenes flash through, becoming more and more fast-paced, with Nikki locking eyes with a criminal being walked through a prison and Jack diving heroically into the sea, both scenes that have already appeared in the episodes aired so far. As the Silent Witness teaser trailer reaches its conclusion fans are then faced with an even more enigmatic turn of events. 

“I need to make some serious changes to my life,” Jack tells Nikki as the trailer shows the close friends embracing.

“Well, maybe it’s time,” she replies. “For both of us.” Whilst this might have got fans hoping against hope that doesn’t mean the much-loved duo will be departing Silent Witness, things are certainly left on a very ambiguous note. 

Though we might not know where they'll end up by the end, already this season fans have seen Jack coming to terms with the revelation that he has a long-lost niece, who is actually possibly his own daughter after he had an affair with his brother Ryan's ex-girlfriend. Whilst Adam's death in Reputation Part 2 will likely continue to send shockwaves throughout the series as Nikki and Jack grieve their late colleague and welcome Simone to the team. 

What else can we expect from the new series?

With five dramatic cases set to unfold over the coming weeks, the new series of Silent Witness features its classic blend of the familiar and the surprising, as new cast member Genesis is established in the show alongside Emilia and David. 

Speaking after the show began filming again following a hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic, star Emilia Fox said, “It’s fantastic to be back filming Series 24 of Silent Witness with five terrific new storylines, our wonderful crew, great new casts for each story and to be welcoming the very lovely and talented Jason Wong to the Lyell team, who is an absolute joy to work with!”

Silent Witness season 24 will also no doubt have a particularly spellbinding final episode as it paves the way for the highly-anticipated season 25 next year. This has already been confirmed by the BBC and will be broadcast in honor of the show’s 25th anniversary in 2022. 

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, said: “Silent Witness entertains audiences from all generations and continues to be one of the UK’s most successful returning crime drama series. I’m thrilled it will continue to grip the nation in 2021, and can’t wait for viewers to see what is in store for its 25th anniversary in 2022.” 

It could be that the upcoming new season of Silent Witness goes some way towards setting up something even more impactful for next year’s important anniversary. Until then, fans will just have to keep tuning in to see how season 24 changes things for Nikki and Jack.

And for thriller fans eagerly looking forward to the next episode, several of the best French Netflix shows also feature plenty of tension-filled moments well worth checking out as you wait for each new instalment of Silent Witness season 24.

Silent Witness season 24 airs on Mondays and Tuesdays on BBC One at 9pm.

Endeavour is in its 8th season and like a fine wine, it appears to be getting better with age. 

The show is a spin-off of the unforgettable Inspector Morse, another detective show which has gone down in the history books as one of the greats. 

Endeavour is the first name of Inspector Morse and the show is a prequel to the original series, meaning it's set long before we got to know and love the silver-haired crime solver.

The show focuses on the inspector's earlier career in his old haunt of Oxford. Initially, it was set in the 60s but the latest season is set in 1971. Fans of thrillers such as BBC drama Vigil and Silent Witness will no doubt be delighted to hear of the show's return after *that* cliffhanger season 7 finale.

Here's everything to know about Endeavour season 8...

When is Endeavour season 8 on?

The new series premiered on Sunday, September 12, 2021. The show is nestled in the coveted 8pm prime time spot—a place reserved for the UK's biggest TV dramas.

As with the previous seven seasons, the show will have fans gripped each Sunday night so make sure you have the kettle ready for those ad breaks!

How to watch Endeavour season 8

Endeavour airs on ITV at 8pm on Sundays until what's sure to be a jaw-dropping finale on September 26, 2021.

Considering the level of excitement the last season finale brought to the table, you better tune in!

Endeavour season 8—how many episodes will there be?

There will be three feature-length episodes of the show this season. Each episode lasts a stonking two hours so you're definitely getting a lot of entertainment value in those three installments!

Series creator, writer, and executive producer Russell Lewis said of the new season, “After our longest suspension, all at #TeamEndeavour are delighted to have been returned to duty. If anything, the delay has made us all determined to make series eight everything it can be."

Who's in Endeavour season 8?

DS Endeavour Morse and DCI Fred Thursday are back on our screens and fans are utterly delighted. Endeavour is played by actor Shaun Evans and Fred is played by Roger Allam.

Alongside the main characters, there's a remarkably talented ensemble cast. CS Reginald Bright (Anton Lesser), Dr Max DeBryn (James Bradshaw), Dorothea Frazil (Abigail Thaw), Win Thursday (Caroline O'Neil), Joan Thursday (Sara Vickers), and DS Strange (Sean Rigby).

However, it's the latter actor who's garnering the most attention as people have noticed a remarkable change in DS Strange's appearance. 

Endeavour actor Strange's weight loss

Endeavour fans were startled by the dramatic change in Strange's appearance. Sean, who plays the star, has lost a remarkable amount of weight since season 7 ended.

Viewers were quick to notice with one Twitter user saying, "Catching up one the new episode of #Endeavour. Blimey James Strange (Sean Rigby) has lost some weight!"

Another said, "Didn’t recognise Jim Strange tonight. Lost so much weight. Looks great and 10 years younger!"

Strange and Endeavour have had a long-term romantic rivalry with both men eager to win Joan's heart, but with very different methods and personalities it's always been unclear who'll win her heart in the end.

However, the complexity of Joan being Fred's daughter means that Endeavour has been forced to hide his feelings, only time will tell who'll get the girl!