Everything We Know About ‘Silent Witness’ Season 27

Silent Witness is one of Britain’s longest-running shows, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. The scientists and pathologists of the Thomas Lyell Centre will return to our screens in Silent Witness season 27, and the BBC has finally revealed a premiere date.

Silent Witness season 27 will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. on January 8, 2024. The first episode is part one of a two-part story titled “Effective Range.” The second episode will air on January 9. In the U.S., Silent Witness is available to watch on BritBox. Previous seasons of the show have arrived in the U.S. after the series was done airing in the U.K., so we’d expect the same to be true this time, though this has yet to be confirmed. Season 26 arrived on BritBox in July 2023, while the series finished airing in the U.K. in January 2023. The show might follow the same release schedule in 2024.

Is the cast returning for Silent Witness season 27?

Thankfully, yes! All the main cast members from Silent Witness’ 26th season will be reprising their roles in season 27. The cast list includes:

• Emilia Fox as Dr. Nikki Alexander
• David Caves as Jack Hodgson
• Alastair Michael as Velvy Schut
• Aki Omoshaybi as Dr. Gabriel Folukoya
• Rhiannon May as Cara Connelly

Though the cast remains the same, Silent Witness producer Jayne Chard did reveal to HELLO! earlier this year that a few changes were being made to the show’s production. Viewers will notice changes in the Lyell Centre set, updated wardrobes for all the characters, and the use of virtual production for the first time, which, according to Chard, will “really expand what we can do in series 28.” Looks like the next season is already on its way!

What will happen in Silent Witness season 27?

Though no overarching plot has been revealed, the BBC has released two short synopses for season 27’s first episodes:

“Effective Range: Part 1”

“Nikki and Jack investigate a murder bearing all the hallmarks of a notorious serial killer. When Nikki meets Charles Beck, the pathologist who conducted the original post-mortems, she discovers his wife was the suspected fifth victim of the serial killer, but nobody believes him when he claims he knows where to find her body.”

BBC

“Effective Range: Part 2”

“When a woman’s body is removed from a reservoir, Nikki performs the post-mortem and confirms she is the deceased wife of pathologist Charles Beck. Jack and Velvy discover new evidence that leads to a surprising arrest as Nikki continues to seek the truth about notorious serial killer Calvin Dunn.”

BBC

Silent Witness is well-known for its gripping pace and compelling cases. But one thing that fans of the series have been looking forward to for a long time is the development of Nikki and Jack’s relationship. Their dynamic took a romantic turn in the last few episodes, but will their happiness last? Emilia Fox certainly seems to think so. In an interview with HELLO!, Fox spoke about how important their relationship is to the show, saying, “I think everyone agreed what we didn’t want to happen was to put them together and then immediately bust them up.” She also added, “I’m all for Jack and Nikki.”

Working together on such difficult cases isn’t easy, and the show has already proven that Nikki and Jack are in danger of letting their feelings for one another cloud their better judgment. We’ll see how that plays out further in Silent Witness season 27.

(featured image: BBC)