Made by BBC Studios, the prime time hit Silent Witness returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in January with two new recruits joining Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) and Jack Hodgson (David Caves) for five thrilling new contemporary stories, told over ten episodes.
Aki Omoshaybi (The Pursuit Of Love, Queens Of Mystery, Real) plays Gabriel Folukoya, an academic, neurologist and pathologist who has spent much of his career in innovative research, primarily in the field of data analysis.
The new series sees Jack’s niece Cara Connelly (Rhiannon May) return as a more regular character; arriving unexpectedly from Belfast to announce she is starting a university course in Criminology.
Silent Witness’ 25th anniversary series launched in May 2022 and is one of the top five BBC scripted titles of the year so far, with episode one consolidating to 8.3 million viewers across its first 30 days.
Silent Witness is a BBC Studios production for BBC One and iPlayer. Executive Producers are Suzi McIntosh, Emilia Fox and Priscilla Parish for BBC Studios and Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC. Josh Dynevor is producer.
BBC Studios handle global distribution and Silent Witness is currently enjoyed in 235 territories worldwide including - Australia - ABC and BBC First, US- BritBox, Germany- ZDF, Sweden SVT. Past series of Silent Witness are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
JE
Emilia Fox (Dr Nikki Alexander)
Were you pleased with the positive response to the 25th series?
My goodness, I'm always pleased if there is a positive response. There is always such pleasure in making Silent Witness. We're making it for the audience, and if it's received well, then that's the most joyful thing.
Where do we find Nikki at the beginning of the new series?
Because we had a slight change of format for series 25 and a great celebration with the return of Sam Ryan (Amanda Burton), we wanted to open the new series with an epic story. The writers of episode one Dudi Appleton and Jim Keeble, who have written standout stories before, including “Awakening” set in Mexico and “Shadows,” about a school shooting, and many, many others, wanted to write about the Ndrangheta. It's great taking the Lyell into that criminal underworld of the mafia.
Luckily Silent Witness can explore epic stories or slightly more chamber pieces or new topical news stories.
It's a very dangerous world. How does that affect Nikki and Jack's relationship?
Now that they're together, this epic story puts the Jack and Nikki relationship under pressure. Not in the way of “once you've got two regular characters together, you put them in immediate conflict and break them up.” We didn't want that because the characters have got such a deep love for each other. But a different kind of pressure is put on them as they realise that they're each other's strength, but they're also each other's vulnerability because they care so much for each other.
If either of them is in danger, that puts real stress on the other, the relationship has suddenly given them an Achilles heel.
How does their relationship develop over this series?
What audiences seem to have liked over the last decade is Nikki and Jack’s communication, they have fun together and care and love each other. Now they've transitioned from friendship into a relationship, it does make it different between them. In the new series, we've tried to leave the fun in, despite the plot pressure that they're put under.
Having played Nikki for 18 years now, how do you still maintain your evident passion for the job?
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. 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.
What else?
I love the familiarity of playing Nikki but she’s also thrown into different situations. In every episode, new writers, and writers we've worked with before bring new things to say. The show never stops being ambitious in its storylines and storytelling.
What other aspects of making Silent Witness do you still relish?
I love the ethos of the production itself. It cares about the standard of the show, and it also cares about the people who come and work on the show. I know how lucky I am, and I never, ever take that for granted. I still have that passion; I want it to be the best it can be. I've seen it through so many different areas, so many different evolutions, and I still want it to work. I will still put my heart and soul into it.
What do you think of the fans’ abiding love for Silent Witness?
It never ceases to surprise and excite me. For example, I did a talk recently with the criminologist Professor David Wilson. Someone came up to me afterwards and said that they'd gone into forensics because they'd been watching the show. That happens a lot. Students will say, “We've watched the show. Now we want to go into this and do it professionally.’ That's an amazing thing to come from a fictional drama. We have opened up a world for people to see on television, and if they choose to do that in their real life, then how wonderful!
David Caves (Jack Hodgson)
At the beginning of this series, where do we find Jack?
We find Jack and Nikki are very much a couple. They're in a good place. We always wanted it to be a positive relationship and not become a bickering, conflict-ridden thing. I think we sidestep that landmine as best we can.
But work does still come between them, doesn't it?
Yes, they are a couple who do nothing but work, they’re total workaholics. They don't seem to have much of a home life. Jack has a little bit more, but Nikki is the real workaholic. She never leaves the Lyell, so we don't get to see them at home domestically, per se. But we get to see lovely little glimpses into their relationship in the office.
How do viewers get those glimpses of their relationship?
Really through the eyes of the young Velvy played by the brilliant Alastair Michael. It's seen through his eyes a little bit more because he's a bit of a fish out of water. He's wide-eyed with wonder at everything, so he puts his foot in it a fair bit with them. He knows something's going on and he always says the wrong thing. They're slightly thinking, “What’s he talking about?’ It's quite amusing for those little moments.
What challenges does Jack have to deal with in this season?
Complications arise when his niece Cara comes to do a criminology degree in London and wants to stay with Jack. He's not thrilled about it. He finds himself now in this sort of paternal role, which he never would have thought of. He's always been quite a lone wolf, a standalone guy. Now he has to worry about her. That’s a bit annoying for Jack, but dramatically these are good problems to have.
How does Jack react after Cara moves in?
He worries because she's young, she’s vulnerable and she's deaf. Spending time around him in the workplace wouldn't be top of his list of priorities. Nikki seems very relaxed and chilled-out about the whole thing. Meanwhile, Jack becomes this kind of neurotic father figure, going around helicopter parenting. It’s just something he never expected to do.
Tell us about the story that launches the new series?
We kick off with a mafia story. It's great to start off with something big and cinematic like that. The faceless aspect of this enemy is fun. They're this threat in the background, but you never see who they are or who's in charge. That's very timely, isn't it? In these kinds of areas, you don't know who's the puppet master in the background. With these big corporations, you're never clear where the money's coming from, what it's doing and what hands it's passing through. I thought that was an excellent way to open the series.
What impact does this storyline have on Jack and Nikki’s relationship?
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? There is a real underlying menace in this series, which I think is really, really good.
What other areas are covered in the episodes following the mafia story?
The next story is very dark again. It deals with immigration. It's a very complicated story with a lot of characters and it’s very topical. The story after that focuses on the dangers of social media. It's about social media influencers in that weird, seedy world which I know very little about!
The writers of Silent Witness always manage to strike a topical chord, don't they?
Absolutely. The writers are brilliant. They always have that topical edge. They also come at a subject from an angle which is unexplored a lot of the time. They never take the obvious route. They always find a little way of coming at it which makes you go, “Oh, right. I hadn’t thought about that.”
Why, after 26 years, is Silent Witness more popular than ever?
Everyone loves to watch crime dramas. We're all mortal beings, and we're all going to die. Sometimes it's easier to explore that from the comfort of your sofa than it is to have to live it in real life. We can put ourselves in the position of the people who are going through it in the drama and think, “What would I do? How would I cope with that? Would I be able to do that or not?” Ultimately, we like mysteries because we just like to know stuff. We want to know who did it and why they did it.
Alastair Michael (Velvy)
What was your mother's reaction when she heard you had landed the part of Velvy in Silent Witness?
Between the ages of nine and 14, I used to watch it with my mum all the time. She is still an avid fan. So when I told her over the phone that I was going to be in Silent Witness, she went all high-pitched and Scottish as she's likely to do when she gets excited. She was over the moon! It makes me very proud that I’m doing something that she loves so much.
Has the response of other people been positive, too?
Absolutely. The show is so well loved. That's one of the things that has really come across. When friends have found out that I'm doing Silent Witness, I’ve realised just how many people love the show. As soon as I’ve mentioned it, they've said, "I've loved that show for years. I'm so excited that you're in it." It's been really nice having that excitement reflected back at me.
What are your memories of your first day on set?
I was in the middle of touring a one-person show. On my first day on Silent Witness, I travelled to London from Hereford overnight to film for half a day. Then in the afternoon, I had to travel to Bristol for three performances of the show. So what I remember above all else is being very tired! Also the theatre show that I was doing was very physical, and I had picked a bit of an injury in Hereford. So on my first day on set, I was nursing a neck injury. But I was still so excited and nervous. I remember almost immediately forgetting where I’d put my water bottle on set because I was so overwhelmed by everything. But it was great. Everyone was so lovely and welcoming. That was the first time it felt really real.
What sort of journey does Velvy go on over the series?
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. 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.
What was the most challenging part of the role?
I had to speak Yiddish, which wasn't easy. But there is a Jewish advisor on the show who is brilliant. His own experience is very similar to Velvy. He was very useful for a great many things and one of those was translating scenes into Yiddish for us.
What will you take away from playing Velvy?
I am Jewish, but I grew up not being strongly connected to a Jewish community. Playing Velvy has given me a real opportunity to reconnect more deeply with my own sense of Jewishness. That's something I'll always remember.
How did you find it filming with Emilia and David?
They're brilliant to watch and learn from because they have done it for so long and they're so good at what they do. Joining a team that is already so familiar with each other can seem a little daunting, but they were so welcoming and open and supportive to work with and really fun to act with.
Because Emilia is an executive producer, she was great at carving out time and making sure that we actors had time to explore the material and talk and rehearse and feel comfortable and know what we were doing before we shot a scene. I haven't done much television before so having a champion like that for the actors is remarkable.
Aki Omoshaybi (Gabriel)
How would you describe your character, Gabriel?
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 realises they are more hands-on. He sees there are two ways of working and they complement each other.
We find Gabriel at a juncture in his life, realising that it’s possible to marry those two sides. He has to understand he’s dealing with humans, and not just computer screens. His new colleagues have to coax him out of his comfort zone. And during the series, he learns how to compromise a bit.
Does Gabriel have to get stuck in himself?
Yes. The first time he starts to understand the importance of more hands-on work is when he turns up to a pig farm to help Nikki out. He hasn't done that sort of work with his feet on the ground in a number of years. He turns up in a smart suit and swish car, but he soon realises he's got to get his hands dirty, analysing pig's guts! He's really thrown in the deep end.
How did your first post-mortem scene go?
Oh, the nerves! I felt like I was doing a post-mortem in real life. That's how nervous I was about it. I thought I was stepping into a real morgue. There's a body on the slab and you’re not used to seeing a body open. It’s a visceral experience. If you have never seen the innards of a body before, it’s extraordinary. The make-up team and the props department make it so real and, I was about to say, bring it to life, but that's the wrong phrase for a dead body! Anyway, it's a lot!
How did you cope with the medical terminology?
That was really challenging as well. I had a big monologue in one of my first scenes. I felt like I was in The Twilight Zone! But the main thing was, I wanted to rise to the challenge. I know the detail that goes into these post-mortems because my brother is a doctor himself. He watches Silent Witness from a forensic, medical stance, and he says the way they recreate post mortems is very, very good. He studied at Cambridge and he and his old colleagues from university love the show. They say it's very thorough, the fact that they think it's so realistic is the ultimate tribute to the show. But it also put a bit of pressure on me!
Did the other cast members help you in the post-mortem sequences?
Definitely. I was acting opposite Emilia who’s been doing it for so long. She's a genius. She was fantastic in encouraging me. The generosity of everyone on set was amazing.
Finally, what was the reaction of your doctor brother to the news that you were going to have a major part in Silent Witness?
He's really obsessed with the show, and he was stoked when I told him. I've never seen him more excited in my life - not on my wedding day or on the day my daughter was born! My brother was absolutely delighted by the news, like you couldn't believe. He was swinging from the rafters!
Rhiannon May (Cara)
What can we expect from Cara in the coming series?
You can definitely see her growing up a bit, maturing, making bigger decisions, and developing more relationships with different people in her life. She is more of a rounded character, and we see more of her, which is really great.
How does Cara’s relationship with Jack evolve?
She arrives in London and is demanding to stay in his house. He’s a kind of father figure in her life, so she's pushing those boundaries and getting involved when she shouldn't be. She’s joking and teasing Jack, but you also see that she loves him a lot and admires him and wants to be like him in some ways.
It’s exciting that Cara is playing a bigger role in this series, isn't it?
Yes, for 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.
People say Cara is a very realistic portrayal of a deaf person. Would you agree with that?
Yes. We worked with a deaf BSL consultant who helps me to translate the lines and helps teach the hearing cast their signs and make sure they’re realistic. Sometimes it's not full sign language; the characters are using gestures or improvising. There is a deaf consultant involved in the script, too. Also, I'm deaf, and having a deaf actor playing a deaf character is very important. It means that if I raise anything - for example, I might say, “Oh, in this room, Cara wouldn’t be able to see what's happening” - the production is adaptable to changing things that might need to be changed.
Can your role help increase understanding about your life?
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.
How good have the other actors been at using BSL (British Sign Language) and SSE (Sign Supported English)?
Really good. They've learnt very quickly. Some of the characters that Cara spends a lot of time with like Velvy played by Alastair Michael have had to learn swiftly. That means that when I'm on set, Alastair will sign and use what he’s learned, which is important. The cast are not just learning a skill for a TV show. It's a language and it’s good to see they have been learning and using it.
Have the crew been learning it, too?
Yes. Also, working with the directors, we’ve been teaching them how to say, “rolling,” “action” and “cut.” That's very useful because I can't always see the interpreter on set. For instance, sometimes I might be starting a scene behind a door or a window. So having people who can use sign language just makes it all much smoother for everyone.
What do you hope audiences will take away from seeing you in Silent Witness?
Firstly, I hope that people will enjoy and appreciate more deaf representation. It's not to do with just one character. I hope the community and language are accepted and appreciated. Silent Witness also shows a deaf character who can go and study for a criminology degree. If people have any preconceived stereotypes about what deaf people can do, I'd like to change their minds. Cara is just a fun character, and I hope people will warm to her because she brings a lot of energy to the Lyell.
What reaction have you had from the deaf community since Cara first appeared?
It’s been really good, which is great because people have been fighting for this for so long. People have been saying, “We need more representation,” and we’re slowly seeing it happening. We can always do more, but it's been a really, really great reaction. A deaf person came up to me in a bar recently and said, “I know I shouldn't, but I just wanted to tell you Silent Witness is my favourite programme.” I replied, "Oh my god, that's amazing!” She was really chilled. I think I was more excited than her!